Transcription Guidelines
What are the guidelines?
Transcribing "rules" need not be terribly complicated. Please follow the following guidelines in transcribing your document.
- Transcribe in an easy-to-read font (Times New Roman, for example) using Microsoft Word or a compatible document editor.
- If you're using MS Office 2010, be sure to save in "Word 97-2003" format (.doc rather than .docx files).
- Try to remain as faithful to the original document as possible. For example:
- Retain the original line length. When a line ends on the document, just hit return and start the next line.
- Retain original spelling and misspelling, capitalization, and punctuation (or lack thereof).
- Retain the original archaic abbreviations: i.e. ye meaning "the", Junr meaning "Junior" should be kept in their original form.
- Deletions or crossed out words in the document should be transcribed as struck-through text struck through.
If you have questions about editing conventions, we will try to respond to your queries quickly. But if you are simply having trouble with a word or words, please just indicate that with brackets, as in [2 words], indicating that two words are illegible, [ ] for one word, or if you have a reasonable guess, note it with a question mark. For example, "sufficient [?] grace" would mean you are unsure of the word sufficient.
