Text Encoding Initiative


The Text Encoding Initiative (TEI) is a consortium which collectively develops and maintains a standard for the representation of texts in digital form. Its chief deliverable is a set of Guidelines which specify encoding methods for machine-readable texts, chiefly in the humanities, social sciences and linguistics. Since 1994, the TEI Guidelines have been widely used by libraries, museums, publishers, and individual scholars to present texts for online research, teaching, and preservation. In addition to the Guidelines themselves, the Consortium provides a variety of resources and training events for learning TEI, information on projects using the TEI, a bibliography of TEI-related publications, and software developed for or adapted to the TEI.

The TEI Consortium is a nonprofit membership organization composed of academic institutions, research projects, and individual scholars from around the world. Members contribute financially to the Consortium and elect representatives to its Council and Board of Directors. In commemoration of the TEI community’s 30th anniversary, it was awarded the 2017 Antonio Zampolli Prize from the Alliance of Digital Humanities Organizations.

Want to become active in the TEI community? Become a TEI Member, join a special interest group, sign up for the TEI-L mailing list, and come to our annual conferences and members’ meetings.