Updated correlation to professional standards, 6 May 2024 • Added alt text guide Jan 2025
Visuals aren’t just those pretty things that push the words aside. Graphs, charts, diagrams, photos, and other illustrations help readers make sense of complex ideas. They help the reader orient to the text, and address visual and spacial learners that might be left behind by words alone.
Editors at various stages of manuscript development and quality assurance must comment on the visual elements of the product. Below you will find checklists of things that should be checked and flagged at each stage, and resources for learning more about effective visual communication.
These resources are presented in answer to the requirements of professional standards listed below. Specific hat tips appear at the bottom for recommendations made by my colleagues in both editorial and design.
Editors Canada
Professional Editorial Standards (2024) from Editors Canada:
A4.3 Understand the conventions for displaying tables, figures, graphs, maps and other visual elements that convey meaning.
A4.4 Understand common visual elements and types of audiovisual media.
B2.4 Select, create or secure appropriate visual elements (e.g., images, video, figures) in keeping with the requirements and constraints of the material (e.g., budget, schedule, format, medium). Determine the appropriate content of captions and titles.
B2.7 Determine whether any permissions are necessary (e.g., for quotations, visual elements, audio). Flag these copyright and permissions issues or bring the matter to the attention of the appropriate person; document all related efforts.
B1.4 Indicate the most effective positioning of all visual elements.
B2.1 Determine what content is suitable and optimal given the audience, medium and purpose. Identify and either recommend or make appropriate deletions (e.g., to remove repetitive, irrelevant or otherwise superfluous text or other elements) and additions (e.g., to fill gaps in content or strengthen transitions between sections) in both text and visual elements to make the entirety of the material suitable and optimal.
C1.7 Verify that all visual elements (e.g., illustrations, tables, infographics) are clear and effectively convey the intended meaning.
C1.8 Ensure audio and visual components are appropriate given the context.
D2.4 Ensure all tables, visual elements and multimedia match the surrounding text and are consistently presented (e.g., heading and caption styles, numbering).
D3.2 Review visual material (e.g., labels, cross-references, callouts on illustrations) and organizational information (e.g., tables of contents, menus and links in online documents) to ensure they are accurate, and correct or query as required.
D4.3 Recognize elements that require copyright acknowledgement and permission to reproduce (e.g., quotations, multimedia, visual elements). Check that permissions have been obtained. If necessary, bring the matter to the appropriate person.
D6.4 Most effective positioning of illustrations.
E1.4 In the first round of proofreading, read the material word by word and scrutinize visual elements as the task requires, comparing it with the edited copy if supplied.
E1.5 In each subsequent round of proofreading, refrain from reading the entire text (unless instructed to do so) but check that all changes have been made as requested and that they do not introduce new problems (e.g., check line and page breaks, text flow, visual elements, table of contents, navigation bar).
E2.1 Query, or correct if authorized to do so, inconsistencies and errors (e.g., in spelling, punctuation, facts, visual elements, navigation elements, metadata). Use judgment about the degree to which such queries and corrections are called for (e.g., different browsers format text differently, so there is no point in marking hard word breaks or table column measures in web content).
E2.2 Ensure that each proof contains all the copy and any additional elements prepared for layout (e.g., visual and audio elements, alt text, captions, acknowledgements).
E2.3 Flag or fix typographical and formatting errors, inconsistencies and irregularities in text, tables, figures, and visual elements, paying special attention to problem areas (e.g., headers and footers, folios, verso–recto orientation, covers, tables of contents, and opening and ending paragraphs).
E2.7 Recognize and flag matters that may affect later stages of proofreading (e.g., page cross-references; placement of visual elements; alterations that will change layout, indexing or web navigation).
Institute of Professional Editors (IPEd, Australia)
IPEd standards for (Australian) editing practice
A5.3 Requirements associated with illustrations (see D6 for a full definition) in different media. Includes techniques for best fit in the space available and correct placement in the final publication.
A6.4 Accuracy in content transfer. Includes identifying typical errors that may arise with scanned material, text derived from voice-recognition software, material transferred from word-processing software to formatting software and material copied from websites into word-processing software.
C1.1 Suitability and quality of the original material. May include printed and onscreen text, media assets such as video and audio files, and interactive activities such as quizzes.
