2. Jabin White, Elsevier ScienceGetting XML from a non-XML Workforce XML 2001 Getting XML from a non-XML Workforce Jabin White Executive Director, Electronic Production Elsevier Science-Health Sciences Division XML 2001 Conference December 14, 2001

3. Jabin White, Elsevier ScienceGetting XML from a non-XML Workforce XML 2001 Agenda Introductions The Fundamental Problem Case Study 1: A Failure Case Study 2: A Drug Reference Success Case Study 3: Successful Journals Conversion Conclusions

4. Jabin White, Elsevier ScienceGetting XML from a non-XML Workforce XML 2001 And you are? Started as Editorial Assistant, then DE Learned SGML at Mosby working on drug reference Moved to LWW in 1997, led SGML group Handheld startup in 2000 Current position since November, 2000

5. Jabin White, Elsevier ScienceGetting XML from a non-XML Workforce XML 2001 Elsevier Science-Health Sciences Division Publisher of journals, books, and online content for doctors, nurses, allied health professionals Products include MD Consult, The Lancet, and publishing imprints of Elsevier, Mosby, WB Saunders, and Churchill Livingstone Traditional electronic delivery methods (CD- ROM) with migration to web, handheld, eBook, Next Big Thing, etc.

6. Jabin White, Elsevier ScienceGetting XML from a non-XML Workforce XML 2001 Getting XML from a non-XML Workforce Why would you want to do that? Business reasons Need subject-matter expertise inserted in the tag set, and don’t have control of the authoring pool Training (or re-training) issues

7. Jabin White, Elsevier ScienceGetting XML from a non-XML Workforce XML 2001 The fundamental problem Publisher sees the value of XML Publisher wants to insert XML into the workflow That workflow has been set up and perfected over time around “pretty pages” as output

8. Jabin White, Elsevier ScienceGetting XML from a non-XML Workforce XML 2001 A very nice head start The Guttenberg Press “Multiple output” publishing 2001 1454

9. Jabin White, Elsevier ScienceGetting XML from a non-XML Workforce XML 2001 The Question Do I have to break my workflow processes to produce XML internally? A few years ago: Yes Now: Not necessarily; depends on goals

10. Jabin White, Elsevier ScienceGetting XML from a non-XML Workforce XML 2001 Traditional Workflow Manuscript submitted Judged for “subject matter” correctness Accepted by editorial (perhaps altered) Turned over to production Pages composed using proprietary typesetting system Pages reviewed, changed by author, proofreaders Changes made to proprietary typesetting files

11. Jabin White, Elsevier ScienceGetting XML from a non-XML Workforce XML 2001 The “proof” problem Boom in desktop publishing “spoiled” authors Authors used to seeing exact replica of final page, including table and figure placement Makes composition from SGML/XML source files more complicated, but not impossible

12. Jabin White, Elsevier ScienceGetting XML from a non-XML Workforce XML 2001 Two choices, neither one optimal Make composition “turn-key” from native XML files –Batch pagination tools improving, but still need more work (Promise of 3B2 in U.S. not there yet) –Desktop publishing tools also improving, but ignored this for a long time Split workflow and duplicate changes –No “one true source” –Increases possibility of error –Doubles proofreading

13. Jabin White, Elsevier ScienceGetting XML from a non-XML Workforce XML 2001 Slow down – we missed something “Preserving” XML tags in manuscripts means they are there in the first place Also assumes they are worth preserving – not just throughout production cycle, but also for storage and subsequent editions

14. Jabin White, Elsevier ScienceGetting XML from a non-XML Workforce XML 2001 Structural Markup No subject matter expertise required for marking up paragraphs, heading levels, lists, etc. Can “outsource” this or automate it with little to no impact on current processes Strict adherence to – and enforcement of – a well-structured and non-granular DTD is a key

15. Jabin White, Elsevier ScienceGetting XML from a non-XML Workforce XML 2001 Our assumptions Human beings will always be needed for semantic, or contextual markup That you need “valid” XML, not just “well- formed” When possible, costs should be absorbed during “traditional” production cycle (ie, avoiding post-process conversion) There will always be an output requirement for timely files in a variety of formats (business reason)

16. Jabin White, Elsevier ScienceGetting XML from a non-XML Workforce XML 2001 What that requires Someone (internal or external resource) entering intelligent tagging at front end of production cycle If semantic markup, need “subject matter” expertise within editing force Again, not technology issues, but business and people issues Sea change in corporate culture

