This document provides guidance of the key elements to be prepared and submitted to CCMC for all deliverables at the drafting stage (Enquiry and Formal Vote).

1 DRAFT DELIVERABLE

1.1 General

For each European Deliverable, the same components are required for a successful submission:

• Revisable format of the text, in Microsoft Word (.docx)
• Non-revisable clean PDF format
• Individual, separate figure files (if applicable)
• If candidate harmonized:
  • the HAS comments resolution table
    • for Enquiry – if available
    • for Formal Vote – obligatory
  • for Formal Vote, the table of comments from the Enquiry
  • the completed checklist “Items to be considered when drafting standards to be offered for citation in the OJEU". For standards harmonized under the Construction Product Regulation a dedicated checklist applies.

Failure to provide these components will result in a rejected submission.

NOTE: At present, submissions are manually rejected. TCs are contacted directly if this is the case.

It is the responsibility of the TC Secretary to submit all required files to CCMC via the Submission Interface.

1.2    Revisable format – Word

The text shall be drafted using Microsoft Word (no earlier than Word 97), using the latest version of the drafting template provided by CEN, the CEN Simple Template.

The Word version shall be clean, and shall not contain any tracked changes, highlights, comments or coloured text denoting changes for the editor.

NOTE: Standards not drafted with the Simple Template will be rejected.

The following naming convention shall be used for Word files:  EN_123-4_(X).docx

where 'X' is the language of the text: E = English, F = French, D = German.

1.3    Non-revisable PDF

The purpose of the PDF file is to highlight any elements of the text which could potentially become corrupted in the Word file:

• Figures
• Formulae
• Formatting (e.g. bold text, alignment)

The PDF shall be clean, a final version of the Word document (clause 1.2), and shall not contain any tracked changes, comments or sticky notes.

The following naming convention shall be used for PDF files:  EN_123-4_(X).pdf

where 'X' is the language of the text: E = English, F = French, D = German.

The Acrobat Distiller or any other conversion tool can be used for PDF generation.

1.4    Figure files

Any figures shall be provided with the text as separate figure files and inserted and linked in the text. See below Clause 4 for detailed guidance.

2 DRAFTING THE TEXT

2.1 Starting New Work

Where there is no previous version of the text available, the drafter shall write the text directly into the CEN Simple Template.

The components of the text shall follow the rules defined in the CEN-CENELEC Internal Regulations - Part 3.

Simplified explanations of the most common components of the text can be found in the Webinar for Standards Drafters series, provided directly by CCMC editors.

2.2 Revising an existing deliverable

If the previous version of the text has not used the current CEN Simple Template, the text shall be copy-pasted (“merge formatting”) into the Simple Template to ensure correct styling.

NOTE: The 'previous version' of the text refers to the stage of the text. For Formal Vote, the previous version of the text would be the Enquiry. For an Enquiry (of a revision to a standard), the previous version would be the Publication.

For guidance on the correct styling and formatting of the text, see the "Webinars for Standards Drafters" series.

In addition, it is mandatory to use the text edited by the CCMC editor when drafting any revision. This is to ensure that any previous modifications, and any styling for XML purposes, are retained. This is also the case when drafting a text for 2^nd Enquiry text or Formal Vote.

To access the CCMC-edited text and the comments:

CCMC will upload the collated comments template to Projex-Online once the balloting period has closed. The template includes all comments made on the draft by members as well as the HAS assessment reports and comments, when applicable.          

3 FIGURES & GRAPHIC ELEMENTS

3.1 Introduction

Figures are a common and often integral part of the text, used to simplify or illustrate concepts. To provide a comprehensive standards package including XML, the requirements in this section apply.

Figures generally comprise the following elements:

• One image file;
• A key title and text (if applicable), with the key text laid out in a table with hidden borders;
• The figure title/subtitles;
• Units (if applicable), before the figure in the format 'Dimensions in xx';
• Notes and footnotes (if applicable).

See CEN-CENELEC Internal Regulations - Part 3, Clause 28, for further layout guidance.

