Scripts should be submitted in a PC-compatible file (ie saved in MS-DOS; this is important if an Apple-Mac is used in the preparation; you have to select a specific optional procedure to do this).

They should NEVER be saved in word-processor specific format; if you do this, the chances are that they will not be readable by the person who receives them. The way around this problem is to use the SAVE AS procedure, and select the 'Rich Text Format' option, giving a filename extension .RTF.

Note that some advanced word-processors enable reference numbers to be tracked separately, so that you can insert a new one in the middle of the paper, and all the subsequent ones update. This useful feature however does not survive the 'save as RTF' procedure; the numbers get lost. So if you are writing for a website version, simply keep the reference numbers as part of the main text, or if you have used the auto-referencing feature, when you save as RTF you will have to go through the RTF version and put in the reference numbers by hand.

If the script includes tables and diagrams, DO NOT embed them in the same file as the script. This makes editing very tricky, more so than I am prepared to take on board. I will only edit these into the web-site provided I can get each table or diagram separately, in a suitable format.

Tables should be in spreadsheet format saved as text, tab-delimited.

Graphics should be saved as .gif or .jpg or other suitable web-friendly format. They are acceptable as .bmp if they are not too large; this procedure is rather heavy on memory.

Names of tables and graphics files should relate to their numbering in the text. Numbered captions should be in the text, each treated as a separate paragraph, in its appropriate location, indicating at editing-time the link-point for each table or graphic.

Text and associated tabular or graphic files can be sent either on a diskette, or as attached files by e-mail. The naming of the files should suitably related to the author, topic or occasion, and the header of the script should contain not only the title, but also something about the author and the occasion.

NB If a printed version is in prospect, treat the file for the Web as if it is a galley-proof, without page-oriented layout, and ensure that it is as far as possible correct. Further page-proofing text corrections, if they exist, should be conveyed explicitly to the web-site editor, with an indication of their location.

Roy Johnston November 2000

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