CS第4章—Preparations ofthe script and figures[推荐]_pscs6教程第四章

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Chapter Four Preparations ofthe script and figures

The script may be read by several people，usually by an editor，two referees(reviewers in the USA)，a subeditor(copy-editor)or language corrector，the copy-preparer，the printer and the proof reader．This should be sufficient reason for the preparation of clear script．Yet poorly prepared scripts are commonly submitted to editors；I have seen some that were barely legible．Even a script that looks neat may not be good from the printer’s point of view．This is partly because typists’typography may differ from that of printers as to spacing and punctu-(1)ation．[Unfortunately the typist may have had to type in that manner to pa her exams.] After the subeditor and the copy-preparer have corrected and marked the typescript it may almost resemble a manu-script!If you prepare the script yourself，please read this chapter carefully．If someone else prepares the script，please show them this chapter．

Spacing is important

The script should have wide margins，especially at the bottom．Standard left margins，say 40 mm wide，will help to ensure that pasted cotrections are in alignment and that unintended indentations are avoided．

The script should be double-spaced throughout，including that of yootnotes，notes to tables and list of References．That directive in italics is something often overlooked．It is not editorial pomp；the space is needed for instructions to the keyboard operator，and those instructions are usually more numerous in notes and legends than in the text．If you still desire to use close line spacing for parts of the script, make all spelling，punctuation，units，hyphens，capitals or lower case，decimals，formulas，numbers，etc．in accord with the style of the journal．If you cannot ensure all that，then leave interlinear space for the subeditor and copy-preparer． The first line of each paragraph should be indented；three spaces are enough．A paragraph that is not indented(for reasons of fashion?)risks being‘run on’，especially one that starts a page．This abominable non-indent fashion wastes the time of editors，who have to mark each new paragraph(NP)and who may have to turn back a page before they can decide whether an NP is desired．If you dislike indention in a script，or if the typing is done in a distant office outside your control，help the editorial staff by marking each NP with a 口 on the final script． Remember to change ug to g and ui to l．Many u’s escape conversion．Ensure that symbols in legends，figures and text agree，for example 3A or 3a．Make fractions unmistakable；a reader took time to realize that 2．1/2 was not 1.05 but 2½．

All pages must be numbered，including the first page as well as the list of References，etc．Imagine what happens if the script is dropped．

The journal may request two or more copies，and it should be axiomatic that good copies be submitted．Blurred script strains the referee’s eyes because of the continual attempt-abortively-to sharpen the image by focusing．If you use a typewriter and its‘e’is full of fluff，clean it，for example with a toothbrush．Before you make photocopies，cut a tiny corner off each original page．Then you can identify the original and avoid making copies of copies．If your script is printed by a dot-matrix printer，remember to use the near letter quality mode．A script with fewer than 35 dots per character is unsuitable for scientific reports．

Typesetters appreciate good copy．

Directives from a Dutch uncle

Do you think these directives are stern? Experience shows that they need to be．I cannot recall having seen a script that needed no correction．Some scripts seem not to have been read，in final form, by the author．If a script has severaI authors，all of them should read it． Bad script may not lead to a paper’S rejection；but neither will it encourage the referee to read it promptly．Day[8(5)] writes that a badly typed script is immediately returned to the author．Another editor told me that poor script may delay publication by a month．

Word division at line ends

Do not split a word at the end of a line．If a hyphen appears there，the printer will usually join the parts of a word．If a hyphen is needed（as in dansyl-lysine)，use a double hyphen(=)or repeat the hyphen at the start of the next line．Even better，take the whole word over，because broken wor-ds interfere with reading．The lines in a typescript need not all have the s-ame length．Do the unequal lines of this text disturb you as much as divided words would? When a scientific paper is to be typed，th-e machine should be instructed not to divide words．

Balloons(p．xii)

In the margin，write legibly or type‘Table．．near here’or‘Fig．．．near here’．Draw a ring or box round these and other directions to the printer about Greek symbols，mathematics，etc．Then the directions will not be printed．Such balloons are useful in other ways too． Word proceor(WP)

When a WP is used，some of the suggestions in this chapter donot apply．Corrections are so easily made on a WP that dirty pages should be corrected and printed afresh．

The WP has such advantages over the typewriter that the latter is seldom used for scientific script． On the final copy of your proceed script，you may have to add items manually: special symbols，complex underlinings，instructions，accents．．．．If the editor requires 3 copies，you need to make 5，including one to retain and one to deposit at home．To add all the items to all copies may be a laborious task and some items could be mied．Photocopies obviate the risk．

Does the VDU csuse eyestrain?