Graphic elements can include flowcharts, graphic symbols and other non-designated figures. The technical requirements for these elements with regards to the figure files still apply (see clauses 4.2 and 4.3).

Complex graphical configurations (i.e. oversized figures, figures with large amounts of explanatory text, or figures running across several pages) should be avoided. These need to be formatted manually, and can create additional work to process the deliverable for XML.

3.2 General drafting requirements

3.2.1  Numbering and Layout – Main Figures

Figures in the main body of the text shall be numbered clearly. Numbering is by default continuous, with the first figure in the text being Figure 1, the second Figure 2, the third Figure 3, etc.

Numbering restarts in each Annex (see Internal Regulations Part 3:2019, Clause 28.3.1).

For subdivided figures, there shall be a main number designation (e.g. Figure 1, Figure 2) and preferably a main title, then each subfigure shall have its own letter designation (e.g. a, b, c) and if applicable, a sub-title.

Figures shall not be divided as 'Figure 1.1', 'Figure 1.2' (see CEN-CENELEC Internal Regulations - Part 3, Clause 28.3.2).

Titles for figures are strongly recommended but are optional.

Where a figure title is used, the figure number shall be followed by a long 'em' dash (see Example 1 below). For figures in annexes, the numbering shall start with the Annex letter, and then a full stop, and then the number of the figure.

See EXAMPLE 1: Correct layout of figures (with number designation and title).

See EXAMPLE 2: Correct layout of a figure in an Annex (with number designation and no title).

3.2.2  Numbering and Layout – Subfigures

Figures may be divided into separate subfigures, up to one level.

Each subfigure shall be individually labelled using a small letter (a, b, c…) and an optional subfigure title (See Example 3 below).

If a key is needed, one single key shall cover all subfigures.

See EXAMPLE 3: Correct layout of subfigures.

Subfigures which need to appear side-by-side shall be laid out in a table, with borders hidden. The letter designation and subtitle shall appear in a row beneath the subfigure.

To hide borders:

• Create a simple table,
• Insert the images required, and the subfigure labels beneath
• Highlight the whole table,
• On the ribbon at the top of Word, under the 'Table Design' tab, select the drop-down menu under 'Borders'
• Then, choose 'No Border'

This will make the table lines invisible.

This shall also be done for key text layout.

See EXAMPLE 4: Hiding table borders.

3.2.3  Figure Content Rules

Figures shall be language-neutral, see CEN-CENELEC Internal Regulations - Part 3, clause 28.5.3.

Figures sometimes include textual elements in addition to the image itself, such as keys, notes, and explanations. These elements are language-sensitive and therefore require translation. As the deliverable goes through the different stages, these elements may need to be edited, either by the CCMC editor, or by the working group.

Textual elements shall therefore not be contained within the image file itself, but rather as a separate element. A key shall be used to label aspects of the figure content. Notes shall be used to give additional informative information. Figure text shall be used to give specific requirements or information pertaining to the figure itself.

Editable textual elements enables a single image file to be used across all language versions of a deliverable, and greatly reduces the work required to translate/edit figures at all stages.

Keys

Keys shall be drafted beneath the figure image, as shown in examples 1 and 2 above.

Key labels shall be contained in the image file.

The key content shall be laid out in a table with borders hidden (see EXAMPLE 4).

The key title shall not be contained in the Key table.

Notes

Notes to figures shall follow the same rules as notes found in the main body of the text, i.e. no requirements, recommendations or permissions.

Notes shall appear after the key, or before the title and after the figure image if there is no key present.

Multiple notes to figures shall be numbered, with the numbering restarting within each figure (independently from any notes found within the subclause/clause).

See EXAMPLE 5: Correct layout and numbering of Notes.

Explanations

If there are further requirements or things to mention regarding a specific figure, lines can be added after the key, before any notes, and before the title and after the figure image if there is no key present.

These elements are treated as plain body text, therefore can contain requirements, recommendations, and permissions.

These elements shall be styled as 'Figure Text'.

See EXAMPLE 6: Correct layout of textual explanations.

