Distributed Proofreaders

Distributed Proofreaders: Volunteer-Driven E-Text Editing

Distributed Proofreaders is a web-based project that facilitates volunteers in proofreading and formatting public domain e-texts, aiming to make e-books easily available for Project Gutenberg.

What is Distributed Proofreaders?

Distributed Proofreaders (DP) is a web-based project launched in 2000 that utilizes volunteers to proofread and format digital copies of public domain books. The goal of the project is to help digitize books and make them available through Project Gutenberg, an online library of free eBooks.

Volunteers, known as Distributed Proofreaders, work through scanned page images of books. They format the text to match the original book layout and correct any errors made during the scanning process. This distributed effort across many volunteers helps proofread books much faster than if done by one person.

Once a book has been completely proofread and formatted, it is uploaded to Project Gutenberg for inclusion in their library. DP has proofread over 30,000 books which are all available for free download through Project Gutenberg. The books include a wide range of genres and topics from history and philosophy to poetry and children's books.

The Distributed Proofreaders website provides the tools and interface for volunteers to find book scans that need proofreading or formatting. Volunteers can work on books at their own pace via the web-based tools. The large volunteer community makes the high-quality digitization of public domain books possible.

Distributed Proofreaders Features

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