Proof Approval
How to Review and Approve Your PDF Article Proof
When the PDF proof of your accepted Journal of Black Military Studies article is ready for your review and approval, you will receive a notification email containing instructions and a deadline. The approval deadline will be set in Janeway. You may view and download the proof at the link provided in your notification email.
This will be your last opportunity to correct any errors or inconsistencies prior to online production and publishing. The contents of your PDF proof file will be used to create the online version of your article, so you must verify that everything is accurate as presented.
Follow the instructions below to ensure that your manuscript continues to move smoothly through the production process. Allow yourself ample time to complete these tasks before the stated deadline. Do not rush this process or skip steps.
If you have questions or encounter problems while working with the file, please contact Aimee Diehl, JBMS’s Managing and Production Editor, at jbms@uvm.edu or visit Janeway’s proofreading help page. During proofreading, you will need to:
- Respond to all comments and mark any needed changes in the PDF file. (Instructions for PDF markup are below.)
- Enter any additional information or clarification in the Notes box within Janeway.
- Upload approved PDF proofs to the Files section within Janeway.
While reviewing your proof, remember:
- Your PDF proof is the final, copyedited version of your article.
- You are responsible for confirming the accuracy of all information in your article.
- You are responsible for ensuring that your bibliography is correct and that the DOIs/URLs you provided are accurate and functional.
- Acceptable changes at this stage include only those that correct spelling and punctuation mistakes, errors of omission, and factual errors. More substantial editing requests will delay your manuscript’s publication.
Review and approve the PDF proof by the deadline.
Note: Your article has been copyedited. During your proof review, you may notice small formatting, punctuation, spelling, and other changes made to conform to the journal’s style guide. Do not correct these changes unless there is an obvious error.
1. Download and print a hard copy of the PDF file. It is easier to spot errors on the printed page. The PDF proof shown in your web browser may not render text or links properly.
- Proofread the PDF file carefully.
- Check all text—every word, on every page—for accuracy, including:
- The cover page (Note: The publication date on the cover page, and the DOI that appears in each page footer, will be updated pre-publication.)
- Author name and affiliation
- Headers and footers
- Figures and tables
- Captions
- Endnotes
- Bibliography - Check each link—click every link, including links in page footers and links in the bibliography—to ensure it is functioning and that it leads to the intended destination. If you used an AI reference manager, you may find errors in your bibliography.
2. Open the PDF file in Adobe Acrobat and turn on the comment tools.
- Click on a comment icon to see its contents and enter your response. Respond to each comment in the file to indicate you’ve seen/considered it and instruct the typesetter on what to do. Do not delete comments, click the trash can icon, or otherwise mark comments as completed or rejected.
- Do not rewrite text. Only correct factual, spelling, and typographical errors.
- For typos or other errors, use the highlight tool to mark the relevant text, then use the comment tool and “add a comment” feature to indicate necessary changes. (Visit the Adobe Acrobat help site for detailed instructions.)
- Do not select and replace text, insert text, strike through text, or add text comments directly within the document.
- Do not use the type replacement tool; only use the comment tool.
- If you have a substantial change, like the need to replace or add a full sentence or URL/DOI, place a comment at the insertion point with a brief explanation and add details in the Notes box within Janeway.
3. Save your comments and rename the file by adding “approved” to the end of the filename.
4. Upload the approved PDF file to Janeway where indicated.