Doubts, Comments, Annotations and Additions
A. Documenting doubt
<unclear>
<unclear cert="low" reason="Handwritten signature is difficult to read.">J. Henderson</unclear>
can be used to encode your uncertainty about any part of your transcription. The cert attribute indicates your level of certainty (low, medium, high), and please use reason to explain the circumstances.
B. Comments
<!-- -->
is the format for an XML comment, which can be used anywhere to add additional documentation.
<!-- text here -->
can be used to insert comments into your XML file. You can use comments of this sort to record doubts or questions you might want to follow up on later.
This is metadata that will not display in the output of your file. These are, therefore, notes to yourself or to those who might examine your XML files in the future. If you want to record information that will be available to readers of the transcription, use <note type="transcription">, as explained below.
C. Annotations
1. Notes on transcription
<note type="transcription">
can be used to record a note that will display in the transcription view (only) of your edition. This would be used to record for future users items that might concern them when looking at the transcription view, but not the edition view.
2. Notes on edition
<note type="editorial">
can be used to record a note that will display in the edition view of your project. These might be annotations regarding historical context, names of people, places, etc.
D. Material you add yourself
<supplied reason="text smudged" cert="medium"></supplied>
can be used to supply letters or words that can't be read. Use reason attribute to give a text explanation for the circumstances, and the cert attribute to indicate your degree of certainty about the solution you've provided (the acceptable values are high, medium, and low).