Transcription Style Guide
Comprehensive guidelines for professional transcription services. This style guide covers everything from basic formatting to advanced transcription techniques, ensuring consistent and high-quality output across all projects.
Document Formatting14
Common Transcription Mistakes
Key mistakes to avoid for accurate, professional transcripts.
Template Formatting
How to use and follow transcription templates for best results.
Late-Start Audio
How to transcribe audio files with delayed starts or extended silences.
Combined Audio Files
How to transcribe and format multiple audio files in a single document.
Split Audio Files
How to transcribe and format audio files that are split into multiple parts.
Inaudibles Formatting
How to mark and format inaudible sections for clarity and client review.
Inaudible Clusters
How to manage and format multiple inaudible sections in close proximity.
Best Guess Words
How to mark and format uncertain or best guess words for client review.
Crosstalk (Overlapping Speech)
How to mark and handle overlapping or unintelligible speech in transcripts.
Laughter and Audio Breaks
How to mark laughter, applause, and other audio events for clarity and professionalism.
Speaker Tracking
Guidelines for identifying and consistently tracking speakers throughout transcripts.
Marking Extended Incidents
How to mark background noise, asides, silence, music, and video incidents.
Non-English Speech
Standards for handling foreign language speech in English transcriptions.
Time Coding
Comprehensive guide to time coding and timestamp formatting in transcripts.
Edited Verbatim7
Speaker Affirmations
How to handle speaker affirmations like "yes", "mm-hmm" in edited verbatim.
False Starts and Leading Words
Guidelines for handling false starts and leading words in edited verbatim.
Paragraphs and Sentence Structure
Standards for organizing paragraphs and sentence structure in transcripts.
Repetition and Stutters
How to properly transcribe repetitive speech and stuttering.
English as a Second Language
Best practices for transcribing non-native English speakers for clarity and accuracy.
Erms and Utterances
Guidelines for handling verbal fillers, erms, and utterances.
Slang & Formalising Words
How to handle slang and when to formalise informal language.
Verbatim Styles1
Punctuation7
Speech and Quotation Marks
Proper usage of quotation marks for reported speech and quotes.
General Punctuation
Comprehensive punctuation rules for professional transcription.
Ampersands (&)
When and how to use ampersands in professional transcripts.
Apostrophes
Comprehensive guide to apostrophe usage in professional transcripts.
Hyphens
Complete guide to hyphen usage and compound word formatting.
Colons and Semicolons
Proper usage of colons and semicolons in transcript formatting.
Ellipses
When and how to use ellipses in professional transcripts.
Formatting7
Numbers
Standards for writing numbers, figures, and numerical data.
Dates and Times
Proper formatting for dates, times, and temporal references.
Currency
Standards for formatting monetary amounts and currency references.
Measurements and Fractions
Guidelines for formatting measurements, units, and fractional values.
Abbreviations
Standards for handling abbreviations, acronyms, and initialisms.
Titles of Works, Single Quotes, Italics
Formatting standards for titles, single quotes, and italic text.
Capital Letters
Comprehensive capitalisation guidelines for professional transcripts.
Language3
Miscellaneous5
Research
When and how to conduct research for accurate transcription.
SIC - As Stated
Proper usage of [sic] and "as stated" notations in transcripts.
Speaker Trails Off or is Cut Off
How to handle speakers who trail off or are cut off mid-sentence.
Translators
Special guidelines for working with translators in transcription projects.
Dictation
Special considerations for transcribing dictated content.