TSB editing workflow
Anibal Cabrera-Montoya, TSB Engineer-Editor
Tutorial for Chairmen and Vice-Chairmen
Geneva, 10 and 11 January 2013
Role of the TSB Editing Unit
Guarantee, to the extent of its possibilities and in cooperation with the Study Groups, the quality of approved
texts, mainly Recommendations, by:


applying the in-house presentation styles
verifying that the author’s message is conveyed clearly and without
ambiguity or contradiction
checking structure, grammar, consistency, abbreviations, etc.
flagging potential copyright issues
checking clause, figure and table numbering, cross-references
checking normative and bibliographic references.

etc.





2
Editing Workflow
- Editing has traditionally been done after the Recommendation has
been approved.
SG
Drawing
1st Ed. review
2nd Ed. review
Posting
Approval
Long publication delays
Solution: Start editing before approval
- Decreases the publication delay
- Helps improve quality
3
New Editing Workflow
AAP LC
Pre-editing
-Drawing
-Editorial advise
-Partially corrected text
4
Approval
Prepublished Rec.
available (TIES)
Final
version posted
Shortened editorial
reviews
-Formatting/styles
-Drawing
-1st and 2nd reviews
-Queries to counsellors
Pre-editing
Editing Unit provides early editorial feedback to
the Rapporteur/Editor/Counsellor







structure of the document (Author’s Guide)
references (ITU-T A.5)
grammar and language (English Style Guide)
potential IPR issues detected
consistency
etc.
The Unit does not rephrase passages (Resp. of
the Editor/Rapp.)
Figures are redrawn, if needed (future library)
The SG counsellor, in agreement with the author,
decides if the text is stable enough to be sent for
pre-editing.



5
New Workflow – Pre-editing (AAP)
SG, WP or Rapp meetings
Initial
draft
Preferred
A
Draft is
modified by
contributions
C
B
2-3
months
0 weeks
Draft
Stable?
B1
Y
SG or WP meeting
Modified
further
TD Plen
is generated
Consent
N
AAP
LC
+
AR
4+
weeks
A/AT/AC
Rec. is
prepublished
Prepubl Req
Dispatch
Rec. is
published
6
Rec. is
edited
Publ Req
SG
secretariat
New Workflow – When to request
pre-editing for TAP texts
SG, WP or Rapp meetings
Initial
draft
Preferred
A
Draft is
modified by
contributions
C
B
2-3
months
0 weeks
Draft
Stable?
B1
Y
SG or WP meeting
Modified
further
TD Plen
is generated
Determination
Edited text and
translations available
N
Announcement
SG meeting
Debate
Final text
Approval
Rec. is
prepublished
Prepubl Req
Dispatch
Rec. is
published
7
Rec. is
edited
Publ Req
SG
secretariat
8
New Workflow – Types of pre-editing
When a Recommendation is edited, the Editing Unit verifies figures and checks for consistency and
sense.

Checks for consistency
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Checks for sense
•
•
•
Language
House style
Abbreviations
Cross-references
References
Bibliography
Numbering of tables, notes,
clauses, figures, annexes,
appendices, equations
Figure redrawing
•
•
•
•
Ambiguity
Contradiction
Descriptive text of tables
and figures
House style
Clarity
Precision
Copyrights
When a Recommendation is pre-edited, the Editing Unit considers the same elements shown above
as they do for editing, but with different focus and depth.

Note – As a result of pre-editing, certain issues may be flagged as requiring more attention from the Counsellor or Study
Group and are not necessarily corrected.
Type 2
Type 1
General, quick pre-editing
•
•
9
Applied to unstable Recs
Only global feedback is provided
Type 3
Full pre-editing
Partial pre-editing
•
•
Applied to partially stable Recs
Focuses mainly on stable parts
(clauses, figures, annexes, etc.),
but spans Type 1 pre-editing
•
•
•
Applied to stable Recs
The Recommendation is fully
pre-edited
Spans pre-editing types 1 and 2