Both the Annotated Catalogue of Chopin’s First Editions and the material derived from it in OCVE are based on accepted bibliographic conventions which have sometimes been adapted to suit the documentation in question. To gain maximum benefit from OCVE, users should consult the Annotated Catalogue, which provides detailed information about the criteria used to classify individual scores, the modes of description that have been employed, key terminology etc.

The following discussion outlines the types of source information provided for each edition in the OCVE resource; this information is available by clicking on the ‘i’ symbol to the right of individual edition titles (e.g. Vingt-quatre Préludes pour le Piano, Op. 28 28–1-B&H). The information that appears is divided into the following categories:

• Source code and descriptor
• Title
• Publisher
• Place of publication
• Dedicatee
• Plate number
• Publication date
• Printing method(s)
• Contents summary
• Displayed copy