Stripboard layouts are shown from the electronic components side, so the tracks are out of sight under the board. Layouts are normally shown with the tracks running horizontally across the diagram.
Placing components on stripboard requires care. The large number of holes means it is very easy to make a mistake! For most small circuits the best method is to very carefully place the IC holder(s) in the correct position and solder in place. Then you can position all the other components relative to the IC holder(s).
Minor position errors left and right will not usually be a problem because the component will still be connected to the correct tracks. However, up and down position errors must be avoided because just one hole too high or too low will connect the component to the wrong track and therefore the wrong part of the circuit.
Some people like to label the holes with letters (up/down) and numbers (across) to give each hole a 'grid reference' but this still requires careful counting of holes.
