The Formalization of Textual Criticism: Bridging the Gap Between Automated Collation and Edited Critical Texts

Not much of the editorial process of creating digital scholarly editions is automated or assisted by computer tools. Existing tools are hard to combine in a coherent workflow. This paper discusses several challenges of collaborative editorial projects dealing with many manuscript witnesses and proposes the adoption of a shared formalization describing the editorial process. The use of a shared formalization will allow the whole editorial process to be semi-automated, with positive repercussions on the workload of the editors and on the quality and verifiability of the edition itself.