Merging notes or documents with overlapping content involves combining multiple files into a single document while identifying and integrating shared elements to eliminate redundancy. It goes beyond simple copying and pasting by analyzing where text, ideas, or data appear in more than one source and synthesizing them into a unified whole. This is distinct from simply comparing documents, as merging actively creates a new, consolidated version that incorporates both common material and unique content from each source.

For instance, researchers compiling findings from multiple related interview transcripts would merge them to highlight recurring themes while capturing individual participant insights. Similarly, project managers often merge overlapping sections from different team members' status reports (e.g., sections describing the same project milestone) into one master document. Tools like Microsoft Word's 'Compare and Combine' feature or dedicated apps like Meld or Draftable facilitate this process across documents, notes apps, or collaborative platforms.

The primary advantages are increased efficiency and clarity by eliminating repetitive information and providing a single source of truth. However, limitations exist: automated tools can struggle with contextual understanding, potentially creating inconsistencies or losing nuances when resolving conflicting edits. Manual oversight is crucial, especially for complex content mergers. Ethically, proper attribution of merged sources is vital. Future advancements in AI-powered text analysis could improve context-aware merging, making the process more reliable and accessible for wider adoption.