3.2.4  Editing Figure Content

Where the content of a figure needs to be edited or changed, the figure file itself shall be edited.

Do not edit the figure in Word, using text boxes or autoshapes. XML does not support these elements. These elements will not be accepted by the Submission Interface.

Do not crop the figure in Word, using the cropping tool. Any cropping shall be done using the applicable software for the image type.

At present, CCMC does not have the capability to edit image files in-house. This shall therefore be done by the TC/Working Groups.

NOTE: If the TC/Working Group does not have the ability to edit figure files, the technical drawing offices of NSBs can be contacted.

3.2.5  General Technical Rules

Figures shall be oriented upright, regardless of if they appear in the text on a portrait page or a landscape page.

The image boundaries shall not exceed 170 mm × 250 mm or 250 mm × 170 mm, depending on the object orientation. This boundary shall include space for the figure title, and the dimensions/key (if applicable).

The size of the image in the figure file shall be the same size as appears in Word (both height and width as close to 100% as possible).

NOTE: In some cases, the height can be 99% and the width 101%. This kind of tolerance is acceptable. If the height is 48% and the width 150%, this is not acceptable.

This means that the figures shall not be inserted into the Word file, and then expanded manually within Word. If the image is too large, resize the image within the figure file itself, using the relevant software, and then reinsert and relink the figure into the Word file.

See Image Quality Check tool – tips.

3.2.6  Exceptions and Special Cases

Flowcharts, organization charts and forms all need to include textual elements as part of the graphic file itself. The rules of language neutrality therefore do not apply.

For the translation procedure, these elements need only be delivered by the TC in the reference language.

4 PROVIDING FIGURE/IMAGE FILES

4.1 General

For every image in the text, a single figure/image file shall be provided. This includes:

• Designated figures
• Subfigures
• Symbols in keys
• Images in main body text
• Images in designated tables

Figure files are essential for the provision of an XML file. If a figure file is not available to the editor at the time of editing, the figure will not be present in the XML file, and therefore will not display in any PDFs generated from the XML file.

Figures shall be provided in .tif(f) format.

4.2 Naming of Figure Files

Figure files of any format shall follow the naming conventions defined below.

For designated figures (i.e. those with a number and title in the text):

• 0001, 0002, ... 9999: for Figure 1, Figure 2 ... Figure 9999
• a001, a002, ... z999: for Figure A.1, Figure A.2 ... Figure Z.999
• za01, za02, ... za99: for Figure ZA.1, Figure ZA.2 ... Figure ZZ.99

For undesignated figures (i.e. those in keys, tables, or clauses):

• cl4_3_1 = Clause 4.3, image 1
• 0001_1 = Figure 1, key image 1
• tbl_1_1 = Table 1, image 1
• Figure naming shall not contain spaces and/or special symbols (@,%,$,€,...)

4.3 Specific requirements for Figure files

The following requirements are applicable.

• Only TIF(F) are accepted
• Compression LZW for coloured images (CCITT4 compression is permitted for monochrome figures/photos)
• Colour encoding: Monochrome (1 bit) up to true colour (24 bit)
• Resolution: 600 dpi
• Size of maximum 170 mmx 250 mm or 250 mm x 170 mm
• Output size (defined as Image Size, see examples below): 100%

See Image Quality Check tool – tips.

NOTE: Failure to follow these requirements will result in failure of the submission of the files on the Submission Interface. See clause 4.4.3 for information on how to check the quality of figures prior to submission.

4.4 Linking figure files in Word

4.4.1  File Path naming

The Submission Interface uses the Image Quality Check tool (see 4.4.3) which checks figure quality and aid the CCMC editor in XML creation. This tool depends on figure files being inserted and linked within the Word document, and as such if there is no link, the tool cannot work.

In order for these links to work, and to remain the same, the following folder names are strongly recommended:

• XX_e_dr folder containing figure image files
  • Where 'XX' is the stage (41 for Enquiry, 43 for 2^nd Enquiry, 51 for Formal Vote, 64 for Publication)
  • E shall be used for for English language figures, F for French language figures, and D for German language figures.
• Figure files to be named according to conventions defined in clause 4.2

Linking the figures into Word and following the naming convention of folders above enables the figures to be viewed and processed on any computer, regardless of local file paths.

