Resolve Conflicting Instructions in Text and Diagrams

When text and a diagram disagree, identify the intended procedure from the approved reasoning and supporting evidence before editing either one. Resolve the substantive decision, then update prose, artwork, captions, and exercises together. Do not assume that the newest or most polished component contains the correct instruction.

Describe the disagreement as a reader action

Start by stating what a reader would do if they followed the text and what they would do if they followed the diagram. This makes the conflict concrete. A vague note such as “image mismatch” may refer to terminology, order, quantity, or a genuinely different procedure. Record the affected passage and asset version so the issue can be reviewed against stable evidence.

For example, the prose may ask readers to choose a workshop objective before selecting activities, while the diagram places activity selection first. That difference is more than a layout preference if the chapter explains that the objective guides the choice. Identify the decision the book intends to teach rather than treating the problem as a simple matter of moving an arrow until the page looks consistent.

Return to the approved method and evidence

Review the brief, accepted example, source records, and relevant editorial decisions. Determine which sequence or relationship is justified. If the project never settled the question, keep it open and perform the necessary subject review. Agreement between two components is not enough if both would then present an unsupported or incorrect method.

Do not automatically privilege the text over the image. A diagram review may have revealed a flaw in the prose, or an old image may have survived after an approved textual correction. Trace the actual history where it helps, but make the final decision from the intended lesson and evidence. Record the reason so a later editor does not reverse the correction based solely on which file appears older.

Map all dependent components before editing

Identify captions, labels, exercises, answer explanations, and later references that use the disputed instruction. A conflict often spreads beyond the first visible pair. If the example changes, a table of results may also need revision. Keep a short list of affected components and their owners where collaborators are involved.

Separate changes in meaning from changes in presentation. Correcting the order of two instructional steps is a substantive revision; adjusting arrow placement to show an already approved sequence is a design repair. Both may be necessary, but they require different review questions. This distinction helps prevent a designer from being asked to decide the method or an editor from approving an unreadable visual merely because its labels are now correct.

Apply the decision to text and artwork together

Revise the editable sources and compare the components as one instructional unit. Keep the exact labels and key terms consistent where they refer to the same concepts. If the diagram uses a shortened label, confirm that readers can connect it to the prose without mistaking it for another step. Review generated replacement artwork for new invented details introduced during the correction.

Preserve content-origin information for retained generated text or images. A correction may replace one component through a different workflow, and the project record should reflect that change accurately. During publication preparation, consult current KDP content guidance for the actual process. The origin record supports a separate review from the question of whether the revised instructions now agree.

Test the procedure through both routes

Ask a reviewer to explain the procedure from the text, then from the diagram, using the same starting example. Compare the actions and expected results they describe. Differences may reveal a remaining ambiguity even when the author believes the wording matches. Repair the specific issue rather than adding a broad caption telling readers to ignore one component whenever they are unsure.

Inspect the final exported page at its intended size and check that layout has not obscured the corrected sequence. Confirm that the illustration is paired with the right passage and that outdated versions remain outside the publication selection. Save the decision and reviewed files together. The finished unit should guide the reader through one coherent process, with visual and written explanations reinforcing the same verified lesson.