What Do Editing Projects Do?

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Each documentary editing project operates differently, depending on the subject and scope of the project. Some projects are undertaken by a single editor, while others are larger collaborative efforts of a number of scholars. The first step for most projects is to gather copies of all its subject’s documents, including variant versions and editions (hundreds of thousands in some cases). In the process, project offices often become research centers for those interested in the subject. Projects catalog their collections (now usually with computer databases); select the documents for publication (depending on the scope and format of the publication); transcribe from the facsimiles of the originals and proofread the texts multiple times; and often provide, through extensive research, editorial notes and/or annotation to give context and background information about the document. If the editing is for a book edition, the editors prepare the text for publication, proofread the resulting copy, and usually prepare an index for each volume. Editing projects working on image editions develop indexing schemes to locate specific documents, while those working on electronic editions, code their transcripts and images in order to make them readily searchable.

Editing projects also create other products, ranging from scholarly articles to exhibits, from websites to document-based teaching aids, and generally serve scholars, the general public and students as accessible experts on major historical and literary figures.