NOTE: If the name of a figure file changes after linking, that figure will need to be relinked.

4.4.2  Procedure

To insert and link the figures, see EXAMPLE 7: How to Inert and Link Figures, or:

• Go to the 'Insert' tab on the top ribbon in Word;
• Click the drop-down menu under 'Pictures', and choose 'This Device'
• Select the file path, and choose the figure file to be inserted.
• From the drop-down menu under 'Insert', choose 'Insert and Link'

When a Word document contains many figures, it will increase its size which may impact the reactiveness of the Word document. For a work-around to avoid this, see EXAMPLE 7.

4.4.3  Image Quality Check tool

Once the figures are inserted and linked, those with ProjexOnline access can check the quality of the figures using the 'Image Quality Check' tool, found on ProjexOnline.

This tool enables the assessment whether the figures follow the correct requirements defined in clause 4.

NOTE: This does not need to be what is uploaded for the final submission of the text. The deliverable can be quality checked at any point during the drafting period.

See Image Quality Check tool - tips for additional guidance

The TC uploads a zip file containing the figure files and the Word document deliverable.

Once the zip file has been assessed by the tool, a pop-up window will appear on the screen with the quality check details of the figures. These details can also be downloaded as an Excel report

Any quality fields highlighted yellow are problems and need to be resolved. The comments field gives detailed information on the issue.

This tool will not identify any duplicate or incorrect numbering of figure files/titles. However, it will check that the naming does not contain spaces or special symbols as defined in 4.2 Naming of Figure Files

Problematic links will also be identified with a yellow highlight.

This highlight will appear in the following cases:

• A figure is inserted without a link, and a figure file exists
• A figure is inserted without a link, and no figure file exists

The drafter needs to check for themselves that all figures in the text are linked to a separate corresponding figure file, and that the naming of the figures in the text and the figure folder is correct.

4.4.4  Autoshapes/Word Shapes

Autoshapes and Word shapes are elements created using the 'Autoshape' tool in Word. These can be actual shapes (rectangles, triangles, circles) or textboxes. They are often hidden from view, and can be difficult to find, especially if they have been created accidentally during the drafting process.

Autoshapes, Word Shapes and textboxes shall not be used to edit or alter any figure in the text. These elements are not supported by XML and will therefore not be visible in the final XML file. These elements will not be accepted by the Submission Interface.

See Image Quality Check tool - tips for more information, or:

To find hidden shapes, open the Navigation pane, either using the ribbon (View - Show - Navigation Pane) or with Ctrl+F on the keyboard.

Once this is open, click the small arrow next to the 'Search document' field.

Select 'Graphics' from the menu. This will search the document from top to bottom and will highlight each shape individually. The navigation arrows can then be used to go directly to each shape. These shapes can then be deleted.

5 OTHER DRAFTING ASPECTS

5.1 General

Other components of the text have their own rules for drafting.

5.2 Clauses 1, 2 and 3

5.2.1  Obligatory clauses layout

The first three clauses of the text shall be as follows:

• Clause 1 – Scope
• Clause 2 – Normative References
• Clause 3 – Terms and definitions

5.2.2  Clause 1 – Scope

The scope is an obligatory element. It shall not contain any requirements, recommendations, or permissions. It shall be written as a series of statements of fact.

See CEN-CENELEC Internal Regulations - Part 3, Clause 14.

5.2.3  Clause 2 – Normative References

This clause is obligatory, even if it is empty.

Normative reference can be made to any EN/ISO/IEC deliverable, preferably already published and publicly available. In exceptional cases, deliverables at Enquiry stage may be referred to, although this is not advised.

Any normative reference to Non-EN/ISO/IEC standards shall be covered by a TC decision prior to the Formal Vote of the deliverable referencing it, and ideally as early as possible in the drafting process. This decision confirms that there is no European, ISO or IEC standard covering the same principles.

