Visual Aid Volunteers of Florida, Inc.

“Dedication Makes the Difference”

Manuscript

Lynnette Taylor

  1. Title Page

    • Title

      Be sure and use the capitalization that is on the title page. Typeforms are ignored.

    • Author

      Check to see if the word “by” is on the title page and use it if it is there. Capitalization exactly as on the title page.

    • Reproduction Notice

      NFB says to use the new one.

    • Publisher

      Use the name of the publisher with the most immediate responsibility for the book, check the back of the title page to see if the one chosen is a subsidiary of a larger publishing group. Generally, the one on the title page is the proper publisher.

    • ISBN

      Use the one that fits the book you are transcribing, check the back of the book at the bar code if uncertain

  2. Volume Information

    • Volume number

      For your manuscript use In 1 Volume in the volume segment. Do not include Volume 1 on the next line. It is not necessary.

    • Braille Pages

      Braille page numbers must include all the t pages, p pages, and print pages used in your manuscript. Check to see that all braille page numbers are consecutive.

    • Print pages

      Print pages must include all print page numbering in the pages you have selected for your manuscript. That includes implied numbers as well. Implied numbers can be either Arabic or Roman. Watch the grade 1 indicator for Roman numerals v and x standing alone. Be sure and repeat the numerical indicator for numbers following a hyphen.

  3. Special Symbols Page

    • What to list

      Any special symbol used in your manuscript.

    • Use braille order

      You will have to manually put in (in braille order) any transcriber defined symbols.

  4. Running Head

    • Where it goes

      The running head goes on every page except the title page and the first page of text. That includes all of the t and p pages except the title page.

  5. Table of Contents

    • Only include the part of the table of contents covered in your manuscript.

  6. Cover material

    • Do not include any cover material

  7. Body: See page 20-3 in the Lesson Material

    • Where it starts

      The body of the text begins with the first item mentioned in the table of contents.

    • Chapters, except for first chapter, follow on same braille page

      The first chapter is special and it begins on a new braille page. For literary braille, all other chapters follow on the same braille page as the previous chapter ends if there is room.

  8. Ending
    • THE END, with transcriber’s notes surrounding it is shown at the end of your manuscript, centered. There will be one blank line between it and the end of the text. If your text ends on line 24, THE END can go on line 25. If your text ends on line 25, THE END can go on line 25 if there is room for the statement and 3 blank cells on either side
  9. Spelling
    • Check spelling carefully. If there are words that have caused you problems in the past, look especially for those. Read each brailled word individually.
    • Check punctuation and typeforms in a separate proofreading. It is too easy to braille a quote when it was supposed to be a period and then read the quote as a period. Make sure that each sentence begins with a capital letter. Do not forget to check for termination symbols when there is a passage symbol.
  10. Errors in text
    • Make notes of errors in text so that you can include them in your letter to the grader.
  11. Dash versus hyphen
    • Hyphenated compound words such as set-to or sister-in-law must stay together on the same braille line.

      These hyphenated words cannot be divided between braille lines.

      ,%E _H RU2] F9S ON H] FEET4 ,%E TRIPP$ ON H] F9S4 ,H] FEET W5T FLIP-FLOP1 FLIP-FLOP4 ,MR4 ,Z+] HELP$ H] 9TO !

      Again, no division between braille lines.

      ,ANO!R /UD5T MI<T H SPECIAL MUSICAL-RHY?MIC ABIL;Y B FEW A?LETIC SKILLS4 ,A /UD5T A?LETE MI<T H HI<LY

    • Dashes may begin or end a braille line, so if you have it was—I forget, maybe May 1st—when we went on vacation you can split the sentence at either of the dashes.

      The next examples show dashes at the end or beginning of a braille line.

      NOVEL SITUA;NS OR PROBLEMS4 ,:AT REMA9S M /ABLE1 ?\<1 IS ^1CRY/ALLIZ$ 9TELLIG;E ,-! SUM ( \R K AB ! _W4 ,CRY/ALLIZ$

      PRAY+ AL;G ) ! RE/ ( MY FAMILY,-= ME,- ,TIMO?Y1 : M1NS1 8HONOR+ ,GOD40

  12. Blank Lines: See Appendix C in Braille Formats for information about blank lines. The running head does require a blank line following it if the following text does require a blank line before it: e.g., a list, a poem, instructions, etc.
  13. Spacing issues
    • Be sure all lines that are not the beginning of a paragraph start in cell 1
    • Be sure that all paragraphs except blocked paragraphs, start in cell 3
    • Be sure that consistent spacing is used for dashes and ellipses. Try to follow print. Remember that if you are using asterisks to indicate a change in thought or an interruption that they have a blank cell between each asterisk and that there is no blank line before or after.
  14. Print page numbers in the body of text
    • Check the first line of each page for the print page number and for the running head.
    • Print page numbering must account for all the pages copied for your manuscript.
    • When print pages have illustrations without any text, then combined print page numbers are used. The number on the left page is first, followed by the number on the right page. The continuation pages use the number on the right page.
  15. After embossing make sure the dots come through and there are no random dots like a cell 6 off by itself
  16. USE ALL THREE BOOKS WHEN IN DOUBT: RULES, FORMATS, AND INSTRUCTION MANUAL
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