Submission of files
Graphs, diagrams and photographs must be provided as original files, in as high a resolution as possible (300 dpi is the standard for printing). You can submit these over email; or, if you would like to provide several at once, we can provide a link to a folder on our server.
You may also add images to your draft to assist the editor; but these images will not be suitable for inclusion in the final draft, as Microsoft Word compresses all images. It is equally acceptable for you to add only a reference to the image - for example, 'insert Figure 3 pipework system'. This is usually the better option; Word documents longer than 20 pages tend to get a bit glitchy, and adding large images increases the likelihood of this.
Please submit diagrams and images to the Knowledge team as early as possible. Diagrams may need to be redrawn, photograph quality will need to be checked, and permission for use of photographs will need to be sought; getting these to the editor early can save some time.
Photographs
Photographs should be uploaded directly to the CIBSE server as .jpg files in the highest resolution possible. If we have not yet provided you with a link to a project folder, please get in touch with us and we will create a folder for you.
We cannot use photographs if the resolution is below 300 dots per inch. Photographs lifted from websites will not be suitable (and permission can be very difficult to obtain, which can delay publication).
CIBSE has a subscription to Shutterstock (www.shutterstock.com); using this service cuts down on time spent sourcing high-resolution images and gaining permission, so please feel free to use it. Simply search the Shutterstock website, and when you find the image you would like to use, copy the link into your draft.
Google Images is also a good way to find free open-source images, if you search with the correct settings. To do this, click on ‘tools’; under ‘size’, select ‘large’; and under ‘usage’, select ‘Creative Commons licences’.
If including images with people in them, please select positive images of people of different ages from a variety of races, cultures and genders. Avoid images in which males are active and females are passive. For further information on incorporating inclusive language and images into your work, see CIBSE’s Inclusivity Guidelines.
Diagrams
We usually redraw diagrams in-house. However sometimes our authoring teams have better graphic design skills than we do, or have a clear vision that they would like to create themselves, and we're more than happy to let you do that. We just ask that the file type is in a format we can open in Adobe Illustrator (such as .ai or .eps), so that we can make any required changes, and that lettering complies with our house style (currently we use Brother 1816 Regular, 8 point, for illustrations).
Please check with us early on, and we will find the most efficient way to create diagrams with minimal doubling up of work.
Please familiarise yourself with CIBSE’s Standard Drawing Symbols, and ensure that diagrams match these where they can.
Graphs
Axes on all graphs should be clearly marked, making required values as easy to find as possible. Where possible, graph lines should be defined by formulae. (Note: this will not be possible in empirically derived graphs. If a formula has been derived from graph lines - as with a ‘curve of best fit’ - this should be made clear.)
Tables
Please use the simplest format possible; any extra design will be stripped out when transferred to our publishing program.
Numbering of figures
All tables, values, formulae, graphs and figures should be referenced in the text. These are numbered sequentially, according to chapter. Thus in Chapter 10 of a publication, tables will be entitled Table 10.1, Table 10.2, Table 10.3, etc. Graphs, diagrams and photographs will be entitled Figure 10.1, Figure 10.2, Figure 10.3, etc. This is irrespective of what section or subsection the table or figure appears in.
The numbering sequence will almost certainly change during the editing process, as items are moved or deleted. There is no easy way around this, and it can be problematic. It would be very helpful if, when referring to a table or figure in the text, the authors add a one- or two-word title. For example:
‘An illustration of the effects of some typical building layouts is provided in Figure 6.7 (building layouts).’
The figure title is for the editor’s reference only, and will be deleted; the final publication will read:
‘An illustration of the effects of some typical building layouts is provided in Figure 6.7.’