AMA Manual of Style - Stacy L. Christiansen, Cheryl Iverson 2020

Electronic Editing Workflow
Editing, Proofreading, Tagging, and Display

Many software programs have text editing functionality that allows users to view edits and track changes. It is common for insertions to be underlined and deletions to be struck through. Each program offers tools to show or hide the editing marks, notes about formatting, and embedded comments. Some newer software programs permit collaborative writing and editing. How users (eg, authors and editors) respond to the editing depends on not only the software program but also the technologies and workflow involved. For example, manuscript editors at the JAMA Network send edited manuscripts to authors showing text insertions and deletions as well as embedded comments and questions as a PDF file. Authors can respond by using editing or commenting tools directly on the PDF; by printing it out, marking up the copy, scanning it, and returning via email; or by outlining corrections and query answers in an email. Authors are also provided with proofs that are generated programmatically to look like a composed proof for initial review before final composition and publication.

The JAMA Network journals, as well as other publications, have created efficiencies by using a single-source workflow. In this process, content remains in the original document format (eg, Word) and is stored with the XML file and related content (eg, supplemental files, multimedia). Because XML is the basis of this workflow and content, any changes required (before, during, or even after publication in the form of a correction) must be made in the source document and new XML generated. If an individual output is corrected but the source file is not, any current and future versions of that content will not reflect the change. For example, if a correction is made to the digital (HTML) version only, and the source file is not updated, the PDF will not contain the updated content.