Revision History is an extension for Chrome and Edge browsers, enabling educators to see the edit history of students' assignments in Google Docs.

How does it work?


Revision History adds a bar to the top of Google Docs with basic statistics like time spent writing, number of deletions and copy/pastes.
Revision History Bar
The replay feature (in beta) lets you watch a video of the student writing their paper.
Click on the details button to open a sidebar with more information about the student's writing process, including what was copy/pasted and information on writing sessions.
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.

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).

What does it cost?
The basic extension is free. We are currently working on a premium, paid version with additional features.

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?
I love to hear feedback and ideas for new features. Please reach out to info@revisionhistory.com

Contact Us


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

(212) 203-5701