You can probably find the file later by going to the top folder in your Google Drive (in other words, My Drive). If you have trouble, use the search tool to look for the file on your main Google Drive. Once you find it, you can find the name of the folder that it is in after the filename (indicated by the mouse pointer in the example below):

1. Open the document you want to download as PDF on your Google Drive.
2. Under the File menu, choose Download As… (marked by the red rectangle in the image below). A submenu of options will appear, as shown:
3. Choose PDF Document (.pdf) from the submenu (marked with the red arrow in the image above).
4. Choose a name for the document, and save it to a location on your hard drive.

That’s all there is to it. You now have a PDF version of your Google Doc. Do open the PDF to make sure that it has converted properly. If you find that the layout changes, you might try downloading as a Word document and then creating a PDF with Microsoft Word.

1. Locate your rough draft on your Google Drive. The document needs to be a Google Doc, not a PDF or Microsoft Word Document. If you aren’t sure that your document is the right format, follow the instructions for Converting Uploaded Files Manually and convert your file if necessary.
2. Click on the Share button at the top of the page.
   
3. Check the list of people the document is shared with for my name. If you see my name and email address (tengrrl@vt.edu) with either “Can edit” or “Can Comment” permission (as shown in the image below), you can skip down to step 5. Otherwise, go to step 4.
4. Add my email address tengrrl@vt.edu (outlined with the red box in the image below), and set the sharing permission to “Can comment” (shown with the red arrow below). This step will ensure that I can open and grade your document.
   
5. Copy the Share URL from the top of the box (shown with the red arrow in the image below):
   

6. Once you have clicked either Done or Share & Save in the sharing dialog box (you’ll only see one or the other option), follow the instructions on the blog post for the due date to submit your project.

Step 1: Share your document

Follow these instructions to share your document with your partner for peer review:

1. Locate your rough draft on your Google Drive. The document needs to be a Google Doc, not a PDF. If you aren’t sure that your document is the right format, follow the instructions for Converting Uploaded Files Manually and convert your file if necessary.
2. Click on the Share button at the top of the page.
   
3. Click the Change… link, marked with the red arrow in the image below:
   
4. Choose “People at Virginia Tech with the link” (shown in the red rectangle), and set the permission to “Can comment” (marked with the red arrow in the image below):
   
5. Click SAVE on the sharing dialog box.
6. Copy the Share link at the Sharing settings dialog box (marked with the red arrow in the image below):
   
7. Paste the Share link into the forum for your class in order to share your draft with your classmates.

Step 2: Add comments to your partner’s document

There are two ways to add comments. The difference is where you start. If you need a more detailed explantion, be sure to check out the Lynda video on “Commenting on a file.”

Use the Comment button

1. Click in the document near the text you want to comment on, OR highlight the related text.
2. Click on the Comment button in the top, right corner of the Google Document (marked with the red rectangle below):
   
3. Click on the Comment button in the pop-up that appears (marked with the red arrow above). Google Docs will add a comment dialog box in the right margin (shown below), closest to wherever the cursor was in the document:
   
4. Type your comment in the box, and click the Comment button to add the comment to the document.

Use the Context menu (the right-click menu)

1. Highlight the text in the comment that you want to comment on.
2. Right-click on the text, and choose the Comment command (shown below):
   

Google Docs will add a comment dialog box in the right margin (shown below), closest to wherever the cursor was in the document:


3. Type your comment in the box, and click the Comment button to add the comment to the document.

Step 3: Read and respond to comments from your partner

There are two ways to find comments that your partner has left in your document. Like with adding comments, the difference is where you start. Again, if you need a more detailed explantion, be sure to check out the Lynda video on “Commenting on a file.”

Use the Comment button

1. Click on the Comment button in the top, right corner of the Google Document (marked with the red rectangle below):
   
2. Read the all the comments for the document in the dialog box that appears in the right margin (marked with the red arrow above).
3. Click on a comment in the dialog box, and the document will scroll to the related text where the comment was inserted.
4. To reply to a comment, click on the Reply link under the comment (marked with the red rectangle below).
   
5. Type your response in the box that appears (marked with the red arrow above), and click the Reply button to add your response.

Click highlighted text

1. Click on highlighted text in the document (shown in the red rectangle below):
   
2. Read the related comment in the right margin, where it will appear in a dialog box (marked with the read arrow above).
3. Click in the box that says, “Reply to this comment” to add a reply.
4. Click the Reply button when you have finished typing to add your response.

1. Check the icon for your file in the listing on your Google Drive. The image below shows the icons for three different file formats: Google Drive (the correct one), a Microsoft Word document (incorrect), and a PDF file (also incorrect):
   
2. If the file you want to share is in Google Drive format, you’re set. No conversion is necessary. Otherwise, move on to the next step.
3. Click the checkbox by the file you want to convert (shown with the red arrow in the image below):
   
4. Click the More menu above the file list (shown in the red box in the image above).
5. Choose the Open with command, and then the Google Docs command (shown with the red arrow in the image below):
   
6. Wait while Google converts the file. The document that opens is converted to Google Drive format and will be listed in the file list on your Google Drive page. Share this version so that we can comment on your work.

1. Choose the Gear menu in the upper right corner on Google Drive (marked with the red box in the image below):
2. Choose the Upload settings command from the dropdown menu, and then choose the setting you prefer:
   • Convert uploaded files to Google Docs format
     Will automatically convert your files every time.
   • Convert text from uploaded PDF and image files
     Will perform optical character recognition on your file. (We won’t need this choice.)
   • Confirm settings before each upload
     Will ask you every time you upload a file if you want to convert it.
3. Upload your files normally after indicating your preference. The setting takes effect immediately.

Conversion Advice

If you aren’t sure which option to choose, think about how you use your Google Drive and how you want to work with the files in the future:

• To compose and revise in your word processor only, have the files convert automatically. Just remember that changes you make on your Google Drive will not show up in your word processor.
• To make a back up of your word processor file, don’t use these settings. Convert your files manually.
• To use Google Drive for other classes, choose the option to confirm settings before each upload, which will let you decide every time. That choice gives you more flexibility.