---
title: "Elements of Quality Captioning and Best Practice When Captioning"
canonical: "https://kb.uconn.edu/space/TL/10794827907/Elements%20of%20Quality%20Captioning%20and%20Best%20Practice%20When%20Captioning"
format: markdown
---
Students, faculty, and staff can edit captions for videos on Kaltura, YouTube, and other video streaming platforms. The most current captioning information is available on the Described and Captioned Media Program's [Guidelines and Best Practices for Captioning](https://dcmp.org/learn/captioningkey) page. 

> ℹ️ For more information about captioning content, such as Chemistry terminology, [contact the DCMP](https://dcmp.org/contact-us) directly for guidance.

## Elements of Quality Captioning

Found on the [Described and Captioned Media Program Website](https://dcmp.org/)

- **Accurate**  
Errorless captions are the goal for each production.
- **Consistent**  
Uniformity in style and presentation of all captioning features is crucial for viewer understanding.
- **Clear**  
A complete textual representation of the audio, including speaker identification and non-speech information, provides clarity.
- **Readable**
  - Captions are:
    - displayed with enough time to be read completely
    - synchronized with the audio
  - Captions don’t:
    - obscure the visual content
    - be obscured by the visual content
- **Equal**  
Equal access requires that the meaning and intention of the material is completely preserved.

## Best Practice When Captioning

- Use a maximum of two lines of text for captions
- Line Division
  - When a sentence is broken into two or more lines of captions, it should be broken at a logical point where speech normally pauses.
- Indicate speakers. You can use their name if it is known. You can also identify speakers by narrator or by gender and number, as shown below.
  - (Jack)
  - (female #1)
  - (male narrator)
- Indicate sound effects. Examples include:
  - (audience cheering)
  - (explosion)
- Indicate changes in intonation Examples include:
  - (whispering)
  - (*angrily speaking*)
- Indicate music. Examples include:
  - (lyrical flute solo)
  - (Louis Armstrong plays "Hello Dolly")
- When people are seen talking, but there is no audio, caption as shown in the examples below:
  - (no audio)
  - (silence)
- When content is inaudible, such as when a speaker is too quiet, caption as (inaudible).

## Professional Captioning Services

### Kaltura

If you need professional caption services, UConn has a contract in place with **Kaltura**. 

- Submit a PO to Kaltura for the amount of captioning you need to do (there is no pay as you go)
- Contact the **Academic IT **department at [techsupport@uconn.edu](mailto:techsupport@uconn.edu) to create a group in Kaltura so you can request professional captions.

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