Instructor Reference Pages

Annotating Gel Images

These basic guidelines for annotating gel images are very streamlined and will vary considerably
depending upon your operating system and the software version that you are currently using. If you
encounter any difficulties, we recommend that you consult a colleague or a student for assistance.
Regardless of the software that you use to annotate your students gel images (e.g. Microsoft Word,
Microsoft PowerPoint, Preview, Adobe Photoshop, etc.), we request that you:

s Insert a single text box in the upper left-hand corner of the gel image that contains the following
information (refer to the figures that appear below for additional guidance):
a. Instructor Name
b. School
c. Date
d. The concentration of agarose (1% unless otherwise instructed)
e. The type of DNA represented on the gel (e.g. gDNA or purified COI amplicons)

s Insert a single text box above each well/lane of the gel (refer to the figures that appear below for
additional guidance). Each text box should contain the specimen ID code that corresponds to the
DNA that was run in each well/lane of the gel (or the type of ladder that was run in a given lane).
Using Microsoft Word (PC or Mac) to annotate gel images
1. Launch Microsoft Word and open a new document.
2. Insert > Picture/Photo from File.
3. Select the appropriate image file and insert the file into the document.
4. Rotate the file so that the wells appear at the top of the gel image.
5. Insert a text box into the document. Once the text box appears, you can click and drag the text
box to the desired location in the document.
6. Adjust size of the textbox as necessary and then click inside the box to begin typing. Be sure
to select a font color (and/or box fill color) that is clearly visible on your gel image (and that
doesnt obscure the information on the gel).
7. When you have annotated the gel, save the document in either .jpeg or .pdf format (be sure to
note where you are saving the file). If you cannot save the document in either format using your
version of Microsoft Word, follow the instructions for annotating gel images using one of the
methods described below.
8. Forward files as email attachments to CMB for review.

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Barcoding Lifes Matrix Instructor Laboratory Manual v1.1