Transcription Glossary

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All terms from our medical, legal, law enforcement, business / financial, and academic transcription glossaries, plus general transcription terms, are compiled into a single searchable reference.

Each definition is tagged by specialty. Use the search box to find a term, or the filter buttons to narrow to a single field. Where a term appears in more than one field, every specialty’s definition is listed together.

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AA

A&O: MedicalAlert and oriented. A mental-status notation, often expanded as "A&O × 3" (oriented to person, place, and time) or "A&O × 4" (adds situation).
A&P: Medical(1) Assessment and Plan — the closing section of most clinical notes. (2) Auscultation and Percussion — a physical exam technique.
A&W: MedicalAlive and well. Commonly used in family-history sections.
a.c: MedicalLatin ante cibum, "before meals." A prescription dosing instruction.
AAA: MedicalAbdominal aortic aneurysm.
AAERT: GeneralThe American Association of Electronic Reporters and Transcribers, a professional body that offers credentials such as CET (Certified Electronic Transcriber) and CER (Certified Electronic Reporter).
Abbreviation Expansion: MedicalThe process of converting a spoken abbreviation into its full form in the transcript (or vice versa) per the facility's style guide. Some abbreviations — like q.d. — are now on Joint Commission "Do Not Use" lists and must be expanded.
ABC (Alcoholic Beverage Control): Law EnforcementThe state agency that regulates alcohol sales and licensing — frequently referenced in DUI and underage drinking investigations.
ABG: MedicalArterial blood gas. A blood test that measures oxygen, carbon dioxide, and pH from an artery.
ABI: MedicalAnkle-brachial index. A noninvasive vascular study comparing blood pressure in the ankle to the arm.
Abstract: AcademicA concise summary of a research study — typically 150–300 words — describing purpose, methods, findings, and conclusions. The first thing reviewers and database searchers read.
Accomplice: Law EnforcementA person who knowingly and voluntarily helps another commit a crime.
Accredited investor: Business / FinancialAn individual or entity that meets the income, net-worth, or professional-credential thresholds in Rule 501(a) of Regulation D, qualifying them to participate in certain private securities offerings.
Accretive: Business / FinancialA transaction (typically an acquisition) that increases the acquirer's earnings per share. Opposite of dilutive.
Accrual accounting: Business / FinancialRecognizing revenue when earned and expenses when incurred, regardless of cash movement. Contrast with cash-basis accounting.
Accuracy rate: GeneralThe percentage of a transcript that is correct. Professional work targets very high accuracy, typically 99% or better.
Accusatory Instrument: Law EnforcementA formal charging document — a complaint, information, or indictment — that initiates criminal proceedings.
ACE Inhibitor: MedicalAngiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor. A class of drugs used to treat hypertension and heart failure (e.g., lisinopril).
ACL: MedicalAnterior cruciate ligament — a frequently injured knee ligament.
Acoustic Model: MedicalThe component of a speech-recognition system that maps audio signals to phonemes.
Acquirer: Business / FinancialThe company purchasing another in an M&A transaction.
Acquittal: LegalA jury verdict that a criminal defendant is not guilty, or a judge's finding that the evidence is insufficient to support a conviction.; Law EnforcementA finding that a criminal defendant is not guilty.
Acronym: MedicalA word formed from initial letters of a phrase (e.g., CABG, AIDS). Distinguished from an initialism, which is pronounced letter by letter (e.g., MRI, EKG).
Action: LegalA court proceeding in which one party prosecutes another to enforce a right, prevent a wrong, or punish an offense. Synonymous with "case," "suit," or "lawsuit."
Action research: AcademicA participatory, cyclical methodology in which researchers and stakeholders collaborate to identify a problem, intervene, observe, and reflect — common in education, nursing, and community development.
Active Shooter: Law EnforcementAn individual actively engaged in killing or attempting to kill people in a populated area.
Actus Reus: LegalLatin for "guilty act." The physical act or omission element of a crime, which must be proven alongside criminal intent (mens rea).
Acute: MedicalOf sudden onset and short duration.
Ad Litem: LegalLatin for "for the suit." A person appointed by the court to act on behalf of another, such as a guardian ad litem for a minor.
Adjudication: Law EnforcementThe judicial process of resolving a case, including determining guilt and imposing sentence.
Adjusted EBITDA: Business / FinancialEarnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization, modified to remove non-recurring or non-cash items (stock-based compensation, restructuring charges, impairments). A non-GAAP measure frequently cited on earnings calls.
Administrative Hearing: Law EnforcementAn internal departmental proceeding addressing officer misconduct or policy violations.
Administrative Law Judge (ALJ): LegalAn officer in a regulatory or social-service agency (such as the Department of Labor or Social Security Administration) who decides disputes under that agency's laws and regulations.
Admissible Evidence: LegalEvidence that a judge allows a jury to consider, having met the rules of evidence for relevance, reliability, and authenticity.
ADR: Business / FinancialAmerican Depositary Receipt — a U.S.-traded certificate representing shares of a foreign company.
ADV: Business / FinancialSee Form ADV. Also used as "average daily volume" in trading contexts; transcriptionists must disambiguate by surrounding language.
Adverse Drug Reaction (ADR): MedicalAn unwanted or harmful reaction to a medication.
Adverse event: AcademicAny untoward medical or psychological occurrence in a research participant. In human-subjects research, certain adverse events must be reported to the IRB.
AERA: AcademicAmerican Educational Research Association — the largest national professional association for education researchers.
