Teachers: See the writing journey in Google Docs, from blank page to final draft

HOW IT WORKS


A smart bar appears at the top of Google Docs, showing writing time, edits, copy/pastes, and whether any "unusual writing flags" were triggered.
Revision History Bar
The replay feature shows a video of the document writing journey.

Click the Details button to open a sidebar that unlocks the video replay, "unusual writing" flags, copy/pasted text, and number of writing sessions.

Editing Pattern: Measures how much text is deleted compared to what's added.
Text Addition Pattern: Identifies when large amounts of text appear quickly.
Content Addition Pattern: Shows when significant portions of the document were added in large chunks rather than gradually.
Voice-to-Text Pattern: Detects patterns typical of speech-to-text tools.
sidebar screenshot

Frequently Asked Questions


What should I use this tool for?
That's up to you! While some teachers use it to check for cheating on assignments, many leverage this tool to help students with the process of revising papers. Revision History provides teachers with information about how students approach the drafting and revision stages.

What does it cost?
We offer two tiers:

Free Tier

  • Analyze up to 150 documents per month
  • Cost: $0

Paid Tier

  • Analyze unlimited documents
  • Annual plan: $32/year ($2.67/month)
  • Monthly plan: $4.49/month
Group discounts available: We offer school, district, department, and general group discounts. Please reach out to info@revisionhistory.com for more information.

Does it have an "AI detector"?
No. AI detectors, which analyze text and try to come up with a probability that it was written by a human, have been shown to be unreliable. Revision History focuses on letting teachers view the writing process rather than trying to detect AI likelihood. You can even watch a video of the student writing their paper, to make your own determinations about whether it was written by a human or AI.

Do students need to install anything?
No. The plugin only needs to be installed by teachers.

What about privacy and student data?
The plugin pulls from data that is already stored by Google. All the analysis is done on your computer. This tool respects your privacy (and that of your students), so no student data, including the document text, is ever sent to our servers.

My school won't let me install this extension. What should I do?
Have your IT department reach out to info@revisionhistory.com to sort out any privacy or security concerns that they might have.

Does it only work with Google Docs?
Right now, yes. While students don't need to have the extension installed, it only shows revisions when all writing was done in Google Docs.

Will my students know I'm using this?
No. However, informing them will allow the plugin to work most effectively, as it only tracks revisions that were made in Google Docs (and not content that was copy/pasted or loaded in from Word, for example).

Is it safe?
Yes! The code is vetted and approved by Chrome extension team at Google. Contact us with any questions at info@revisionhistory.com.

Is this going to be more work for teachers?
No. Most of the relevant information appears right at the top of the document, and the rest is just a click away. There's no need to submit a document to an external website.

How do I install it?
It is available on the Google Chrome Store. It works in the Chrome and Edge browsers.

I have an idea for a feature. Can you add it?
Please share any and all ideas, feedback, and more with us at info@revisionhistory.com

Contact Us


Questions about Revision History? Looking to set it up at your school? Please reach out!

(917) 288-5859