The document outlines the steps to take for a comparative study: 1) Select comparable artifacts from different time periods, such as texts from 1728 and 1738. 2) Ensure the artifacts are comparable by examining their textual relationship and precedents. 3) Develop a method for analysis, such as textual analysis of sampled texts, and select an achievable scope like trigonometry. 4) Execute the comparison, making adjustments as needed to address problems in comparability between artifacts and create clean digital versions for analysis.

1. The Nitty Gritty on Comparative Studies

2. Step 1: Find some stuff

3. selection of artifacts

4. Spring 2005

5. Spring 2006

6. 1728 & 1738

7. Step 2: Make sure the stuff is comparable.

8. Textual relationship

12. Step 3: Figure out what you’re going to do with all that.

13. Articulate a method.

14. textual analysis

16. Wikipedia’s 5 Pillars

17. Fine. But not enough.

18. sampled texts

19. How, oh how will I select articles?

20. Look for precedents

21. Emigh & Herring 2005

22. random article selection

23. Problem: then is not now

25. Conics? Catoptrics? Nah.

26. Minerals Trigonometry Fortification Falconry Garden

27. Make it do-able.

28. Trigonometry: 2,500+ edits

29. First and last 100 edits

30. Step 4: Execute. Adjust.

32. How do I create a comparable comparison?

33. comparator

35. Convert files.

36. Easy access to digital versions

37. Typical Problems:

38. 18c British English and OCR

39. PDF to .txt

40. Stupid problems:

41. 1728 ed. = beautiful

42. 1738 ed.= bad archiving practices

43. 4 foot wide pages

44. bad scans

45. missing sections

46. Solution: hand-correcting

47. Solution: talking to librarians

49. Eventually: prevail.

50. Clean .txt files of 18c texts

52. 1400 edits total

53. Coded for 65 edit types

54. Chambers 1738

55. High edit incidence

56. Title 1728 length 1738 length Total Edits Typographic Changes Falconry 168 166 35 33 Fortification 2134 2039 419 365 Garden 970 970 205 200 Mineral 800 802 144 137 Trigonometry 1636 1607 365 352

57. Germanic capitalization Long s shift

58. 1668

61. distributed agency

62. Terminal

64. stubs

65. Article Creation Date Creation Length Current Length Falconry 1/16/03 21 6,075 Fortification 3/31/03 32 3,486 Garden 2/27/02 1 1,393 Minerals 12/12/01 236 2,698 Trigonometry 9/8/01 157 (69) 2,240

66. Communal and participatory

67. Effected through form

68. Open ended