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Transcription Guidelines
About Transcriptions
Three types of manuscript transcription support the discovery, analysis, and learning of paleography (the study of pre-modern handwriting methods) for scholars and the general public. Any transcription, of course, is an imperfect representation, and paleography is not an exact science.
The descriptions and criteria below are from Early Modern Manuscripts Online (EMMO), a project of the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, D.C. These guidelines help us maintain consistency in the transcriptions we receive from volunteers like you.
Basic Guidelines
[edge damage]andr...
Note edge damage that obscures words in brackets
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[smudge]
Mark smudges and illegibility when it interferes with the reading of the words
[illegible][note: strikethrough]
Mark and describe apparently deliberate scribbles or cross-outs
<s>struckthrough text</s>
Note text struck through by the author
[illegible]
Note actually illegible areas that are not clearly intentional
=== Title ===
Title headings
No line breaks
Do not note or include line breaks that occur in the middle of a word
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:::
Use at the end of a recipe to signal dotted line breaks
----
Mark for page breaks
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Mince <sup>and</sup> flowre
Superscript for inserted letters or words
__TOC__
Insert a table of contents generated from title headings
ABOUT THE
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ELIZABETH
DYKE
Types of Transcription
Elizabeth Dyke's "Book of Recaits" (1668), page 94
Diplomatic
Represents original spelling (including u/v, i/j, and ff/F) and includes abbreviations, lineation, and punctuation as they appear in the manuscript. However, it does not exactly mirror the layout of the page, and it is not intended to reproduce every brevigraph (symbols, strokes, or modified letter forms), mark of punctuation, or symbol accurately.
To make the teeth whit
Take a mallow root and rube the teeth well with it but let it be cleane first then wash the mouth with whit wine or whit wine and water together or whit wine uinger and Water:::
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Semi-Diplomatic
Similar to diplomatic transcriptions, with the exception that abbreviations and brevigraphs are expanded, with the supplied letters italicized. They are easier to read than diplomatic transcriptions, but the inconsistent spelling can be distracting if you are attempting to read quickly for content.
To make the teeth whit
Take a mallow root and rube the teeth well with it but let it be cleane first then wash the mouth with whit wine or whit wine and water together or whit wine vinger and Water:::
​
Regularized
Allows for rapid reading and keyword searching because it uses modernized spelling.
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To make the teeth white
Take a mallow root and rub the teeth well with it but let it be clean first then wash the mouth with white wine or white wine and water together or white wine vinegar and water.