New Transcribers

Our Aim

Our goal with this project is to produce basic transcriptions of our materials - we are not looking for perfection from our volunteers!  When transcribing, do your best to record exactly what you see.

New to transcribing? Take a look at the tips below to get started, and check out our frequently asked questions for more advanced transcription guidelines.

Transcription Steps

  1. Find a document to work on
    You can begin transcribing by navigating to the “Browse Projects” tab, and selecting one of the available categories. Each category will have the amount of documents within the project, the total number of pages to be transcribed, and the number of pages already transcribed.

    Status flags on documents and pages alert you to what's available to transcribe.  The flags 'Not Started' and 'Continue Transcribing' means you can transcribe it.

    If you have not transcribed before, please refer to the “transcription guidelines” section of this guide. Helpful transcription commands and tools can be found in the “commands” section of this guide. 
  2. Transcribe each page and save progress
    Begin your transcription by clicking inside the transcription text box. It is important to save your work as you go. To save your work, click on the “save” button periodically. 

    1. If you encounter difficulty with the “save” function, we recommend that you first type out your transcription into a text file, such as a Microsoft Word document or your computer’s notepad, and then copy and paste your transcription for each image into the text box. That way you still have your transcription if it doesn’t save correctly. 
  3. Go back and revise as needed                               You can go back and update your work after saving it. As you transcribe, it will be easier to read the handwriting. You can go back to pages marked as “Continue Transcribing” and edit any unclear words.
  4. Mark as complete when finished with page      When you finish transcribing an entire page, save your work, and click on the 'Transcription Complete' button below the text box. This will send the page to the Review Step. Once the page is marked as “Needs Review”, you will not be able to edit it again! You may want to transcribe several pages first, review your work, and then mark each page as complete.
    1. 'Needs Review' flag alerts our reviewers to check the document to ensure it is completely transcribed and adhered to our guidelines. They will mark the page and/or document 'Complete'

Transcription Guidelines

Transcribe exactly what you see

Do not modernize words or correct spelling and punctuation. Roman numerals and other special characters or abbreviations should be typed as written.

Text Formatting

Copy original capitalization:

Transcribe capitalization as it appears in the original document.

Stay true to the original text formatting: 

Using the editor available on the site, do your best to copy the original formatting of the document (such as bolded, italicized, and underlined words).

Do not use superscripts: 

Transcribe superscripts as if they were on the same line as the other words around them (for example: the "th" in “19th century”).

Spacing

Sentence spacing: 

Use one space between a period and the start of a new sentence.

Indented paragraphs and large spaces:

Ignore indents at the start of paragraphs. Do not insert multiple spaces to mimic the appearance of spacing or gaps in the handwriting.

Follow line breaks: 

Keep the same line breaks and tabs as found in the original document. Use your best judgment for the order of notes in the margins.



Inserted or deleted words and phrases

Ignore words with strike-throughs:

Only transcribe the corrected word.

Inserted words on the same line:

Type inserted words on the same line as the rest of the text. Do not use the carat (^) or any other characters.

Images, illustrations and blank pages

Blank pages:

Type [blank page] in the transcription text box for page images with no text or illustrations.

Images/Illustrations:

When you come across an image(s) on a page, and the image seems of significance, you can mention it in brackets using this format: [image: short description of image]

Unclear or illegible words

Use brackets when unsure:

Note each word you cannot read with brackets and a question mark: [?]. If you can read part of the word, include those letters in the brackets (such as [tho...?] or [th...r]). If portions of the text are missing (due to damage or missing pages), note that with brackets and ellipses: [...].

Research words when unsure:

Some words used in the documents may no longer be commonly used. If you are reading the word correctly but do not recognize it, try looking the word up to see what it means.

Return to previous work:

As you transcribe, it will become easier to read the handwriting. When you finish a document, it is beneficial to review previous work to see if you can correct anything you weren't able to read.

What do I…/Should I…?

What do I do for ledgers or tabular data?

This information is best transcribed by creating a table within the transcription. See instructions for creating tables below, in the “commands” section. Use the table to transcribe what you see, according to the arrangement of rows and columns within the document.

What if there is text written in different directions or cross hatching?

Transcribe the body of the text first. Then, insert a space by pressing “enter” (Windows) or “return” (Mac) and transcribe the next direction of the text in its own paragraph. Repeat as necessary.

What if the item includes printed/typed text as well as handwritten text?

If the item includes multiple pages of printed/typed text (e.g., a diary with informational pages in the front or back), do not transcribe those pages. Instead, tag the page as [not transcribed] and move on. 

If there is a combination of printed/typed text as well as handwritten notes (e.g., on a legal form), transcribe both the printed text and the handwritten text. 

Should I transcribe special characters, such as letters with accents?

Yes! Include special characters, such as accents. The webpage text editor allows for the insertion of special characters. See directions for inserting special characters in the “commands” section. 

How should I record special characters or symbols that I cannot transcribe using special characters?

Symbols that cannot be transcribed and do not have a special character should be written as [symbol] instead. 

Commands

How do I rotate the item I am transcribing?

On Windows machines:

While holding down the “shift” and “alt” keys on your keyboard, use your mouse to click on the item, and then slowly move the cursor to the left or the right. These steps must be done simultaneously. The item will rotate in the direction you move the cursor.

On Mac machines:

While holding down the “shift” and “option” keys on your keyboard, use your mouse to click on the item, and then slowly move the cursor to the left or the right. These steps must be done simultaneously. The item will rotate in the direction you move the cursor.

Inserting/editing a table:

  1. You can create a table in the transcription box on the website by navigating to the toolbar above the transcription box and selecting the “insert/edit table” icon. This icon is on the third row of the toolbar and looks like a pencil writing on a box. 
  2. Click on that icon, and you will be taken to a separate window. 
  3. In this window, enter the number of columns and rows that the table should have according to what is on the original document. Then, press the “insert” button. This will close the page and insert a table into the transcription box. 
  4. If you need to edit your table (to insert more rows or columns, etc), ensure that your cursor is inside the table, and then click the “insert/edit table” icon once again. This will re-open the separate window, and you can make appropriate adjustments there. Once you have finished making your adjustments, press “update.” This will close the page and modify the table in the transcription box. 

Inserting special characters and symbols:

  1. You can insert a special character or symbol by navigating to the toolbar above the transcription box and selecting the “insert special character” icon. This icon is on the first row of the toolbar and looks like a blue Omega symbol, or a blue horseshoe.
  2. Click on that icon, and you will be taken to a separate window. 
  3. In this window, double-click on the symbol you wish to insert into the transcription. This will close the page and insert the symbol you have selected into the transcription box.