The following conventions were established in 1931 as the uniform system of critical signs used in papyrological editions. It is likely that you may encounter in your readings some of the older conventions. Please consult a handbook for understanding those older conventions, or see the preface of the editor in that particular edition where the signs are encountered.
( ) resolution of a symbol or abbreviation.
[ ] a break in the text (lacuna); the text is supplied by the editor
< > a mistaken omission by the scribe
{ } superfluous letter or letters
letter or letters deleted by the scribe
\ / insertion above the line
vac. for "vacat"; indicates that the papyrus is blank at that point.
. . . uncertain reading.