Affidavit: LegalA written statement of facts confirmed by the oath of the person making it. Affidavits must be notarized or sworn before an officer authorized to administer oaths.; Law EnforcementA written statement of facts confirmed by oath, used to support arrest warrants, search warrants, and probable cause statements.
Affidavit / declaration: GeneralA written, sworn statement of fact.
Affiliation: AcademicThe institutional home (university, hospital, research center) listed for an author on a manuscript or grant.
Affirmative Defense: Law EnforcementA defense in which the defendant admits the conduct but offers a legal justification (e.g., self-defense, insanity).
Affirmed: LegalAn appellate court judgment declaring that a lower court's decision is valid and will stand.
AFib: MedicalAtrial fibrillation. An irregular and often rapid heart rhythm.
Aftermarket: Business / FinancialTrading that occurs after the regular U.S. market close (4:00 p.m. Eastern). Also called extended-hours or post-market trading.
Agency (Court Reporting Firm): LegalA company or LLC under which freelance court reporters operate, such as a deposition firm. Reporters may be employees or independent contractors of the agency.
Agent: Business / FinancialA state-licensed individual authorized to engage in securities transactions on behalf of a broker-dealer (FINRA BrokerCheck Glossary).
Aggravated Assault: Law EnforcementAn assault with intent to cause serious bodily harm or committed with a deadly weapon.
AGM: Business / FinancialAnnual General Meeting — the yearly shareholder meeting at which directors are elected and major corporate matters are voted on.
AHDI (Association for Healthcare Documentation Integrity): MedicalThe principal U.S. professional association for medical transcriptionists and healthcare documentation specialists, publisher of the Book of Style for Medical Transcription.
AIDS: MedicalAcquired immunodeficiency syndrome — late-stage HIV infection.
Alford Plea: LegalA plea in which the defendant maintains innocence but acknowledges that the prosecution has enough evidence to obtain a conviction.
Alias: Law EnforcementA false or alternative name used by a suspect.
All Points Bulletin (APB): Law EnforcementA broadcast to all units alerting them to a wanted person or vehicle.
All-cash deal: Business / FinancialAn acquisition financed entirely with cash, with no stock consideration.
All-stock deal: Business / FinancialAn acquisition in which the target's shareholders receive shares of the acquirer instead of cash.
Allegation: LegalA statement made by a party in a pleading describing its position and what it intends to prove.
Allergy: MedicalA hypersensitivity reaction. Always documented prominently; "NKDA" indicates no known drug allergies.
Allied Health Documentation: MedicalDocumentation produced for or about non-physician providers — physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech-language pathology, and others.
Alpha: Business / FinancialThe portion of an investment's return attributable to manager skill rather than overall market movement.
Alpha (α): Academic(1) The pre-specified probability threshold for rejecting the null hypothesis, conventionally 0.05. (2) Cronbach's alpha — a measure of internal consistency reliability for a scale.
Alternate Juror: LegalA juror selected the same way as a regular juror who hears the evidence but does not deliberate unless called on to replace a regular juror.
Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR): LegalMethods of resolving a legal dispute without trial — including mediation, arbitration, and settlement conferences.
Alternative hypothesis (H₁ or Hₐ): AcademicThe hypothesis that there is a real effect or difference, accepted when the null hypothesis is rejected.
AMA: MedicalAgainst medical advice. A notation indicating that a patient left a facility or refused treatment despite clinician guidance.
Ambulance Required (10-52): Law EnforcementA radio code requesting emergency medical services to a scene.
Ambulatory: MedicalWalking; also describes outpatient (non-inpatient) care.
Amicus Curiae: LegalLatin for "friend of the court." A non-party that submits a brief offering information or argument relevant to a case.
AML: Business / FinancialAnti-Money Laundering — the body of laws, rules, and procedures (Bank Secrecy Act, USA PATRIOT Act, FinCEN regulations) designed to prevent the use of financial systems for laundering criminal proceeds.
Ammunition: Law EnforcementCartridges and bullets, often documented as evidence with caliber, manufacturer, and lot number.
Amortization: Business / FinancialThe systematic write-down of an intangible asset's cost (such as goodwill from an acquisition or a patent) over its useful life. Also refers to the gradual paydown of loan principal.
AMT: Business / FinancialAlternative Minimum Tax — a parallel federal tax calculation that ensures high-income taxpayers pay a minimum amount of tax.
Analysis of variance (ANOVA): AcademicA statistical test comparing means across two or more groups to determine whether observed differences are statistically significant.
Anatomic Position: MedicalA standardized reference position used in clinical documentation: standing upright, face forward, arms at sides, palms forward.
Anecdotal evidence: AcademicObservations from individual cases that have not been systematically tested. Useful for hypothesis generation, not proof.
Aneurysm: MedicalAn abnormal bulging of a blood vessel wall.
Annotation: LegalA timestamped note typed by a digital court reporter inside their recording software during a proceeding.
Annual report: Business / FinancialA comprehensive report filed annually with shareholders summarizing financial performance. For SEC-registered U.S. issuers, the formal version is the Form 10-K.
Annuity: Business / FinancialA contract issued by an insurance company that provides periodic payments to the holder, typically in retirement.
Anonymization: AcademicThe irreversible removal of all identifying information from a dataset so that individual participants cannot be re-identified. Distinct from de-identification, which may retain a coded link.
Answer: LegalA pleading filed by the defendant in a civil case responding to or denying the plaintiff's claims.
APA style: AcademicCitation and formatting style established by the American Psychological Association. Standard for psychology, education, and many social science journals.
APB: Law EnforcementSee "All Points Bulletin."
Appeal: LegalA request to a higher court to review and change the decision of a lower court.
