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Table of Contents
Document Overview
This user manual provides a comprehensive guide to the Criterion application, a specialized desktop tool for creating and managing digital critical editions. It covers all key features, from text and apparatus management to advanced formatting, metadata, citations, and print/export options, plus a full suite of cloud collaboration capabilities that enable secure, structured teamwork among scholars. Users will find detailed instructions, best practices, and technical notes on essential functions such as: Layout customization and paratextual elements (line/page numbers, headers/footers) Critical apparatus management (notes, sigla, reading types, separators) Bookmark navigation and annotation handling Bibliographic reference management and citation insertion Cloud account management (GDPR-compliant registration, profile editing, password management) Document sharing and invitation workflows (controlled collaboration with read-only access) Integrated chat system for contextual discussion of textual variants directly within the editor Real-time notifications and email alerts for all collaboration events Organized into thematic sections, the manual serves both new and experienced users—from solo editors preparing a first edition to research teams collaborating on complex multi-witness projects—offering a reliable resource for accurate, efficient, and publication-ready critical editions.
Key Concepts
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Annotation | The class for Web Annotations. |
| Apparatus | Component of a scholarly edition that accompanies the edited text and consists of a set of annotations that the editor has appended to edited text for a particular scientific purpose. |
| Base Reading / Lemma | The reading chosen or proposed by the editor, presented within an entry of the critical apparatus. |
| Critical Apparatus | An apparatus through which the editor shows the differences between the critical text and the textual transmission. |
| Siglum | Alphanumeric string that identifies a witness within a critical edition. |
| Witness | Copy of the text of a work. |
System Requirements
Operating Systems: Windows, macOS, Linux File Format: .critx (native), .pdf, .xml (TEI P5), .xlsx (export) Encoding: UTF-16 for full Unicode support Internet Connection: Required only for cloud features (account management, sharing, chat)