De inhoud van een elektronische editie verschilt in weinig van die van een editie in hard-copy. Commentaar, apparaat en leestekst moeten ook in een elektronische editie te vinden zijn. Maar de inherente kwaliteit van de computer om met grote hoeveelheden data om te gaan, zorgt ervoor dat het apparaat niet meer selectief hoeft te zijn, en dat de problemen van de commentaar die meestal voortkomen uit de financiële onmogelijkheid om voor alle groepen lezers een aangepaste papieren editie te publiceren — “bieden we nu een commentaar voor een academisch publiek aan, of voor een leespubliek, of sluiten we een compromis” (wat altijd kwaliteitsverlies betekent) — verleden tijd zijn. Tegelijkertijd vervagen ook de concepten diplomatische editie, leeseditie en historisch-kritische editie. Dit zijn alleen nog maar output-resultaten van een volledige elektronische editie.
In sostanza, per edizione critica digitale si deve intendere un ambiente nel quale l’editore svolge tutto il suo lavoro, il tradizionae lavoro de filologo editore, con strummenti digitali, e tale ambiente viene messo a disposizione dei fruitori, comprendendo sia la proposta di un testo ricostruito, sia la documentazione alla proposta. Come vedremo, queste procedure implicano anche la scissione del testo in differenti strati testuali, secondo quanto esposto nel capitolo I. Corollario essenzalie di tutto questo è che tutto il materiale è passibile a sua volta di ulteriori procedimenti elettronici, per i quali l’origine digitale delle analisi dovrà essere massimamente coretta e completa.
Eine digitale Edition ist dadurch bestimmt, dass sie die allgemeinen Anforderungen an eine wissenschaftliche Edition durch die Berücksichtigung der gegenwärtigen technischen Möglichkeiten und ihrer methodischen Implikationen erfüllt. Sie folgt einem “digitalen Paradigma”.
Wollte man dennoch versuchen, die “digitale Edition” auch in Bezug auf traditionelle gedruckte Editionen zu definieren, dann ließe sich sagen:
Eine digitale Edition ist dadurch bestimmt, dass sie nicht ohne wesentliche Informations- und Funktionsverluste in eine typografische Form gebracht werden kann – und in diesem Sinne über die druckbare Edition hinausgeht.
Labels are important when we try to come to a common understanding of the subjects we are talking about. Some talk about Scholarly Digital Editions (SDE), others Digital Scholarly Editions (DSE). Should we use two different labels, describe two different notions, identify two different concepts and thereby construct two different things here? Maybe there are indeed two different paths in the development and creation of critical editions. A Scholarly Digital Edition would emphasise that there is the phenomenon of digital publication and now is the time to care for its scholarly quality. This would mean to add the critical dimension to otherwise potentially uncritical publications. On the other hand, the Digital Scholarly Edition would refer to the tradition and methodologies of the scholarly edition and reflect its transformation into the digital realm. Since both should lead to the same result, they do not necessarily denote different things and, beyond the detailed discussion about approaches and perceptions, both may be used as synonyms.
It can be said that digital editions follow a digital paradigm, just as printed editions have been following a paradigm that was shaped by the technical limitations and cultural practices of typography and book printing. With the mere digitisation of printed material, the implications of a truly digital paradigm cannot be realised.
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A digitised edition is not a digital edition.
As long as the contents and functionalities of a typographically born and typographically envisioned edition do not really change with the conversion to digital data, we should not call these derivate editions ‘digital’. It is the conceptual framework that makes the thing—not the method of storage of the information either on paper or as bits and bytes. We can make this more productive in a more definitional manner by stating that:
A digital edition cannot be given in print without significant loss of content and functionality.
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Scholarly digital editions are scholarly editions that are guided by a digital paradigm in their theory, method and practice.