Appearance: LegalThe formal act of an attorney or party coming before a court. In a deposition transcript, "Appearances" lists every attorney present and which party they represent.
Appearance Fee: LegalThe court reporter's hourly or daily fee for attending a deposition, including when a deposition is cancelled.
Appellant: LegalThe party appealing a lower-court decision.
Appellate Court: LegalA court with the power to review the judgment of a lower court.
Appellee: LegalThe party against whom an appeal is taken — also called the respondent.
Applied research: AcademicResearch designed to address a practical question or solve a real-world problem. Contrast with basic (pure) research.
Apprehension: Law EnforcementThe act of taking a suspect into custody.
APR: Business / FinancialAnnual Percentage Rate — the yearly cost of a loan including interest and certain fees, expressed as a percentage.
APY: Business / FinancialAnnual Percentage Yield — the effective annual rate of return on an interest-bearing deposit, accounting for compounding.
Arbitrage: Business / FinancialThe practice of simultaneously buying and selling the same or related instruments in different markets to profit from a price discrepancy.
Arbitration: LegalA form of alternative dispute resolution in which a neutral arbitrator hears the dispute and issues a binding or non-binding decision.
Archival research: AcademicResearch using existing documents, records, or artifacts as primary data sources.
Arraignment: LegalA proceeding in which a criminal defendant is brought into court, told of the charges, and asked to plead guilty, not guilty, or no contest.; Law EnforcementA court proceeding in which a defendant is informed of charges and enters a plea.
Arrest: Law EnforcementThe act of taking a person into custody for the purpose of charging them with a crime.
Arrest Report: Law EnforcementA document used to record an arrest and present probable cause to a prosecutor for charging decisions.
Arrest Warrant: LegalA written court order directing the arrest of a person, issued after a showing of probable cause.; Law EnforcementA judge-issued written order directing the arrest of a named person, supported by probable cause.
ASAP (As Soon As Possible): Law EnforcementA common radio and dispatch shorthand.
ASCII Transcript: LegalA plain-text version of a transcript (American Standard Code for Information Interchange) that any word processor or litigation tool can open.
Ask (offer): Business / FinancialThe price at which a seller is willing to sell a security. The opposite of bid.
ASR (Automatic Speech Recognition): MedicalSoftware that converts spoken audio to text. Modern medical ASR rarely meets accuracy requirements without human editing.
Assault: Law EnforcementAn intentional act causing reasonable apprehension of imminent harmful contact, often paired with "battery" (the actual contact).
Assent: AcademicA child's affirmative agreement to participate in research, required in addition to parental permission for minors under 45 CFR 46 Subpart D.
Assessment: MedicalThe clinician's diagnostic interpretation, the "A" in SOAP.
Asset allocation: Business / FinancialThe division of a portfolio across asset classes (equities, fixed income, cash, alternatives) to balance risk and return.
Asset-backed security (ABS): Business / FinancialA bond backed by a pool of underlying receivables — auto loans, credit-card balances, student loans, equipment leases.
Assets under management (AUM): Business / FinancialThe total market value of investments an advisor or fund manages on behalf of clients (SEC Glossary).
Assistant: AcademicWhen an interview is supported by an additional researcher (note-taker, observer), the transcript may identify them as Assistant, AS, or A2 by convention.
At-the-money (ATM): Business / FinancialAn option whose strike price is equal to the current market price of the underlying.
ATF (Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives): Law EnforcementThe federal agency with jurisdiction over firearms, explosives, arson, and illegal alcohol or tobacco trafficking.
Attorney of Record: LegalThe attorney officially listed in the court file as representing a party.
Audio quality: GeneralThe clarity of a recording. Higher quality yields faster, more accurate transcripts.
Audio Recording: Law EnforcementThe electronic capture of conversation, spoken words, or other sounds — the foundational evidence type for law enforcement transcription.
Audit opinion: Business / FinancialThe auditor's formal statement on whether the financial statements are presented fairly. The standard opinion types are unqualified (clean), qualified, adverse, and disclaimer.
Audit trail: AcademicA documented record of the researcher's decisions, analytic moves, and data transformations — a key trustworthiness criterion in qualitative research.
Auscultation: MedicalListening to body sounds with a stethoscope.
Authentication: MedicalThe clinician's electronic or handwritten signature confirming that a transcribed report is complete and accurate.
Authorship: AcademicFormal credit for a scholarly work. ICMJE and most journals require substantial contribution to conception, drafting, and approval to qualify as an author.
Autoethnography: AcademicA qualitative method in which the researcher uses personal experience to interpret cultural phenomena.
Automatic speech recognition (ASR): GeneralThe underlying technology that converts speech to text automatically. Fast and inexpensive, but error-prone with accents, jargon, overlapping speakers, and poor audio.
Autopsy: Law EnforcementA post-mortem examination performed by a medical examiner or coroner to determine cause and manner of death.
AWC: Business / FinancialAcceptance, Waiver and Consent — a FINRA disciplinary settlement in which a respondent accepts findings without admitting or denying them.
Axial coding: AcademicA second-cycle coding stage in grounded theory that relates categories to subcategories along dimensions of conditions, actions, and consequences.

BB

b.i.d: MedicalLatin bis in die, "twice a day." A prescription dosing instruction.
BAA (business associate agreement): GeneralA contract ensuring that a vendor handling protected health information complies with HIPAA.; MedicalA HIPAA-mandated contract between a healthcare provider and a vendor (such as a transcription company) that legally binds the vendor to protect Protected Health Information.
