In Polish linguistics, the word textology has two meanings. The first refers to text theory and includes all the mechanisms related to the creation of multi-clause expressions and analysis of a text's structure and its diverse description, including its variations and intertextual relations and stylistic derivations. This implies linguistic textology.

The second meaning of textology refers to the complete action of the text and with the text in the field of text pragmatics, which leads to the publication of an authentic, correct text that is in accordance with the intention, that is, the will of the author. In scientific editing (for example the art of scientific editing, Fr. science d’édition, Germ. wissenschaftliches edieren), it is the most important editing criterion, but it primarily concerns the editing of literary works. And this is textology without an attribute, and the word itself is used in its original meaning as literature or literary textology, at the same time denoting a scientific editing.

On this occasion we will discuss only the second meaning of the term textology. A scientific editing or literary textology has at its disposal its own typical terminology and rules primarily related to text processing prepared for printing. It is mainly about critical text analysis and critical apparatus that must contain all the textual variations of the preceding literary work as well as the explanations, conjectures and emendations (all corrections and recensions) that need to be placed in the thus constructed critical edition and to be in accordance with the author's will. All this should be provided by one procedure of comparison and introduction of necessary alterations and thus, to achieve the determination of the grounds for editing.

The scientific editor or textologist primarily needs to deal with the author's original text, the authorized text, the text published at the time when the author was still alive, the first edition (editio princeps) or, at the end of the day, with the phototypic edition if the original text does not exist. Therefore, it is very important for all literary and linguistic operations that the text undergoes to be performed on the original texts, for example manuscripts, primarily those in accordance with or closest to the author's intention (edition authentica or edition verietur).