Course Catalogue

Document Encoding INFOST4006

  • Academic Session: 2026-27
  • School: School of Humanities
  • Credits: 20
  • Level: Level 4 (SCQF level 10)
  • Typically Offered: Semester 2
  • Available to Visiting Students: Yes
  • Collaborative Online International Learning: No
  • Curriculum For Life: No

Short Description

This course will provide students with the opportunity to develop the skills to analyse, understand and encode a variety of texts in electronic format. It will seek to develop these skills by encouraging an intimate understanding of the nature of different texts, an appreciation of their uses, and approaches to encoding them in electronic form.

Timetable

1x2hr lecture; 1x1hr practical lab per week over 10 weeks as scheduled on MyCampus. This is one of the Honours options in DMIS and may not run every year. The options that are running this session are available on MyCampus

Requirements of Entry

Available to all students fulfilling requirements for Honours entry into Digital Media and Information Studies, and by arrangement to visiting students or students of other Honours programmes who qualify under the University's 25% regulation.

Excluded Courses

INFOSTUD4007 - Document Encoding 

Co-requisites

None

Assessment

The standard assessments for this course are: 

 

■ Project accompanied with a 3,000 word report - 100% (digital resources 40%; report 60%) 

 

If required, for instance where a disability prevents a student from undertaking a specific method of assessment, the following alternatives are available: 

■ There are no alternatives to the project but flexible deadlines can be offered as reasonable adjustment (Students should follow the usual process for extensions). 

 

Further reasonable adjustments may be provided where necessary. Students are encouraged to consult with the course convenor.  

Main Assessment In: April/May

Course Aims

This course aims to:

■ explore the principles and best practice of document encoding.

■ explore the methods of document analysis.

■ use different encoding languages, particularly XML.

■ apply relevant and appropriate encoding in a project that facilitate the systematic and rigorous study of text

Intended Learning Outcomes of Course

By the end of this course students will be able to:

■ Use methods of document analysis to identify significant structural elements, content features and problem characters.

■ Identify relevant research questions for a text and assess how encoding can help answer these.

■ Assess how encoding can change the way in which texts are used and analysed in the humanities.

■ Compare and contrast the principles and development of encoding languages (such as XML, XHTML, and RDF). Design and apply an appropriate encoding to a text using XML.

■ Recognise and use standards and best practice generally accepted by the research community

Minimum Requirement for Award of Credits

No exceptions