Backchannel: AcademicBrief vocal feedback (mm-hmm, yeah, right) that listeners produce to signal attention without taking the floor. Transcription conventions vary on whether and how to capture them.
Background Check: Law EnforcementThe investigation of a person's criminal history, employment, and personal records. Required under CJIS for any vendor accessing criminal justice information.
Background noise: GeneralUnwanted sound such as traffic, music, or chatter that can obscure speech and affect both accuracy and turnaround.
Backstop: Business / FinancialA commitment by a party (often an underwriter or sponsor) to purchase any unsubscribed portion of a securities offering or rights issue.
Bad debt expense: Business / FinancialA charge recognized when receivables are deemed uncollectible.
Bail: Law EnforcementMoney or property posted to secure a defendant's release from custody pending court appearances.
Bailiff: LegalA court officer responsible for keeping order in the courtroom and managing the jury.
Bait Car: Law EnforcementA vehicle outfitted with cameras and GPS, intentionally left to attract auto thieves.
Balance sheet: Business / FinancialA financial statement showing a company's assets, liabilities, and shareholders' equity at a specific point in time.
Ballistics: Law EnforcementThe forensic analysis of firearms, projectiles, and gunshot residue.
Basel III: Business / FinancialInternational regulatory framework establishing capital adequacy, stress-testing, and liquidity requirements for banks.
Basic research: AcademicInquiry aimed at expanding knowledge for its own sake, without immediate practical application. Also called pure research.
Basis point (bp or bps): Business / FinancialOne one-hundredth of a percentage point (0.01%). Transcriptionists should write "25 basis points" or "25 bps," not "25 BIPS" or "25 bibs."
Battery: Law EnforcementUnlawful physical contact with another person. Often charged together with assault.
Be On the Lookout (BOLO): Law EnforcementA broadcast alerting officers to watch for a specific person, vehicle, or item.
Bear market: Business / FinancialA sustained period of declining asset prices, conventionally defined as a 20% drop from recent highs.
Beat: Law EnforcementA patrol officer's specific territorial assignment.
Behavioral research: AcademicResearch on human or animal behavior, including observational studies, surveys, and laboratory experiments.
Belmont Report: AcademicThe 1979 report from the National Commission for the Protection of Human Subjects setting forth three core ethical principles for research with human subjects: respect for persons, beneficence, and justice (HHS Belmont Report).
Bench Conference: LegalA private discussion between the judge and attorneys at the judge's bench, on the record but out of the jury's hearing. Also called a "sidebar."
Bench Trial: LegalA trial without a jury, in which the judge decides both questions of fact and law.
Bench Warrant: LegalA warrant issued by a judge (from "the bench") for the arrest of a person — often someone who failed to appear in court.; Law EnforcementA warrant issued by a judge for arrest, typically for failure to appear in court.
Beneficence: AcademicAn ethical principle requiring researchers to maximize benefits and minimize harms to participants.
Beneficial owner: Business / FinancialThe person who ultimately enjoys the benefits of ownership, even if the title is held in another name (such as a broker's street name).
Benign: MedicalNot malignant; not cancerous.
Beta: Business / FinancialA measure of a stock's volatility relative to the broader market. A beta of 1.0 moves in line with the market; >1.0 is more volatile; <1.0 is less volatile.
Beta (β): Academic(1) The probability of a Type II error — failing to reject a false null hypothesis. (2) Standardized regression coefficient.
Between-subjects design: AcademicAn experimental design in which different participants are assigned to different conditions.
Beyond a Reasonable Doubt: LegalThe standard of proof required to convict a criminal defendant. The prosecution must prove guilt so convincingly that no reasonable doubt remains.
Bias: AcademicAny systematic error that distorts research results. Common forms include selection bias, response bias, social desirability bias, confirmation bias, and observer bias.
Bibliography: AcademicA list of sources consulted in a research project; in some styles distinguished from a reference list, which contains only sources cited.
Bid: Business / FinancialThe price a buyer is willing to pay for a security.
Bid-ask spread: Business / FinancialThe difference between the highest bid and the lowest ask. A narrower spread typically indicates greater liquidity.
Big Four: Business / FinancialThe four largest accounting and audit firms: Deloitte, Ernst & Young (EY), KPMG, and PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC).
Bilateral: MedicalAffecting both sides.
Bind Over: LegalA judge's decision at the preliminary hearing to hold a criminal defendant for trial.
Biopsy: MedicalRemoval of tissue for diagnostic examination.
Biospecimen: AcademicA sample of biological material (blood, tissue, DNA, saliva) collected for research, governed by federal human-subjects regulations when identifiable.
Bivariate analysis: AcademicAnalysis examining the relationship between exactly two variables.
BKA: MedicalBelow-knee amputation.
Black's Law Dictionary: LegalThe most widely cited legal dictionary in the United States, often referenced when interpreting legal terms in a transcript.
Blackout period: Business / FinancialA window during which company insiders are prohibited from trading the company's securities, typically before earnings releases.
Blank: MedicalA placeholder used by transcriptionists when a word or phrase is unintelligible, typically formatted as ___ or [blank] and flagged for the dictator's review.
Blind Spot: Law EnforcementAn area where audio or video coverage is absent — common in BWC reviews.
Blinding: AcademicConcealing study condition assignments from participants (single-blind), from researchers (single-blind to the other side), or from both (double-blind), to reduce bias.
Block quotation: AcademicA direct quotation long enough — typically 40+ words in APA, 100+ words in Chicago — to be set off from running text as an indented paragraph.
Block trade: Business / FinancialA large, privately negotiated transaction in securities, typically 10,000 shares or more or $200,000+ in bonds.
Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC): Law EnforcementThe percentage of alcohol in a person's bloodstream, central to DUI investigations.
Blue chip: Business / FinancialA large, well-established, financially sound company with a history of reliable performance.
Blue Sky laws: Business / FinancialState-level securities laws that regulate the offer and sale of securities to protect investors from fraud.
BMI: MedicalBody mass index. A weight-for-height ratio used to screen for obesity.
Board of directors: Business / FinancialThe elected body responsible for governing a corporation on behalf of shareholders.
Board, shareholder & town hall meeting transcription: GeneralFormal written records of corporate governance and company-wide meetings.
Body cam / dash cam transcription: GeneralTranscribing audio from officer-worn body cameras or vehicle dashboard cameras.
Body-Worn Camera (BWC): Law EnforcementA small audio-video recording device worn on an officer's uniform that captures interactions with the public. BWC footage is frequently noisy, multi-speaker, and time-sensitive to transcribe.
Bond: Business / FinancialA debt instrument in which the issuer agrees to pay the holder a stated interest rate at regular intervals and return the principal at maturity.
Bond rating: Business / FinancialA credit-quality assessment from agencies such as Moody's, S&P, or Fitch, ranging from AAA (highest) to D (in default).
Book of Style (BOS): MedicalThe AHDI's standard reference for medical transcription style, format, punctuation, and abbreviation use.
Book value: Business / FinancialThe accounting value of a company's net assets (total assets minus total liabilities) as recorded on the balance sheet.
Booking: Law EnforcementThe administrative recording of an arrest — fingerprints, photographs, identifying information, and inventory of personal property.
Booking Photo (Mugshot): Law EnforcementThe standard photograph taken during booking.
Bottom line: Business / FinancialNet income — the final figure on the income statement after all revenues, expenses, and taxes.
Boundary object: AcademicA concept or artifact flexible enough to be used across communities of practice while retaining a recognizable core identity.
BP: MedicalBlood pressure, recorded as systolic over diastolic (e.g., 120/80).
BPH: MedicalBenign prostatic hypertrophy. Enlargement of the prostate gland.
bpm: MedicalBeats per minute — used for heart rate and other periodic measurements.
Bracketing: AcademicIn phenomenological research, the researcher's reflexive practice of setting aside preconceptions to engage participants' lived experience.
Bradycardia: MedicalA slower-than-normal heart rate.
Breach: Law EnforcementA forced entry into a structure during a tactical operation.
Breathalyzer: Law EnforcementAn evidentiary breath-testing device used to estimate blood alcohol concentration. Brand names like Intoxilyzer and Alco-Sensor are often heard verbatim in DUI recordings.
Brief: LegalA written legal argument filed with the court. A brief usually summarizes the facts, cites the controlling law, and argues how the law applies.
Broker: Business / FinancialAn investment professional who acts as an intermediary between a buyer and seller of securities (FINRA BrokerCheck Glossary).
Broker-dealer: Business / FinancialA firm registered with FINRA or a national securities exchange that buys and sells securities both as agent (broker) and as principal (dealer).
Buffering Mode (Pre-Event Buffering): Law EnforcementA BWC feature that continuously records and holds the most recent 30 seconds of video before record activation, ensuring the triggering event is captured.
Bull market: Business / FinancialA sustained period of rising asset prices.
BUN: MedicalBlood urea nitrogen. A blood test reflecting kidney function.
Burden of Proof: LegalThe obligation to prove disputed facts. Generally rests on the plaintiff in civil cases and on the government in criminal cases.
Buy-side: Business / FinancialThe portion of the investment industry that manages money on behalf of investors (mutual funds, hedge funds, pension funds), as distinguished from the sell-side (broker-dealers).
Buyback: Business / FinancialA repurchase by a company of its own shares from the open market, reducing shares outstanding and typically increasing EPS.
BWC: Law EnforcementSee "Body-Worn Camera."

CC

CABG: MedicalCoronary artery bypass graft. Pronounced "cabbage." A surgical procedure for severe coronary artery disease.
CAD: MedicalCoronary artery disease.
CAD (Computer-Aided Dispatch): Law EnforcementThe software system used by dispatch centers to log calls, assign units, and track incident status. CAD numbers commonly appear in transcripts as incident identifiers.
Caliber: Law EnforcementThe internal diameter of a firearm's barrel, expressed in inches (e.g., .38) or millimeters (e.g., 9mm).
Callable bond: Business / FinancialA bond that the issuer can redeem before maturity at a predetermined price (FINRA Corporate and Agency Bond Glossary).
Canvass: Law EnforcementA door-to-door or area search for witnesses, evidence, or surveillance footage.
Capex (capital expenditure): Business / FinancialFunds spent on acquiring or upgrading long-term physical assets such as property, plant, and equipment.
Capital adequacy ratio (CAR): Business / FinancialA bank's capital expressed as a percentage of its risk-weighted assets, used to assess solvency.
Capital asset pricing model (CAPM): Business / FinancialA model that calculates an asset's expected return based on its beta, the risk-free rate, and the market risk premium.
Capital Crime: Law EnforcementA crime punishable by death.
Capital markets: Business / FinancialThe financial markets where long-term debt and equity instruments are issued and traded.
Capital Offense: LegalA crime punishable by death, such as first-degree murder, genocide, or treason in the federal system.
Capitalization Rules: MedicalAHDI style: capitalize proper nouns, eponyms (e.g., Foley catheter, Babinski sign), and section headings; do not capitalize most disease and drug categories.
