Literature QA Guidelines

1. Synchronization is the most important thing to look for. Since our primary goal is to help students with their reading comprehension, if our highlighting does not align with the audio being read, they may become frustrated and discouraged with reading.
   
   • Any instance of the sync being off needs to be reported, no matter how minor. 
   • Sync issues can be caused by long pauses, repeated sentences, or unfamiliar words.
   • Any sentences, phrases, or words left out can alter the sync. 
      
2. Headings (chapters, parts, books, etc.) must all be in the correct order and navigable,  and all headings must be announced in a consistent way. For example, if the reader says "Chapter 1,"  they should continue to say "Chapter" for each remaining section. Alternatively, if they just announce "One" they must continue to only say the number.
   
   • Check that no headings are skipped and  that everything proceeds in the correct order, i.e., Chapter 1 does not go directly to Chapter 3.
      
3. Typographical errors. While in theory errors should be caught before the QA stage, sometimes things do slip by. Please focus on titles and headings, where errors would be most distracting for our students.
   
   • Look to make sure all titles and headings are correctly capitalized and spelled, and please communicate any issues to the staff.
   • Point out any other spelling errors you may come across.       
      
4. Images. Many of our VOICEtext books contain images. It is vital that we check the synchronization, especially around the images.
   
   • A good tip is to click the last sentence before an image and let it play through to see how it flows.
   • The audio should play through the last sentence and pause on the image for no more than 2-3 seconds before continuing back into the text.
   • If there's text or text bubbles in the image, let it play through to be sure the highlighting is not affected on the next page.
   • If you think an image's text should not have been read, please report it.  (MORE EXPLANATION)
   • Any instance of "image caption" being announced needs to be reported.
      
5. Page Numbers. We do not announce any page numbers in VOICEtext books. However, the page references within the table of contents will be read. If a reader announces a page number elsewhere, please report it. This should not be done for ANY section of the book, Roman pages (book preface) or otherwise. No page announcements!
    
6. If you see the words "empty heading" in a book, report it. This is a placeholder that should have been removed. 
    
7. Audio issues. If you hear anything that sounds wrong, point it out.
   
   • Background noise (hum, buzzing, mouse or mouth clicks)
   • Drastic changes in the volume of the recording
   • Loud sounds
   • Reader errors or ad libs (there has been the occasional curse word)
   • Plosives or sibilance 
      
8. Reader grade. Feel free to tell us what you liked or didn’t like about the book you QA'd.
   
   • What did the reader do well? Was it engaging? How was the pacing and tone of the book?
   • What could have been better? Did it fall flat? Was the reader engaging?