Text annotation
Encyclopedia
Text annotation is the practice and the result of adding a note to a text. Historically, text annotations have been produced as Marginalia
. This article covers hand-written and information technology-based, including Web-based text annotation. For annotation of Web objects see Web annotation
.
Annotation functionality has been present in text processing software for a long time through inlines notes displayed as pop-ups, footnotes and endnotes, but it is only recently that functionality for displaying annotations as marginalia has appeared in OpenOffice.org
/LibreOffice
Writer or Microsoft Word
.
, the system put in place to gather comments on drafts of version 3 of the GNU General Public License
. This system required preparation of the text to be submitted to comments and its software architecture did not make easy to transform it into a Web service where every user can upload a text to submit it to annotations. The co-ment
system uses annotation interface concepts similar to Stet's, but it is based on an entirely new implementation, using Django/Python
on the server side and various AJAX
libraries such as JQuery
on the client side. Both Stet and co-ment are licensed under the GNU Affero General Public License
.
Modern text annotation systems are collaborative software including text editing and versioning functionality in addition to annotation and commenting interfaces. They can be seen as dual of a wiki
: the front view is the annotation and discussion interface with editing being accessible on demand, while in wikis the front-view is the editing interface and the discussion page is in the background.
Specialized Web-based text annotations exist in the context of scientific publication, either for refereeing or post-publication. The on-line journal PLoS-One published by the Public Library of Science has developed its own Web-based system where scientists and the public can comment on published articles. The annotations are displayed as pop-ups with an anchor in the text.
Marginalia
Marginalia are scribbles, comments, and illuminations in the margins of a book.- Biblical manuscripts :Biblical manuscripts have liturgical notes at the margin, for liturgical use. Numbers of texts' divisions are given at the margin...
. This article covers hand-written and information technology-based, including Web-based text annotation. For annotation of Web objects see Web annotation
Web annotation
A web annotation is an online annotation associated with a web resource, typically a web page. With a Web annotation system, a user can add, modify or remove information from a Web resource without modifying the resource itself...
.
History
Text annotation may be as old as writing on media where it was possible to produce an additional copy with a reasonable effort. It became a prominent activity around 1000 AD in Talmudic commentaries and Arabic rhetorics treaties.IT-based text annotation systems
In the 1980s and 1990s a number of standalone or client-server annotation systems were built in the context of libraries, patent offices and legal text processing. Their design led researchers to produce taxonomies of annotation forms. Text annotation research took place in particular in Xerox research centers in Palo Alto and Grenoble (France), in the Hitachi Central Research Lab (in particular for annotation of patents), and in relation with the construction of the new French National Library between 1989 and 1995 at the Institut de Recherche en Informatique de Toulouse and in the company AIS (Advanced Innovation Systems).Annotation functionality has been present in text processing software for a long time through inlines notes displayed as pop-ups, footnotes and endnotes, but it is only recently that functionality for displaying annotations as marginalia has appeared in OpenOffice.org
OpenOffice.org
OpenOffice.org, commonly known as OOo or OpenOffice, is an open-source application suite whose main components are for word processing, spreadsheets, presentations, graphics, and databases. OpenOffice is available for a number of different computer operating systems, is distributed as free software...
/LibreOffice
LibreOffice
LibreOffice is a free and open source office suite developed by The Document Foundation as a fork of OpenOffice.org. It is largely compatible with other major office suites, including Microsoft Office, and available on a variety of platforms...
Writer or Microsoft Word
Microsoft Word
Microsoft Word is a word processor designed by Microsoft. It was first released in 1983 under the name Multi-Tool Word for Xenix systems. Subsequent versions were later written for several other platforms including IBM PCs running DOS , the Apple Macintosh , the AT&T Unix PC , Atari ST , SCO UNIX,...
.
Web-based text annotation systems
Web-based text annotation systems permit users to upload texts so that people can produce marginal annotations with threaded discussions using a simple Web browser. A precursor system was StetStet (software)
stet is a free software package for gathering comments about a text document via a webpage.-History:The initial version was developed from late 2005 until mid-2006 by the Software Freedom Law Center as a service to its client, the Free Software Foundation...
, the system put in place to gather comments on drafts of version 3 of the GNU General Public License
GNU General Public License
The GNU General Public License is the most widely used free software license, originally written by Richard Stallman for the GNU Project....
. This system required preparation of the text to be submitted to comments and its software architecture did not make easy to transform it into a Web service where every user can upload a text to submit it to annotations. The co-ment
Co-ment
co-ment is an online word processor allowing collaborative work on text writing. It's the descendant of the tool created to handle the GNU GPL version 3 online revision. It is freely available under Affero GPL.- Description :...
system uses annotation interface concepts similar to Stet's, but it is based on an entirely new implementation, using Django/Python
Python (programming language)
Python is a general-purpose, high-level programming language whose design philosophy emphasizes code readability. Python claims to "[combine] remarkable power with very clear syntax", and its standard library is large and comprehensive...
on the server side and various AJAX
Ajax
- Mythology :* Ajax , son of Telamon, ruler of Salamis and a hero in the Trojan War, also known as "Ajax the Great"* Ajax the Lesser, son of Oileus, ruler of Locris and the leader of the Locrian contingent during the Trojan War.- People :...
libraries such as JQuery
JQuery
jQuery is a cross-browser JavaScript library designed to simplify the client-side scripting of HTML. It was released in January 2006 at BarCamp NYC by John Resig...
on the client side. Both Stet and co-ment are licensed under the GNU Affero General Public License
Affero General Public License
The Affero General Public License, often abbreviated as Affero GPL and AGPL , refers to two distinct, though historically related, free software licenses:...
.
Modern text annotation systems are collaborative software including text editing and versioning functionality in addition to annotation and commenting interfaces. They can be seen as dual of a wiki
Wiki
A wiki is a website that allows the creation and editing of any number of interlinked web pages via a web browser using a simplified markup language or a WYSIWYG text editor. Wikis are typically powered by wiki software and are often used collaboratively by multiple users. Examples include...
: the front view is the annotation and discussion interface with editing being accessible on demand, while in wikis the front-view is the editing interface and the discussion page is in the background.
Specialized Web-based text annotations exist in the context of scientific publication, either for refereeing or post-publication. The on-line journal PLoS-One published by the Public Library of Science has developed its own Web-based system where scientists and the public can comment on published articles. The annotations are displayed as pop-ups with an anchor in the text.
External links
- http://gplv3.fsf.org/comments - example of use of Stet
- http://www.co-ment.org - co-ment community site
- http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0000139 - example of PLoS-One reading and annotation interface