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Content Crystallizer

An automated solution that transforms Word documents into a structured and clear format

Transform Manuscripts Into Clear Structured Content

Content Crystallizer by DCL is an automated solution that styles, edits, and transforms Word documents into high-quality XML through a streamlined, three-step process. Publishers can use the DCL solution solely for automated editorial updates to a manuscript or integrate it throughout the entire workflow—from manuscript to production-ready XML.

 

  • Step 1 | Automated Document Preparation - ingests the Word document and automates its preparation through auto-styling, cleanup, citations and references styling, and other intelligent processing.

  • Step 2 | Editorial Review - provides an opportunity for editors to review and refine the prepared content, interact with authors, and conduct iterative quality checks of the document’s content and structure.

  • Step 3 | Automated Word-to-XML Conversion - performs additional quality checks, converts the edited document into XML, and parses and validates the results.

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Content Crystallizer, represents an automated approach that is designed to be configured to each publisher’s or journal’s specific requirements. This can include customizations for styles, citations, XML, QC validation, and more. With deep expertise in content structure and organization, DCL ensures that content meets the highest standards for interoperability and usability across modern technologies and platforms.

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The importance of having a plan and process for content QA

Assuring content quality in today's business environment is vitally important. Most content is an accumulation from various sources that builds up over time. Periodic review and analysis focuses efforts on identifying and improving ongoing content quality, consistency and accuracy.

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The first step in DCL Markup Check is content analysis, which quickly identifies areas for investigation. Organizations recognize immediate benefits including

General Workflow

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A Single-Unified Solution in Three Steps

Step 1 | Automated Document Preparation

The user loads a Word manuscript to DCL’s portal and receives an updated version within minutes after DCL software successfully conducts:

  • Auto-Styling. Automated application of Word styles to all article elements based on standard styling templates.

  • Cleanup. Programmatically remediating issues related to fonts, special characters, non-standard spacing, blank paragraphs, and more.

  • Redaction. Highlighting variable spellings, abbreviations, etc. and automatically aligning them to standard styles based on options defined by the organization for the publication and intended audience.

  • Meta Population. Seamlessly incorporating user-provided metadata into the Word file and identifying when key metadata is missing.

  • Citations and References. Automatically addressing common challenges with citations and references, including formatting, reordering and renumbering, validation with PubMed and Crossref, and aligning citation callouts to references.

  • Additional Intelligent Processing.  Automated lookups of PubMed and Crossref information, table processing, URL validation, and more.

    • author tagging

    • Converting comment to text

    • Citation styling/order-checking/renumbering as needed

    • Reference styling

    • Link graphics & graphic captions

    • Handle layered graphics

    • Style captions

    • Accommodate page boundaries

    • Log anomalies such as unconnected drawings

    • Convert tables to CALS model

    • Tag tables with attributes to denote specific stylistic choices authors used

    • Employ spaCy, industrial-strength NLP in Python, to detect and autostyle author names & affiliations

    • Other processes defined by the customer

Step 2 | Editorial Review

  • Customer reviews

  • Makes optional overrides

  • Submits styled Word file

Step 3 | Automated Word-to-XML Conversion

After making any required updates, the user loads the prepared Word document to DCL’s portal again and receives results in a matter of minutes as DCL tools perform:

  • QA (pre-check). Automatically checking the prepared Word document to determine its suitability for conversion and returning a report of items for review.

  • XML Conversion. Programmatically transforming the Word document into XML.

  • Parsing. Conducting programmatic tests to ensure the validity of the XML.

  • QA (Post-Check). Automatically checking the completed XML to ensure the results conform to the organization’s requirements and reporting any items for review. Examples include

    • All xrefs have the correct ref-type values

    • ORCID values follow the correct format

    • The order of figures/tables/footnotes are sequential and accurate

    • DOI numbers follow the correct format

    • Anything tagged as <country> is an actual country

    • Funding information has been properly identified and tagged

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