Authenticated electronic editions project

Phill Berrie and I have been involved for several years with Chris Tiffin and Graham Barwell in a project that fills in a gaping hole. We take a longterm view about the survival prospects and the ongoing accuracy of scholarly electronic editions. Even when created using a standardised and widely accepted markup system, and even if not tied to proprietary software, electronic editions face an uncertain future. Electronic texts can be copied and modified effortlessly; the modification may be accidental, perverse, for the purpose of adjusting text or, more likely, adding markup for a new scholarly purpose. In addition, disaster planning is necessary if you’re thinking a century into the future: keeping copies at many locations is sensible.