QA Toolkit: Digital Text

About

This one of the first components of the QA Toolkit. It is currently a beta version. We would welcome feedback before its release. Please send any comments to B.Kelly AT ukoln.ac.uk.

QA Focus's Methodology

Projects may be concerned that implementation of QA procedures can be time-consuming. The approach recommended by QA Focus is designed to be lightweight and to avoid unnecessary bureaucracy, while still providing a mechanism for implementation of best practices.

This self assessment QA sheet will eventually be part of the QA Focus Toolkit and is based on the Digital Text briefing paper. This module provides a checklist for development of good practices when choosing a text-based character set and structural language.

What is Digital Text?

Digital text refers to any document that stores alphabetic information. It can use differing character sets and contain specific structures.

Note that when filling in the form:

• Radio buttons () limit you to one of the options given (i.e. only one button can be selected).
• Check boxes () let you select as many of the options as you would like (i.e. many buttons can be selected).

1. Ownership of Standard
The standard is owned by an acknowledged open standards body (e.g. ASCII)?
The standard is owned by a company (i.e. a proprietary standard)
2. Openness of Proprietary Format
If the standard is proprietary:
The specification is published openly (e.g. Microsoft's RTF)?
The specification has been published by third parties reverse-engineering the specification (e.g. Microsoft's Word)?
The specification has not been published?
3. Availability of Viewers
Are viewers for the format:
Available free of charge
Available on multiple platforms?
Available as open source?
4. Availability of Authoring Tools
Are authoring tools for the format:
Available free of charge
Available on multiple platforms?
Available as open source?
5. Fitness for Purpose
Is the format:
Ideal for the purpose envisaged?
Appropriate for the purpose envisaged?
Not particularly appropriate for the purpose envisaged?
6. Preservation
Is the format:
Ideal for preservation?
Appropriate for preservation?
Inappropriate for preservation?
7. Migration
If it becomes necessary to migrate to an alternative format will it be:
Easy to migrate to alternative formats?
Difficult to migrate to alternative formats?
8. Stability of Standard
Does the standard change:
Often (e.g. MS Word)?
Occasionally (e.g. XML)
Rarely (e.g. ASCII)?
9. Special features of the format
Does the format character set provide:
Single-language support (e.g. ASCII)?
Multi-language support (e.g. Unicode)?
10. Layout Information
Layout information for the format is stored as:
Proprietary unreadable binary data (e.g. MS Word)?
Standardised human-readable data (e.g. HTML, XML, text)?
11. Layout structure
Layout information for the format is stored:
As a separate file independent of the content (e.g. CSS, XML schemas)
Embedded into the content (e.g. HTML)
12. Schemas
If the document is an XML-derived format does it use:
An open documented schema that meets the associated criteria (e.g. Dublin Core)?
An open documented schema that differs in some aspects from the associated criteria?
An undocumented schema (e.g. Microsoft XML)?

Note that QA Focus does not keep a record of the answers submitted.