A DOCX file is a package of XML documents and media, not only the words visible in Microsoft Word. It can preserve creator and modification properties, comments, revision history, embedded document titles, and other information inherited from a template or earlier file.
Metadata worth inspecting
The most relevant core properties include:
- Creator
- Last modified by
- Document title
- Subject
- Description
For double-anonymous review, a personal creator or last-modified-by value may undermine anonymization. A title or subject inherited from another project may also look careless even when it does not identify the author.
Metadata is only one layer
Clearing core properties does not remove visible affiliations, acknowledgments, ORCID identifiers, comments, tracked changes, file names, or identifying details in figures. Treat metadata inspection as one part of a broader anonymous-review check.
What the browser tool reports
When anonymous-review checking is enabled, the manuscript scanner displays the detected core properties so that the author can decide whether they must be cleared. The file is not uploaded.
After clearing properties
Save the file under a new name, close Word, reopen the copy, and scan it again. Some document-management systems or institutional templates can reinsert user information.
Inspect Word metadata locally
Select the anonymous-review option before running the DOCX scan.
Open the metadata checker