Exploitation and exploration in text evolution. Quantifying planning and translation flows during writing
Donald Ruggiero Lo Sardo, Pietro Gravino, Christine Cuskley and, Vittorio Loreto

TL;DR
This paper introduces novel measures to quantify non-linear processes in writing, specifically planning and translation flows, using a unique dataset of text evolution from workshop-created scientific essays.
Contribution
It presents new metrics for detecting exploration and exploitation phases in writing, validated on a comprehensive dataset of iterative text creation.
Findings
Identification of phases of translation and exploration in writing process
Rarity of phase transitions increases as finalization approaches
Quantification of writing complexity and effort over time
Abstract
Writing is a complex process at the center of much of modern human activity. Despite it appears to be a linear process, writing conceals many highly non-linear processes. Previous research has focused on three phases of writing: planning, translation and transcription, and revision. While research has shown these are non-linear, they are often treated linearly when measured. Here, we introduce measures to detect and quantify subcycles of planning (exploration) and translation (exploitation) during the writing process. We apply these to a novel dataset that recorded the creation of a text in all its phases, from early attempts to the finishing touches on a final version. This dataset comes from a series of writing workshops in which, through innovative versioning software, we were able to record all the steps in the construction of a text. More than 60 junior researchers in science wrote…
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Taxonomy
TopicsDigital Humanities and Scholarship