Normative references to directives, or any national/international regulations or legislation, are strictly prohibited and will be removed during the editing procedure. This includes directives and regulations/legislation which are not expressly named within the text (e.g. 'shall be according to any applicable national legislation').

References shall be dated if they refer to any specific clause/table/figure.

In case of harmonized standards, all the normative reference shall be dated in Clause 2 unless justification for the use of undated references.

See CEN-CENELEC Internal Regulations - Part 3, Clause 15.

5.2.4  Clause 3 – Terms and Definitions

This clause is obligatory, even if it is empty.

Definitions shall be drafted without a preceding article (a, an, the), as a single sentence to replace the term defined.

Definitions shall not contain any requirements.

Where a definition has been taken from another source, this source can be placed in square brackets beneath the definition:

[SOURCE: XXX]

As this source is informative, anything may be referenced here.

Notes to definitions can contain requirements, recommendations and permissions. They shall be laid out as follows:

Note 1 to entry:          Note content.

Even if there is only one single note, the note shall be numbered. Numbering restarts within each definition.

See CEN-CENELEC Internal Regulations - Part 3, Clause 16.

5.3 Tables

Tables shall be simply drafted, with a clearly-defined header.

NOTE 1: Only 1 header is permitted per table. The header can be repeated to display on each page, where the table breaks across multiple pages.

Cells shall not contain any nested tables (i.e. a table drafted inside a table cell), as these are removed by XML processing.

In addition, table borders shall not be of mixed widths, since these are not supported by XML.

Table numbering, and any optional title, shall come before the table itself. Any information on dimensions shall come between the title and the table, aligned to the right-hand side.

Tables shall not be subdivided, into, for example, Table 1a, Table 1b.

Any notes and footnotes to the table shall be located in a separate cell within the table. Notes to the table, designated 'NOTE', shall be in a separate cell to footnotes.

Vertical text shall be avoided within the main table content but is permitted in the table header.

NOTE 2: Vertical text causes problems with XML creation. It should therefore be used sparingly, only where absolutely necessary.

Coloured cells (aside from grey shading) shall be avoided within tables, as this is not supported by XML. Additionally, white text on black background is not permitted, as this is not supported by XML.

Tables shall be drafted in Word only. Images of tables are not permitted.

For detailed guidance on Tables, see:

• CEN-CENELEC Internal Regulations - Part 3, Clause 29.
• Webinar for Standards Drafters series

5.4 Formulae

If the deliverable contains formulae, it is strongly recommended to draft in MathType where possible. If MathType is not available, it is acceptable to use the Equation Builder tool provided with Microsoft Word. CCMC Editors systematically convert formulae from Equation Builder to MathType, but this can sometimes create errors.

For simple formulae, it is sufficient to use plain text, and type out content using the keyboard.

NOTE    Using plain text is preferred as much as possible. This keeps the weight of the text down and reduces the scope for errors with conversion from Equation Builder to MathType.

Where formulae are numbered, they shall not be subdivided (e.g. 1a, 1b)

For detailed guidance on Formulae, see:

• CEN-CENELEC Internal Regulations - Part 3, Clause 27.
• Webinar for Standards Drafters series

5.5  Inclusive language

Inclusive language refers to language that is neutral (e.g. non-gender specific), and should be used where possible. Using inclusive language avoids stereotyped assumptions based on, for example, gender, race, different backgrounds or age. Some examples of inclusive language alternatives are given below.

For additional alternatives, see the ISO House Style Guide.

Traditional Term	Alternative (inclusive) term
Chairman	Chair; chairperson
Manpower	staff; labour; workforce; personnel; workers; human resources
Mother standard	Original standard; parent standard

6 FINISHING 

The text shall be provided to CCMC by the TC via the Submission Interface.

Any supplementary information for the editor or for the in-check of the text shall be communicated via the comment section of the Submission Interface, or via email (production@cencenelec.eu).

The name of the CCMC Editor in charge once the deliverable has been registered can be found on ProjexOnline, as well as the dates foreseen for the deliverable.