Capitalization table (cap table): Business / FinancialA schedule listing the holders of a company's equity securities and the terms of each holder's stake (SEC Glossary).
Caption: LegalThe heading of a legal document or transcript that identifies the court, parties, case number, and proceeding.
Caption file formats (SRT, VTT): GeneralStandard file types that store caption text together with its timing information.
Carve-out: Business / FinancialSpinning off a portion of a parent company as a separate publicly traded entity.
Case File: Law EnforcementThe collection of documents — interviews, reports, evidence logs, photos, recordings — comprising a particular investigation.
Case Identifier (Case Number): Law EnforcementThe alphanumeric character string assigned to identify a particular case.
Case Law: LegalLaw established by previous court decisions, used to interpret how statutes and rules apply in new situations. Synonymous with legal precedent.
Case study: AcademicAn in-depth empirical investigation of a single case (person, organization, event) within its real-world context.
Cash flow statement: Business / FinancialA financial statement summarizing the cash inflows and outflows from operating, investing, and financing activities over a period.
CAT Scan / CT Scan: MedicalComputerized axial tomography (or computed tomography). A diagnostic imaging study.
Categorical variable: AcademicA variable with discrete categories rather than continuous values. Nominal (no order) or ordinal (ordered).
Causal inference: AcademicThe process of drawing conclusions about cause-and-effect relationships from data, requiring stronger evidence than mere correlation.
Cause of Action: LegalThe legal basis allowing a party to seek judicial relief.
CBC: MedicalComplete blood count. A panel including red and white cells, hemoglobin, hematocrit, and platelets.
CC: MedicalChief complaint. The patient's primary reason for the visit.; MedicalCubic centimeter — equivalent to a milliliter. AHDI generally prefers "mL" for volume.
CCR (Certified Court Reporter): LegalA state-level certification for court reporters used in some states in place of CSR.
CDS: Business / FinancialCredit Default Swap — a derivative contract in which one party pays a premium in exchange for protection against the default of a reference credit.
Census: AcademicData collection from every member of a defined population, as opposed to a sample.
Central tendency: AcademicA single value that represents the middle of a distribution — mean, median, or mode.
Certificate of Accuracy: LegalA signed statement attached to a transcript attesting that it is a true and accurate record of the proceeding.
Certificate of accuracy / certification page: GeneralA signed statement by the transcriptionist attesting that the transcript is a true and accurate record of the recording.
Certified / court-certified transcript: GeneralA transcript issued with a signed certification of accuracy, suitable for official or court use.
Certified Question: LegalA question a witness refuses to answer (or is instructed not to answer) at a deposition. Counsel asks the reporter to "certify the question" so a judge can later rule on whether it must be answered.
Certified Transcript: LegalA transcript signed by the transcriber or court reporter certifying it as a true and accurate record. Required for most court filings.
Certified transcription: GeneralA transcript issued with a signed certification attesting to its accuracy.
Certiorari (Cert): LegalLatin for "to be more fully informed." A writ in which a higher court orders review of a lower court's decision. The U.S. Supreme Court grants or denies certiorari to choose which cases it will hear.
Cesarean Section (C-section): MedicalSurgical delivery of a baby through the abdominal wall.
CFA: Business / FinancialChartered Financial Analyst — a globally recognized credential awarded by the CFA Institute.
CFP: Business / FinancialCertified Financial Planner — a credential for personal financial planning professionals.
CFPB: Business / FinancialConsumer Financial Protection Bureau — federal agency created by Dodd-Frank with jurisdiction over consumer financial products.
CFTC: Business / FinancialCommodity Futures Trading Commission — the U.S. regulator for futures, options on futures, and swaps markets.
Chain of Command: Law EnforcementThe hierarchical structure of authority within a law enforcement agency.
Chain of custody: GeneralThe documented handling of evidence to preserve its integrity and admissibility.; LegalThe documented sequence of custody and control of evidence — including audio recordings and transcripts — from collection through courtroom use.; Law EnforcementThe documented chronological record of every person who handled a piece of evidence — from collection through courtroom — including audio recordings and transcripts. Compromised chain of custody can make evidence inadmissible.
Chambers: LegalA judge's private office, where conferences may occur off the record or under seal.
Channel (Audio): LegalA separable layer of audio in a recording. Multi-channel recordings let a transcriber isolate each speaker, which improves accuracy when speakers overlap.
Charge: LegalThe specific criminal offense the government accuses the defendant of committing.; Law EnforcementThe specific criminal offense a defendant is accused of committing.
Charge to the Jury (Jury Charge): LegalThe judge's instructions to the jury about the law that applies to the facts before deliberation.
Chemical Enhancement: Law EnforcementThe use of chemicals (such as luminol) to detect or document evidence that may be invisible to the naked eye.
Chemical Threat: Law EnforcementA compound that may cause harm if touched, ingested, inhaled, or ignited — common in clandestine drug lab investigations.
CHF: MedicalCongestive heart failure.
Chi-square test (χ²): AcademicA statistical test of association between categorical variables.
Chicago style: AcademicA citation and formatting style established by the University of Chicago Press; offered in two variants — notes-and-bibliography (humanities) and author-date (social sciences).
Chief Complaint (CC): MedicalThe patient's stated reason for seeking care, in their own words when possible.
Chief Judge: LegalThe judge with primary administrative responsibility for a court, typically chosen by seniority.
Cholecystectomy: MedicalSurgical removal of the gallbladder.
Chronic: MedicalPersistent over time, often defined as lasting longer than three months.
CIP: Business / FinancialCustomer Identification Program — AML requirement obligating financial institutions to verify customer identity.
