dopisan

Dopisan is a term used in some digital publishing and collaborative editing communities to denote a post-publication annotation added after the main text. It is typically an addition that preserves the original content while supplying corrections, clarifications, or supplementary material.

Origin and etymology: The word is a neologism of uncertain origin, commonly described as combining elements from various linguistic traditions to convey “after writing.” It has appeared in online glossaries and editing guides since the 2010s, without a single authoritative definition or standard practice.

Definition: A dopisan can be a short paragraph or collection of notes appended to the end of a manuscript, a separate file linked to the main text, or an in-text section labeled for readers to identify it easily. Its aim is to be unobtrusive while ensuring readers have access to later corrections or commentary.

Form and content: Dopisan notes often include errata, additions, clarifications, translations, or interpretive commentary. They may be authored by the original author, editors, or invited commentators. In some repositories, dopisan is versioned alongside the main text, allowing readers to view changes over time.

Examples: In a digital edition of a novella, the dopisan might add a note clarifying an ambiguous event or provide brief historical context for referenced artifacts. In fan wikis or collaborative projects, the dopisan might include community-sourced corrections and alternative interpretations.

See also: Afterword, Addendum, Erratum, Postscript, Appendices.