C1.5 Additional material to enhance a publication in multiple formats. For example, the e-book version of a publication may benefit from additional content such as author interview, animated diagrams, interactive quizzes, video tutorials or games.
D6.1 Principles of presenting information in visual form.
D6.5 Requirement for captions and acknowledgements.
D6.3 Need for additional illustrations.
D6.7 Conventions governing the use of graphs, including correct use of their various elements, such as axes, scales and labels.
D6.8 Conventions governing the use of the various types of maps and their elements, such as labels, boundaries, contours, scale, legend and orientation.
D6.9 Principles of clear, logical and effective structure and layout of the parts of a table.
Chartered Institute of Editing and Proofreading (CIEP, UK)
Chartered Institute of Editing and Proofreading (CIEP; UK) Professional Code of Practice
5.4.5 Accuracy and consistency of content — Raise questions of any factual inaccuracy noticed and of any internal inconsistency regarding names, dates, events, people, places and references to visual elements. Refer these to the client or author as appropriate.
CIEP Editorial Syllabus
3.8 image terminology — know meaning and significance of, for example: figure, diagram, map/plan, caption, resolution, graph
Checklists
Checklist for Substance
The developmental editor, right near the beginning of the project (or the acquisitions editor or managing editor, substantive editor or any number of other titles) acts as a sort of artistic director, deciding which visuals to commission, and directing their content. They consider whether:
- illustrates what text says it will
- content matches what is indicated by running text and doesn’t include (too many) extras
- contains enough detail (per narrative and goal)
- point of view appropriate to the content (e.g., cross section vs broad view)
- comparisons, contrasts, and context are appropriate to the data/ message
- style appropriate to audience and message (e.g., cartoon, set-up photo, or line plot graph)
- labels self-explanatory
- alignment and proximity of elements (and text) are relative to their importance and relationship to each other (e.g., heading levels)
- graphs start at zero and scale is not distorted
- data is represented accurately, avoiding pitfalls of distorted data representation
- requested resolution is adequate and appropriate to the medium (e.g., 300 dpi for print, or 192 for today’s high res screens)
Checklist for Style
At the copyediting stage, the editor should be verifying that the content of the visuals matches the accompanying text. This is the most recognized editing skill set. Sometimes it is called line editing. They check:
- font type and size correct/appropriate
- capitalization style correct
- word choice matches running text
- colours and patterns high enough contrast (consider usability and accessibility: screen size and resolution, colour blindness and other visual impairments)
- bright colours used for accents, not main content
- design choices fit theme/ ideologies
- design choices aid usability (consider audience and medium)
- numbers/ values match sources
- representations accurate and truthful
- totals and calculations verified (e.g., percentages add up to 100)
- single scale and measures used for related graphs (data)
- exaggerations are appropriate
- sets of visuals (of equal importance) are similarly sized
- look is consistent across product set/ brand
Checklist for Quality (Proofreading)
At the page proofing stage, proofreaders should be checking that copyeditor’s changes were correctly implemented and that all elements adhere to the style specifications of the product. This stage is sometimes called quality assurance and may be done by someone on the design team. They verify:
- spelling matches text
- caption matches image
- all elements of image present
- no details lost in the fold
- copy editor’s changes input correctly
- alt text in place for accessibility and SEO
- text legible (size and contrast)
- resolution adequate and appropriate to the medium
- colours and contrast accessible
- credit/ source lines in place and accurate
- placement leaves enough space around text and doesn’t force awkward layout
- visual infelicities edited out (e.g., a stain on a shirt, unless that’s important)
- placement of captions and visuals is consistent
- captions are accurate — see additional captions checklist
Final Quality Check
Always review graphics in the final medium. That means printed on the press that will produce the final product, on a Kindle if that’s the destination device, or on a SMARTboard, etc. The quality and style checklists may be helpful.
Print out the checklists for your own use. You can even break them up and distribute them to relevant team members as long as my credit for creating them is included, and you don’t sell them. (CC BY-SA 2.0 license 2016)
For best practices on writing alt text that is brief, interpretive, and meaningful, see the Harvard U blog. Be sure to read their “Related Techniques” at the end as well as the various tabs in the “Alt Text Examples” area near the top.
Resources
Scroll the frame below to see all the resources.
Image of the battle against desertification by Robbert van der Steeg used under CC BY-SA 2.0 license.
One thought on “Editing Visual Components”