Circumstantial Evidence: LegalIndirect evidence that implies a fact rather than proving it directly.
Citation: Legal(1) An order requiring a defendant to appear in court on a particular charge. (2) A reference to a legal authority such as a statute or case.; Law EnforcementAn official notice requiring a person to appear in court or pay a fine — often issued for traffic and minor offenses.; AcademicA reference to a source, formatted according to a chosen style (APA, MLA, Chicago, Vancouver, AMA, IEEE).
CITI Program: AcademicCollaborative Institutional Training Initiative — the most widely used research ethics training platform for IRB-required investigator certifications (CITI Program).
Citizen's Arrest: Law EnforcementAn arrest performed by a private person, where authorized by state law.
Civil Case: LegalA non-criminal lawsuit, typically between private parties seeking damages or another remedy.
CJIS (Criminal Justice Information Services): Law EnforcementThe FBI division that sets security policy for handling criminal justice information. CJIS-compliant transcription requires U.S.-based, background-checked personnel, encrypted storage, audited access, and signed compliance attestations.
CJIS compliance: GeneralAdherence to the FBI's Criminal Justice Information Services Security Policy for handling criminal justice data.; GeneralHandling criminal justice data in line with FBI security policy.
CJIS Security Policy: Law EnforcementThe FBI-published policy that defines minimum security controls for any organization that accesses, stores, processes, or transmits criminal justice information.
Clandestine Lab: Law EnforcementA hidden or covert site used to manufacture illegal drugs.
Class A / Class B shares: Business / FinancialDifferent classes of common stock, typically distinguished by voting rights or dividend treatment.
Clean verbatim: General(also: also: intelligent verbatim, clean read, cleaned-up) Captures everything meaningful that's said but removes filler words, false starts, and stumbles for readability, without changing the speaker's meaning. The most common choice for business, academic, and general use.; MedicalA lightly edited transcript that removes filler words while preserving every substantive utterance. Less common in medical work, where dictators usually structure speech for clean output.
Clearance Rate: Law EnforcementThe percentage of reported crimes solved by arrest or exceptional means within a given period.
Clearing firm: Business / FinancialAn organization that handles validation, delivery, and settlement of securities transactions (FINRA BrokerCheck Glossary).
Clinical Documentation Improvement (CDI): MedicalA specialty focused on improving the accuracy, completeness, and specificity of medical records.
Clinician: MedicalA general term for any healthcare provider delivering direct patient care (physician, nurse practitioner, physician assistant, therapist).
Closed-Circuit Television (CCTV): Law EnforcementFixed-location video systems used for public-space surveillance. Distinct from BWC and dash cam.
Closed-ended question: AcademicA survey or interview question with predetermined response options.
Closing price: Business / FinancialThe final trading price of a security at the end of a market session.
Cluster sampling: AcademicA probability sampling method in which the researcher samples groups (clusters) and then includes all or some members of each selected cluster.
CLVS (Certified Legal Video Specialist): LegalA National Court Reporters Association certification for videographers who record legal proceedings in compliance with the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure.
CMO: Business / FinancialCollateralized Mortgage Obligation — a mortgage-backed security divided into tranches with varying maturities and risk profiles.
CNS: MedicalCentral nervous system — brain and spinal cord.
Co-Counsel: LegalAn attorney who shares responsibility for representing a client with another attorney, often from a different firm.
Co-investigator (Co-I): AcademicA researcher who participates substantively in the design and conduct of a study alongside the principal investigator.
Code 3: Law EnforcementA response with lights and sirens — the most urgent driving response.
Codebook: AcademicA document recording the codes used in qualitative or quantitative analysis, with definitions, inclusion and exclusion criteria, and examples.
Coding: MedicalAssigning standardized codes (ICD-10, CPT, HCPCS) to diagnoses and procedures for billing and analytics.; Academic(1) Qualitative: the process of assigning labels to segments of text to identify themes, concepts, or relationships. (2) Quantitative: converting raw responses into numerical values for analysis.
Coding frame: AcademicThe structured set of codes used to analyze qualitative data.
Coefficient of determination (R²): AcademicThe proportion of variance in a dependent variable explained by the independent variable(s) in a regression model.
Cohort: AcademicA defined group followed over time. A 1990 birth cohort, for example, includes everyone born that year.
Cohort study: AcademicA longitudinal observational study following a cohort over time to examine outcomes.
Cold Case: Law EnforcementAn unsolved case that is no longer the subject of active investigation but remains open.
Cold Hit: Law EnforcementAn investigative lead generated by a database match — a fingerprint, DNA profile, or ballistic image — without prior suspicion of the matching person.
Collar: Business / FinancialAn options strategy that limits both upside and downside by combining a long put and a short call.
Collateral: Law EnforcementRelated but not the primary subject — e.g., collateral evidence or collateral interview.
Colloquy: GeneralIn legal transcripts, the on-the-record discussion among attorneys, the judge, and others that falls outside formal question-and-answer testimony.
Commercial paper: Business / FinancialShort-term unsecured promissory notes issued by corporations, typically maturing in 270 days or less.
Commodity: Business / FinancialA basic good — agricultural products, energy, metals — that is interchangeable with other goods of the same type and traded on commodity exchanges.
Common Authority: Law EnforcementShared use or control of a place or property sufficient to allow one party to consent to its search.
Common Law: LegalLaw derived from judicial decisions and tradition rather than statutes.
Common Rule: AcademicThe Federal Policy for the Protection of Human Subjects, codified at 45 CFR 46 Subpart A and adopted by 15+ federal departments and agencies. Last revised effective January 21, 2019 (HHS Common Rule).
