Editorial Guidelines

TEI/XML Encoding and Editorial Standards

Welcome to the editorial hub of the Chamberlain Letters Project. Whether you're a student, scholar, or first-time contributor, this guide is here to help you transcribe and annotate letters using the TEI (Text Encoding Initiative) P5 standard. Our aim is to create a consistent, accurate, and accessible archive of John Chamberlain’s correspondence—freely available to the public and usable by future generations of researchers.

This edition of the Chamberlain Letters is designed to prioritize readability over diplomatic transcription. While the project follows TEI-P5 rigor and preserves historical accuracy, we editorially introduce paragraph breaks and suppress original lineation (such as printed line breaks or page breaks) to enhance accessibility for modern readers. These interventions are made transparently and consistently, in service of clarity and broader public engagement.

General Practices

• Please begin with the official Chamberlain Letter TEI Template. This ensures consistency across all contributions.
• All XML files must be well-formed and pass validation using tools such as oXygen, TEI Simple, or an online XML validator.
• Be sure to close all elements. For example: <persName>John Chamberlain</persName>.
• Maintain original spelling and punctuation. Only modernize where necessary—and always explain such changes in a <note> or with a <choice> tag.

Tagging Names, Places, and Works

• Use <persName ref="#id"> to tag individuals (e.g., <persName ref="#carleton-dudley">Dudley Carleton</persName>).
• Use <placeName ref="#id"> for cities, buildings, or countries mentioned in the text.
• Use <orgName ref="#id"> to tag institutions, companies, and governing bodies.
• Use <title level="m"> for book or work titles; use level="a" for article or poem titles.
• If you're unsure about a person, place, or work, use cert="low" and include a <note type="editorial"> to explain your reasoning.

Footnotes and Editorial Notes

• Use <note place="foot"> for footnotes. These will appear at the bottom of the letter when rendered online.
• Use <note type="editorial"> for contextual information or explanations that should not appear inline.
• Include a short <editor-note> at the end of each letter, summarizing its historical context or thematic highlights.

Linking and Referencing

• Use the ref attribute to link people, places, and works to entries in the Personography, Placeography, etc., or to reputable sources like Wikipedia, VIAF, or the ODNB.
• If you’re unsure of an ID, use ref="#unknown" and provide a comment explaining your guess.
• If you identify a new person, place, or work, tag it and include a <note type="editorial"> proposing your identification. The editorial team will verify and add it to the relevant reference files.

Submitting and Crediting Your Work

• When you're finished, submit your letter file by email or GitHub pull request.
• Every submission will be reviewed by the project editor for consistency, formatting, and TEI compliance before publication.
• Contributors are always credited—either on the letter page itself or in the project metadata.

Thank you for helping to bring Chamberlain’s world to life. For more context, visit our About page, or contact the project editor with questions.