Evidence for eyestrain caused by a fluorescent visual display unit(VDU)is scarce and conflicting．

If you think your VDU tires your eyes，consider the following． Is your seating suitable? Do you wear bifocal spectacles? The upper lens is designed for distant vision，the lower for close work(30 or 40 cm)．Your VDU may be well over 40 cm distant，so neither of your lenses is ideal．Ask an optician about special spectacles or a pair with continuously variable lenses．

Cover sheet

(2)Some publishers appreciate your supplying a top sheet．On it type the name of the journal，title of the paper，author(s)，addre for correspondence，running title，number of figures and number of tables．

Corrections and additions to the final copy

After a page has been retyped，check that all has been copied．If I cannot understand a paage in a typescript，1 wonder whether a phrase has been omitted．Jumps occur when a typist‘picks up’a word in error at its repeat．(See‘tape．．．tape．．．tape’five sentences below.)When a WP is used，sometimes a line is lost or redundant material left in．

For small corrections, correct the text itself；do not make corrections in the margin as you would on proofs．Confirm by using a balloon if the mark is not distinct．

Corrections should not be attached with pins，clips or staples；they embarra the printer．If you use transparent tape let it be invisible mending tape upon which one can write．Common self-adhesive tape should not be used．The latter，convenient though it is for authors and secretaries，is disliked by editors and typesetters，comes unstuck and cannot be written on．Flags，tails，flyleaves，turned-up pages and additions on the back of a page cause trouble，and their contents may even be accidentally overlooked by a referee or the typesetter．If more than a line is to be added，retype the page．Do not crowd the page．If there is too much for one page，type two pages．Then re-number the pages through to the end．Although the paper for all pages should be of uniform size，the lengths of scripts on pages need not be uniform．Short pages(script，not paper)are not troublesome，but long pages are．

Most of the directives in the paragraph above need not apply where a WP is used，but they need to be explained so long as some authors continue to provide typewritten scripts．

The typewriter’s or word proceor’s type face

Before you buy a typewriter or WP，look for a type style that is suitable for scientific work．Sanserif(p．xvi)is unsuitable．If you have to accept sanserif and you show 'I' as part of a formula(e．g．In，HI，-ol-1-onel，name the symbol in the margin：ell，eye，ell，one．One day，while you wait in a queue(us‘line’)，you may amuse yourself by recalling poible meanings of III；there are 4 or more．Where there is any doubt whether O，0 or O is intended，whatever the type face，tell the printer what the symbol means: oh，zero，cap Oh．

Books on the preparation of printers’copy

Editors and others who prepare scripts for the printer will find useful information in Copy-editing by J．Butcher and in BS 5261．The Oxford Dictionary for Writers ＆ Editors is especially useful to editors and subeditors．These books are described in Chapter Eight(13)onwards．

Numbering of figures，tables and references during their preparation

If you number the tables and figures from first writing you may have to change the numbers as your paper develops．Instead of numbers，use letters that describe tables and figures to you privately．Before the final typing，change to numbers．With this scheme you are unlikely to leave a wrong number in the text．On a WP，the letters or numbers are easily found if you follow each with @ or other sign that you otherwise never use． Literature cited poses an analogous problem．At first I use the Harvard System: authors’names and year in the text．If the journal requires numbers，I change the script at a later stage．

Drawing the diagrams for reproduction

Draw diagrams about twice the dimensions of the desired printed version．Such enlargement demands thick lines，perhaps thicker than seem neceary to your eye．The lines of curves should be thicker than those of axes．Ensure that lines in different diagrams will appear equally thick，for example by using the same scale for all drawings．Insert the‘points’of a graph in ink．Sketch the curve first in pencil，free-hand or against a flexible rule．You can then erase the curve for re-drawing without losing the points．Or you may be able to calculate the line of best fit．The Biochemical Society’s Instructions[8(2)]give detailed directions on drawing graphs． The printer likes drawings to be on smooth card，Bristol board or good tracing paper，but graph paper is usually acceptable provided its lines are faint blue．Graph paper helps one to keep drawings of apparatus square，so diagrams may be drawn on such paper．To transfer a diagram to Bristol board，fix the former on the latter, then prick through principal points with a needle．The tiny holes provide a template for your drawing．They wilI be inked over, and should cause no trouble．

Line drawings are reproduced by an all-or-none proce．So draw your lines densely black；faint blue lines，pencillings，etc．are unlikely to appear on the printing plate．Deletions can be made with adhesive paper．You can make a continuous curve dotted or dashed by sticking narrow strips of paper over it at suitable intervals．Printed-pattern paper can be cut to shape and stuck over particular areas to make them hatched(shaded)．

Write words or numerals on a transparent detachable overlay．Many printers can insert such lettering(labelling)onto diagrams profeionally，but this poibility should be checked with the editor．An inexperienced draughtsman has difficulty in making the letters of suitable size．Examine a journal with author-drawn letters and you will see that unsuitable labelling spoils a picture．If you draw the letters or apply(3)preure-sensitive transfers．use lower-case letters；they are more legible than capitals．[See‘Legibility of print’，8(1).]Label each curve if poible(seeking explanations in the legend is tiresome for the reader)but do not‘clutter’the diagram．The labelling must be brief, so as not to dominate the graphs．If there is not room for words on each curve，perhaps there are too many curves in the figure．Hers(1984)recommends the use of open(‘empty’)symbols for control curves；he also makes other good suggestions． Draw a magnifier bar with scale value on the picture；then, if the picture is reduced，the bar is reduced too．A magnification number in the legend is unsatisfactory on several counts．

Journey’s end for the script

If you write many papers or a book，visit a typesetter．You may then see what can be done and what is typographically costly．If you are shown examples of good and bad copy，you will see that the above homily on the preparation of a script is not too detailed．Further, you should see why alterations at the proof stage are expensive and may delay publication．