Critical Edition Ontology: a conceptual model for digital critical editions

Abstract

Over the last thirty years, In the field of digital philology, several generic IT tools have been developed to produce digital scholarly editions (DSE). However, the majority of DSEs continue to be produced using custom-developed tools. This trend is unsustainable, but it is because generic tools are often less usable, difficult to customize, and unsuitable for the scientific objectives of scholars. The scientific community has been exploring how to create flexible and effective tools for digital philology. Two main responses have emerged in the literature: the need for shared editorial models that represent philologists’ desiderata, and the adoption of software engineering practices to produce more robust, durable, and easily maintainable tools. This article presents a modeling strategy that considers both perspectives and is based on the creation of a network of editorial models, each one theoretically framed within the philological approach in which it has emerged. The editorial models, formalized as ontologies, can be applied as conceptual models to determine the logical organization and functioning of a tool for digital philology, thanks to the principles of domain-driven design.

Keywords

• conceptual modeling
• software development
• digital scholarly editions
• ontologies
• digital philology
• modellamento concettuale
• sviluppo del software
• edizioni digitali accademiche
• ontologie
• filologia digitale