- Transcribing Interviews For Research Paper
- Transcribing Audio Interviews
- Best Software For Transcribing Interviews
Top-rated transcription services for research interviews. When you choose a transcription service to use for any of your interviews – research based or not – it should be one that doesn't add any complexity to the research process. Look for a transcription service that makes everything easier. Transcribing interviews Once you have recorded an interview, it must be transcribed – that is, the spoken words need to be typed up. Most students find that transcribing takes far longer than they expected.
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This resource includes a transcript example from an interview, formatted in several different ways:
- Clean verbatim style
- True verbatim style
- Timestamps at regular intervals
- Timestamps at speaker or paragraph intervals
I made these .docx and PDF example transcripts for university students, educators, non-profits, journalists, filmmakers, and transcriptionists.
Quick tip: If you're not using it already, you can install free transcription software like Express Scribe to help you manually transcribe interviews much faster. The software lets you control audio playback using hotkeys so you don't have to keep starting and stopping audio with your mouse.
And if you want to go REALLY fast, I also recommend getting a transcription foot pedal (I use the Infinity pedal). Together, these two tools will save you hours upon hours of transcription time.
If you're a professional transcriptionist looking for work, make sure to check out my other blog posts for tons of work-from-home job leads, or browse online transcription and proofreading jobs on FlexJobs here (note: you can currently get 30% off by using promo code Save30 at checkout). FlexJobs is my top-recommended resource for higher-paying remote jobs from top-rated employers like Apple, Salesforce, and Capital One.
Okay, on to the transcript examples!
Interview transcription format sample for Microsoft Word
Download this transcription format template for Microsoft Word for use with interviews and qualitative research projects:
Clean verbatim vs. true verbatim transcript examples
There are two main styles of transcription used in interviews and qualitative research:
- Clean verbatim (also called intelligent verbatim or non-verbatim).
- True verbatim (also called strict verbatim, or simply 'verbatim').
Clean verbatim vs. true verbatim transcript examples
There are two main styles of transcription used in interviews and qualitative research:
- Clean verbatim (also called intelligent verbatim or non-verbatim).
- True verbatim (also called strict verbatim, or simply 'verbatim').
A clean verbatim transcript is a lightly edited version of the original audio. Typically, the following elements are removed:
- Stutters
- Filler speech, including 'um,' 'uh,' etc.
- Most non-speech sounds, including coughing and throat clearing
- False starts
A true verbatim transcript, on the other hand, attempts to capture every utterance of the speakers. These include stutters, meaningless filler speech, and false starts. Verbatim style may also include non-speech and background sounds, such as coughing and sneezing or a door closing.
While each transcription style is useful under certain circumstances, clean verbatim is used most often because the transcripts cost less and are easier to read.
However, true verbatim may be desirable for certain qualitative and market research projects and legal investigations, where it's necessary to study not only what was said, but also the manner in which something was said.
Below, I've included examples of an interview transcribed in both verbatim and clean verbatim fashion.
Example transcript in true verbatim style
Here's a sample interview transcript that demonstrates the true verbatim style:
Download the PDF version here:
Interview Transcript Example – True Verbatim (PDF)
Example transcript in clean verbatim style
And here's the same conversation from above, transcribed in clean verbatim:
Download the PDF version here:
Interview Transcript Example – Clean Verbatim (PDF)
We made the following changes to the second (clean verbatim) transcript:
- We edited out stutters, partial words, and short incomplete sentences.
- We removed meaningless instances of words like 'so' at the start of sentences, and 'like' when used as filler speech. (However, we left in the word 'like' where removing it would have made the meaning literal when it wasn't intended to be – i.e., when Brad refers to his 'like, two' Facebook friends.)
- We chose to leave in the laughter, as it helps capture the overall tone of the interview and the banter occurring between the speakers. We also left in nonsense exclamations like 'Uh … phew,' because it helps set the context for what follows. However, we removed other non-speech sounds like coughing and throat clearing that do not contribute anything useful to the content.
- In this particular example, we opted to remove repetitive instances of the word 'actually' spoken by Brad, the interviewee. Normally we leave longer words in, but in this case we felt it was a speaker idiosyncrasy that distracted from the content of the interview.
Clean verbatim style is not an exact science, and sometimes there may be overlap between non-verbatim and verbatim styles in a transcript. All in all, the changes we made here make for a cleaner, less distracting, and more valuable interview – without detracting anything meaningful from the original.
Sample transcript with timestamps at regular intervals
Some projects require timestamps to be placed at regular intervals in the transcript so the audio can be easily referenced later.
Below is an example of an interview transcript with timestamps:
Download the PDF version here:
Interview Transcript Example – Timestamps at Regular Intervals (PDF)
Sample transcript with timestamps at speaker intervals
Another way to timestamp a document is to place the timecode markup at speaker or paragraph intervals, like in the following interview transcript sample:
Download the PDF version here:
Interview Transcript Example – Timestamps at Speaker Intervals (PDF)
Transcript format tips
There are several formatting elements common to most transcripts. These include speaker labels, timestamps, inaudible and crosstalk tags, and markup for external sounds. Let's look at how to handle each of these:
Speaker labels. Speakers are typically identified by first name, full name, title, or role. They can also be identified by generic descriptors, like 'Male' or 'Female,' when other information isn't available.
In the above examples, the speakers' names have been offset from the rest of the transcript for better readability. To use this formatting in your own transcripts, download the .docx template at the top of this article.
Timestamps. Timestamps, e.g. [01:27], can be placed at regular intervals such as every 15 or 30 seconds, or they may be placed at the beginning or end of each paragraph or speaker. Examples of each style are shown above.
Inaudible tags. When words or phrases are unclear, mark them out with a timecode; e.g., [inaudible 00:27]. You can also include guesses (phonetic or otherwise) as to what was said – for example, [wing yard 00:27].
Crosstalk tags. When two or more speakers are talking at the same time and it's impossible to hear what's being said, use a crosstalk tag, e.g. [crosstalk 01:27].
Sounds. Non-speech and background sounds are notated in brackets; for example, [laughing] or [door slams]. No timestamp is necessary.
Finally, a note on consistency and style: It's best to follow a style guide to ensure consistency among elements like numerals, dates, titles of works, etc. We generally follow AP style. Other common style methods include APA, MLA, and The Chicago Manual of Style.
I hope you find these sample interview transcripts useful. While you're here, you may also be interested in checking out this comprehensive guide on interview transcription, which includes many advanced tips for helping you save time transcribing.
Be sure to get in touch if you're looking to outsource transcription – all transcripts are done by me or another North America-based transcriptionist, and we currently offer a free trial to eligible non-profits and academic institutions. We also provide professional document typing services.
If you're thinking of starting a career in transcription, check out my complete guide on how to become a transcriptionist. I also recently posted this list of 75+ transcription jobs for beginners and pros.
If you have any questions about using the example transcripts above, leave a comment and I'll do my best to help!
- Dickens on August 17, 2018 at 3:04 am
thanks a lot for this. I appreciate th above lessons. at the moment lets keep the above into practice.
Reply
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