Methods

The primary method in which data is continuously modified and updated is through EarlyPrint‘s Annotation Panel (example below), which allows scholars and readers to correct transcription errors and provide suggestions to improve the metadata. Users must be registered on the website to post annotations, and corrections are not automatically approved; ultimately, an official site editor must review the correction before the potential error is changed. Additionally, annotations are tagged by their creators and when they were made. The example below displays an annotation suggesting that “s orm” be transcribed as “storm.”

There are several options within EarlyPrint’s Annotation Panel to specify the change that should occur:

• Comment: free space to make non-specific suggestions about anything
• Change: altering the transcription of a specific word within a text
• Word attributes: suggesting a new standardized spelling or new morphological tag
• Join, split, and delete: suggesting changes in word boundaries

Ultimately, EarlyPrint’s dependence on open collaboration align with DH’s objectives of facilitating public engagement, enabling creative research, and preserving public data.