Compare Essays or Articles in Seconds | Rune

Essays and articles often go through multiple revisions. Whether you're a student comparing drafts before submission, a blogger optimizing content, or an editor reviewing changes, comparing long-form content efficiently is essential. Here's how to do it in seconds.

Why Compare Essays and Articles?

Track Revision Progress

See how your essay evolved from first draft to final version. This helps you understand your writing process and improve future work.

Verify Editor Changes

When someone else edits your article, compare the original and edited versions to understand their changes before accepting them.

Check for Unauthorized Modifications

Ensure your published article wasn't altered without permission by comparing it against your original file.

Academic Requirements

Some professors require showing changes between drafts—a comparison document makes this easy.

Step-by-Step Guide

1. Open Rune's Text Compare.
2. Paste your first version (earlier draft) on the left.
3. Paste your second version (later draft) on the right.
4. Select Word Level comparison (best for prose).
5. Toggle Ignore Whitespace on (focus on content).
6. Review the color-coded differences.

Reading the Results

Color	Meaning	Example
Red	Removed from original	Deleted sentences
Green	Added in new version	New paragraphs
No color	Unchanged text	Consistent content

Pro Tips for Essay Comparison

Focus on Substance, Not Format

Enable "Ignore Whitespace" to skip over indentation and spacing changes. This keeps your focus on actual content modifications.

Use Word Level for Essays

Character-level comparison is overkill for essays. Word-level highlights meaningful changes without highlighting every minor edit.

Save Both Versions

Before comparing, ensure you have clean copies of both versions. Copy directly from your word processor to avoid formatting issues.

Example Workflow

1. Draft 1: Your initial essay.
2. Draft 2: After self-editing.
3. Compare 1→2: See what you changed.
4. Draft 3: After peer feedback.
5. Compare 2→3: Track peer-influenced changes.
6. Final Draft: Submit with confidence.

Conclusion

Comparing essays and articles doesn't have to be tedious. With Rune's Text Compare, you can see every change in seconds—helping you write better and edit smarter.