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+\title{Theory into Practice: working
+with SGML, PDF and \LaTeX\ at Elsevier Science}
+\author[Martin Key]{Martin Key\\
+Elsevier Science Ltd\\
+\texttt{m.key@elsevier.co.uk}}
+\begin{Article}
+\section{The Company}
+While I do not want to make
+this article a plug for Elsevier,
+it is first necessary to put our activities
+into context. Therefore, for those who do not know us, Elsevier Science
+is part of the Reed Elsevier Group and, in terms of number of journals,
+is by far the largest publisher of scientific journals in the world.
+The original Elsevier Company was Dutch based, but now, through
+acquisition and merger, is an international company with offices
+in the Netherlands, UK, USA, Switzerland, Eire and the Far East.
+We publish well over 1,000 scientific, technical and medical journals
+covering all sections of academe and business.
+
+\section{The move into electronic publishing}
+Elsevier's major customers
+are academic and research institutes throughout the world. Traditionally,
+academic publishing has relied on authors submitting papers via external
+academic editors who arrange for the necessary peer reviews. Once
+accepted, papers are sent to Elsevier for copy-editing, typesetting
+and compilation into issues. As a result we have in the past received
+paper manuscripts of varying levels of presentation from around the
+world. Over the last 10 years it has become apparent that most authors
+use some form of word processing or computer generated text to prepare
+their papers. To have these papers typeset means rekeying the manuscript
+and, what is worse, ending up with electronic files produced by many
+types of typesetting equipment and software with minimal chance to
+reuse this material at a later date. For some years the Elsevier
+Group have been looking at ways to avoid rekeying manuscripts whilst
+at the same time automating the production process, produce proofs
+more quickly and create electronic files for multiple use in the
+foreseeable future.
+
+After many surveys,
+experiments and discussion groups it was clear that Elsevier should
+work to accepted international generic standards in order to achieve
+these goals. The major standards agreed on were Standard Generalised
+Mark-up Language (SGML) for text, Tagged Image File Format (TIFF),
+Joint Photographic Experts Group (JPEG) and Encapsulated PostScript
+(EPS) for graphics and PostScript, and the Portable Document Format,
+(PDF), also known as Acrobat, for pages. Unlike typesetting codes,
+SGML does not drive any particular application but can be readily
+converted to numerous formats for typesetting on paper, database
+applications, CD Rom and so on. It is therefore an ideal archive
+medium. TIFF, JPEG and EPS are well documented graphic file formats
+and are widely supported in terms of external applications. PDF is,
+perhaps, a risk in that it is the property of a commercial developer
+(Adobe) but its great flexibility and rapid acceptance by professionals
+and the academic community, together with the track record of PostScript
+itself --- now a de facto standard --- makes its long-term future seem
+relatively safe. The decision by Adobe to make the Acrobat reader
+available free-of-charge is another positive sign.
+
+\section{The concept of Computer Aided Publishing (CAP)}
+
+Once the standards
+were agreed the process known internally as CAP (Computer Aided Publishing)
+took clearer shape. There are a number of activities which form part
+of CAP. These include the following: the converting of manuscripts
+and artwork into electronic files; structuring of text with SGML;
+editing on screen; automatic proofing; moving and maintaining files
+on a network; creating SGML (text) and graphic files; receiving PDF
+files from our typesetters. In addition, a number of journals receive,
+and use, papers in \LaTeX\ format which will be discussed later.
+
+\section{Practicalities: How we do it}
+
+CAP started in Elsevier
+in January 1994, in both Amsterdam and Oxford, with a limited set
+of journals. The number of journals has been increasing rapidly and
+in 1995, as software and hardware stabilises, the number of journals
+is being increased dramatically.
+
+The first action when
+receiving a paper, either on paper or disk, is to log the information
+on to our production tracking system. All the important details are
+recorded --- title, authors, number and type of graphics, whether it
+is available on disk etc. This record follows the manuscript throughout
+its production process and is updated at each stage of its progress
+through the system. Elsevier encourage authors to submit on disk,
+and the numbers are rising. If it is on disk it is initially converted
+to our standard CAP format which allows it to be used by our SGML
+tagging and editing tool --- Pandora --- which was developed by staff
+working in Amsterdam. If it is only available on paper it is either
+OCR (Optical Character Recognition) scanned and then converted into
+the CAP format or, if the paper is too complex for scanning, it is
+keyed by off-shore keying agencies. Whatever the route, it arrives
+at our Pre-Edit Department in the generic CAP format. Simultaneously
+graphics are scanned --- TIFF for line art and JPEG for half-tones
+--- or redrawn and saved as EPS in some instances.
