Table of Contents
This chapter retains something of the introductory spirit of the previous one by providing an overview of the fundamental principles and technologies behind TAN. The goal is to explain the principles behind the design of the format. Although this chapter assumes on your part no prior knowledge of any particular technology, it is also not meant to be a tutorial. Links to further reading will take you to good introductory material.
The TAN formats have been designed around a few basic principles:
Scholarly habits
Be patient.
Simplify.
Stay focused.
Don't be redundant.
Don't state the obvious.
Use familiar conventions.
Scholarly freedom
Express doubt.
Offer alternatives.
Exercise independence.
Invite interdependence.
Scholarly responsibility
Declare your assumptions.
Make your work citable.
Satisfy scholars' expectations:
Who did what when?
What are your sources?
How do you define your terms?
What alterations have you made to your sources?
What rights do I have to use your material?
General utility
Use stable technology.
Keep design predictable, consistent.
Make each datum human readable.
Make each datum computer actionable.