Editing tools. Transcribing and encoding

This paper deals with editing tools and editing platforms, i.e. programs used by editors in order to fulfil one or more tasks in the creation of a scholarly digital edition (SDE). Recurring themes in the field of SDEs are the standardization of XML-TEI markup and the success of documentary digital editions (DDEs) – as compared with critical and genetic editions. The existing editing tools reflect these practices: a considerable number of transcribing and encoding tools, mostly TEI compliant, are developed and used in order to produce DDEs.
A small selection of applications are analysed in detail here: T-Pen, CWRC-Writer, TextGrid, eLaborate and Ecdosis; the tools are compared in an initial summary table. A second table and recap reflect the common features of transcribing and encoding applications.
Questions concerning the entire workflow necessary for the creation of a scholarly digital edition are addressed in brief. In applying Manovich's concept of 'software culture' to the field of digital editions, editing tools emerge as crucial, insofar as they may shape investigation and, eventually, scholarly products.