+
+The text is then tagged
+using Pandora. The Document Type Definition (DTD) used is the Elsevier
+DTD (which Elsevier has made publicly available subject to certain
+conditions) which is fairly complex covering not only text but also
+tables and mathematics.
+
+After coding and parsing,
+the text is loaded onto the network server, together with the graphics,
+using an in-house developed Document Management System which monitors,
+names and controls the files. As one article can produce more than
+20 files, with an average issue of a journal containing 10 articles,
+the number of files can quickly mount making such management essential.
+Once the files are on the server, they can be retrieved by the Production
+Editor who will then edit the article for style, spelling, grammar,
+etc. and add any additional tags necessary. Graphic files are also
+checked at this stage to ensure that the correct graphics are linked
+to the relevant caption. The file is then parsed again to check its
+validity. Author proofs can then be produced and, once they are received
+back from the authors and corrections made, the final SGML and graphic
+files are exported to the typesetter for making up the final pages.
+
+We expect typesetters
+to retain the validity of the SGML files when producing the pages,
+and this is strictly monitored. Due to the complexity of the DTD
+and the relevant inexperience of most typesetters in using precoded
+SGML files, we have to work with our typesetters quite closely, answering
+specific queries and offering advice where necessary. However, we
+do not expect to develop the systems for the typesetters --- that is
+their responsibility. The final, additional requirement we demand
+from our typesetters is that they supply each individual article,
+and other elements of the issue, in PDF format. This means that they
+must have a PostScript setter in order to create these files.
+
+\section{\TeX\ and \LaTeX}
+
+In some disciplines
+\TeX\ and \LaTeX\ are used extensively by authors and, not unnaturally,
+they would like to submit their articles in this format. Experience
+has shown that this can be hard work for the Publisher. In some cases,
+hacking in to such a file to find out how the author's carefully
+developed macros have been used can be very time-consuming and, in
+some cases, can take considerably longer than having the paper professionally
+typeset. However, whenever possible, we will try and use submitted
+\LaTeX\ files and, to a lesser extent, plain \TeX\ files. However, Elsevier
+encourage authors to use the Elsevier style file which produce a
+pre-print type output. This style is then replaced with the journal-specific
+style file which makes the Publisher's task considerably easier.
+The Elsevier style files, together with the instruction manual,
+are available from the three CTAN sites or direct from Elsevier.
+
+\LaTeX\ has a number
+of advantages. Pages in camera ready format can be produced readily
+in-house without recourse to a typesetter, and PDF files can also
+be generated from the dvi files. Recently,
+the Production Methods Group at Elsevier Science Ltd
+has further developed the `dvihps' converter and \LaTeX\ macros from
+the Hyper\TeX\ project,
+to fully retain the hypertext links available in the \LaTeX\ file, as
+well as generating automatic `bookmarks' or contents list, directly
+into the PDF file. In order to meet the full CAP requirements previously
+mentioned, there is one final part of the equation to be completed
+--- a \LaTeX\ to SGML conversion. Due to the complexity of the Elsevier
+DTD this is not a simple task but work is currently taking place
+to see how far down this road it is possible to go.
+
+ \section{Practical Problems}
+
+As with most technical
+developments there are always problems to be addressed. In the case
+of CAP they have been surprisingly few. The major problem experienced
+at an early stage was the lack of SGML editors which could cope with
+the Elsevier DTD, particularly in the area of tables and mathematics.
+ This problem has been largely resolved by the development of Pandora,
+a tool which has far exceeded its initial specification as a package
+which would enable compuscripts to be handled by typesetters. The
+second problem was one of logistics --- how do you train Production
+Editors to work with SGML on screen editing whilst simultaneously
+producing journal issues? As previously mentioned, there is also
+the increased demand we place on typesetters, many of whom have had
+limited experience of handling complete journals in SGML. Finally,
+as Production Editors began to use the DTD in earnest, additional
+requirements are discovered which means that the DTD must be further
+developed. As a result, the DTD has become a moving target with more
+complex requirements being asked for almost daily.
+
+\section{The Future}
+Some
+people may ask why we are putting ourselves through so much pain.
+ Is it worth it? The market is demanding electronic products in addition
+to, and sometimes instead of, the traditional paper ones. For those
+publishers who have tried to use typesetters' tapes for such products,
+the answer is clear. The availability of generic coded data which
+can be manipulated in multifarious ways is clealy the route to take.
+ In addition to meeting the demands of our market, we are also satisfying
+the demands of our producers --- the authors --- who create `electronic'
+versions of their articles and who naturally expect that we, the
+Publishers, should be able to use them. Finally, the Production process
+itself is being streamlined allowing for more efficient and faster
+production times.
+\end{Article} \ No newline at end of file