Davy Notebooks Project

FAQ

How can I contact the project team?

The best way is to use the project Talk pages. These pages are monitored regularly, and a member of the project team will get back in touch with you as soon as they can.

I can’t read the handwriting; what do I do?

Transcribing Davy’s handwriting can be difficult – sometimes, when he has been writing quickly, his characters are not well defined; at other times, his pages can look very messy, especially when he has made lots of revisions to his text. The Project Team understands that the task is difficult – even we struggle to read some of Davy’s writing, despite having studied it for years! Remember that all transcriptions will be checked by experts, so just try to transcribe as much of each page as you can. Help will also be on hand on the Project’s Talk boards – if you’re unsure of anything, please don’t hesitate to ask using the Talk feature. Previous experience of transcribing late eighteenth/early nineteenth century handwriting will certainly come in handy here, but it’s not entirely necessary – the more familiar you become with Davy’s handwriting and style of composition, the easier the task should become. Also see the Tips for Transcribing, in the Field Guide.

What type of device should I use?

The transcription task is best approached using a standard desktop computer or laptop with a mouse or trackpad, rather than a touchscreen device. We do not recommend that you try to transcribe using a mobile phone.