17. Jabin White, Elsevier ScienceGetting XML from a non-XML Workforce XML 2001 A few years ago… All editing tools required users to “learn” XML, understand what they were doing with angle brackets As mentioned, even if this first step were conquered, pagination tools put tag set at risk

18. Jabin White, Elsevier ScienceGetting XML from a non-XML Workforce XML 2001 Today, a much brighter picture Tools evolving that don’t require XML knowledge –WorxSE from HyperVision –eXtyles from Inera –ConteX from LiveLinx Pagination tools that allow for “in and out” XML need to keep pace –Adobe InDesign 2.0 promises support of XML input and export

19. Jabin White, Elsevier ScienceGetting XML from a non-XML Workforce XML 2001 The dream production cycle ManuscriptPage Proof Correct SGML file AA’s Valid archive Conversion into XML Next edition? Pages, web Style sheet

20. Jabin White, Elsevier ScienceGetting XML from a non-XML Workforce XML 2001 Editorial & Production Traditional “wall” must come down for SGML/XML to be effectively entered on front end of publishing cycle

21. Jabin White, Elsevier ScienceGetting XML from a non-XML Workforce XML 2001 Who tags? Production has and always will drive *format* driven tagging –,,, etc. Editorial, working with authors, should drive intelligent markup The closer to the authors you can get, the better –Please stop laughing

22. Jabin White, Elsevier ScienceGetting XML from a non-XML Workforce XML 2001 War Stories Case Study 1: Re-engineering nightmare Case Study 2: Drug reference conversion Case Study 3: Successful journals conversion

23. Jabin White, Elsevier ScienceGetting XML from a non-XML Workforce XML 2001 Case Study 1 – Failure 25-journal typesetting group working in Quark Needed to get SGML output Had structured editing tool to supply SGML into Quark Needed to “keep” SGML codes in tact throughout pagination process

24. Jabin White, Elsevier ScienceGetting XML from a non-XML Workforce XML 2001 Getting SGML Programmed customized version of MS Word 97 using combination of VB, VBA and OmniMark High level of “customer” input into editing features, design of tool Effective creation of SGML going into typesetting group

25. Jabin White, Elsevier ScienceGetting XML from a non-XML Workforce XML 2001 Case Study 1 – Failure Tried to use tool to hide SGML tags within Quark, then maintain them on output Too much technology, not enough thought about workflow

26. Jabin White, Elsevier ScienceGetting XML from a non-XML Workforce XML 2001 Case Study 2: Drug Reference Conversion Drug reference post-converted into SGML for previous edition Needed to update and make pages Trained staff of 3 editors on structured SGML editing tool Close “application support” throughout the process

27. Jabin White, Elsevier ScienceGetting XML from a non-XML Workforce XML 2001 Case Study 2: Drug Reference Conversion Delivered high-quality, semantic SGML on schedule Pages composed and electronic product derived from same files Electronic product shipped with book Other unanticipated electronic outputs were supported

28. Jabin White, Elsevier ScienceGetting XML from a non-XML Workforce XML 2001 Case Study 3: Successful Journals Conversion Startup production of 15 new journals Templates designed using MS Word, output to RTF using Word’s “Style” tags Pages composed using Adobe’s FrameMaker+SGML

29. Jabin White, Elsevier ScienceGetting XML from a non-XML Workforce XML 2001 Case Study 3: Successful Journals Conversion Author alterations/proofreading corrections made to FrameMaker files Adobe Acrobat files distilled for pagination Same files output to XML, converted to HTML using stylesheets for web delivery

30. Jabin White, Elsevier ScienceGetting XML from a non-XML Workforce XML 2001 Lessons Learned Management of expectations, both of upper management and of people “in the trenches” Small, manageable page counts were keys to success Close application support – not traditional IT tech support (combination of editorial and markup knowledge)

31. Jabin White, Elsevier ScienceGetting XML from a non-XML Workforce XML 2001 Conclusions Tools are getting better Because of rapid maturation of tools, decisions must be constantly revisited Positives of early conversion to “media neutral” format far outweigh the negatives Projects that were unthinkable a few years ago are now possible because of improving tools

32. Jabin White, Elsevier ScienceGetting XML from a non-XML Workforce XML 2001 Thank you Questions? Contact info: Jabin White, Elsevier Science The Curtis Center 625 Walnut Street Philadelphia, PA 19106 215-238-6466 Jabin@jabin.com