This guide reviews key elements in the visual appearance of captions.

The following information has been adapted from the Described and Captioned Media Program's Captioning Key. 

Contents

• Basic Rules
• Line Division
• Punctuation

Basic Rules

1. It is preferred that there are no more than two lines per caption.
2. A line of captions should be no longer than 32-36 characters.
3. Each caption should be on screen no less than one second.
4. Captions should be consistent throughout a video.

Line Division

1. Do not break a modifier from the word it modifies.
   • Mark pushed
     his black truck.

3. Do not break a prepositional phrase.
   • Mary scampered
     under the table.
     
     
4. Do not break a person's name or a title from the name with which it is associated.
   • Bob and Susan Smythe
     are at the movies.
     
     
5. Do not break a line after a conjunction.
   • In seconds she arrived,
     and he ordered a drink.
     
     
6. Do not break an auxiliary verb from the word it modifies.
   • Mom said I could have gone
     to the movies.
     
     
7. Never end a sentence and begin a new sentence on the same line unless they are short, related sentences containing one or two words.

Punctuation

• When quotation marks are around a phrase spanning two or more captions, place quotation marks at the beginning of each caption, except for the caption containing the end of the quote - it should only contain a closing quotation mark.
  
  
• Hyphenated words must remain on one line.