A manuscript can be defined as any document which is written by hand, as opposed to printed or reproduced in some other way. It can also be referred to as information that is hand-recorded in other ways than writing. For instance, inscriptions that are carved on a hard material or scratched with a knife or with a stylus on a waxed tablet. The word manuscript is derived from a Latin word called manu scripts, which means ‘written by hand.’ In academic or publishing contexts, a manuscript is any text which is submitted to the published or the printer for publicizing, and it usually consists of a typewriter or printout from a PC. Manuscripts are often defined by their contents, like mathematical calculations, maps, illustrations, etc. These can also be in the form of a book, Digital Content, scroll, or codex. Illuminated manuscripts are usually enriched with elaborated engrossed initial letters, pictures, border decorations, or full-page illustrations. In library science, a manuscript is any hand-written item that is present in the collection of a library or an archive. For example, a library’s collection of a diary or letter that has some historical writing.