Common stock: Business / FinancialEquity ownership in a corporation, typically with voting rights and a residual claim on assets after debt and preferred stock.
Community Caretaking: Law EnforcementA doctrine allowing certain warrantless police actions taken to protect the public, unrelated to criminal investigation.
Comparative analysis: AcademicA research approach that systematically compares two or more cases, groups, or systems.
Comparison Sample: Law EnforcementA known sample (e.g., a victim's DNA) used to compare against questioned evidence.
Complainant: Law EnforcementThe person reporting a crime or alleging a violation. Often labeled "C1" in agency reports.
Complaint: LegalThe first pleading in a civil case, stating the facts and demanding relief.
Compliance officer: Business / FinancialThe individual responsible for ensuring an organization adheres to applicable laws, regulations, and internal policies.
Compound annual growth rate (CAGR): Business / FinancialThe constant annual growth rate that would produce a given total return over a multi-year period.
Computer-Aided Dispatch: Law EnforcementSee "CAD."
Concept mapping: AcademicA method of visually organizing concepts and their relationships, used in both qualitative analysis and curriculum design.
Conceptual framework: AcademicThe researcher's articulation of how key concepts and variables in the study are interrelated; underlies the research questions and analytic strategy.
Concurrent validity: AcademicThe extent to which a measure correlates with another established measure assessed at the same time.
Condensed Transcript (Min-U-Script): LegalA transcript format that prints four pages on a single physical page to reduce paper bulk.
Conference call transcription: GeneralWritten records of multi-party business calls.
Conference proceedings: AcademicPublished papers from a scholarly conference, sometimes peer-reviewed and citable.
Confession: Law EnforcementAn admission of having committed a crime. Subject to strict admissibility rules.
Confidence interval (CI): AcademicA range of values, calculated from sample data, that is likely to contain the true population parameter with a specified confidence level (commonly 95%).
Confidential Informant (CI): LegalA person who provides information about criminal activity to law enforcement, often through recorded interactions later transcribed for investigations.; Law EnforcementA person who provides information about criminal activity to law enforcement, often in exchange for leniency or payment. Audio captured by a CI is frequently low-quality and requires careful speaker attribution.
Confidentiality: MedicalThe legal and ethical obligation to protect patient information, codified in HIPAA.; AcademicThe researcher's obligation to protect participants' identifying information from unauthorized disclosure.
Confidentiality / NDA: GeneralThe commitments and agreements that protect the privacy of recorded content and finished transcripts.
Confirmability: AcademicA trustworthiness criterion in qualitative research analogous to objectivity — the degree to which findings are shaped by participants rather than researcher bias.
Confounding variable: AcademicA variable that influences both the independent and dependent variable, distorting the apparent relationship between them.
Consent form: AcademicThe written document used to obtain informed consent from a research participant, describing purpose, procedures, risks, benefits, confidentiality, and voluntariness.
Consent Search: Law EnforcementA search conducted with the voluntary, informed permission of a person with authority over the place or item searched. Consent must not be the product of coercion.
Conspiracy: Law EnforcementAn agreement between two or more persons to commit a criminal act.
Construct: AcademicAn abstract concept (intelligence, anxiety, social capital) that is operationalized through measurable indicators.
Construct validity: AcademicThe degree to which a measurement instrument actually measures the theoretical construct it claims to measure.
Constructive Possession: Law EnforcementPossession that exists when a person knowingly has the power and intent to control an item, even if not physically holding it.
Consultation Note: MedicalA specialist's report sent back to a referring physician summarizing the consultation findings and recommendations.
Consultation, radiology & pathology reports: GeneralSpecialist medical documents: a consultation report from a referred physician, a radiologist's interpretation of imaging, and a pathologist's analysis of lab or tissue samples.
Content analysis: AcademicA systematic method for analyzing the content of communications, applicable to texts, interviews, media, or social media.
Content validity: AcademicThe extent to which a measure covers all relevant aspects of the construct it is supposed to assess.
Continuance: LegalThe adjournment or postponement of a legal proceeding to a later date.
Continuous Speech Recognition: MedicalSpeech-recognition technology that processes natural, continuous dictation without forced pauses between words.
Continuous variable: AcademicA variable that can take any value within a range (height, weight, temperature, time).
Contraband: Law EnforcementGoods that are illegal to possess, manufacture, import, or transport.
Contract: LegalA legally enforceable agreement between two or more parties.
Contraindication: MedicalA reason a treatment should not be used in a particular patient.
Control group: AcademicIn experimental research, the group that does not receive the intervention, providing a baseline for comparison.
Controlled Buy: Law EnforcementA purchase of contraband (usually drugs) made by an undercover officer or CI under surveillance, used to establish probable cause.
Controlled Substance: Law EnforcementA drug or chemical regulated under the federal Controlled Substances Act, classified into Schedules I–V.
Convenience sample: AcademicA non-probability sample composed of participants who are easily accessible to the researcher. Faster and cheaper, but limits generalizability.
Convergent validity: AcademicThe degree to which a measure correlates with other measures of the same construct.
Conversation analysis (CA): AcademicA qualitative method studying the structure and organization of naturally occurring talk-in-interaction. Uses Jefferson transcription conventions.
Convertible bond: Business / FinancialA bond that can be converted into a predetermined number of the issuer's common shares (FINRA Corporate and Agency Bond Glossary).
Convertible note: Business / FinancialA short-term debt instrument that converts into equity, often used in seed and early-stage venture financing (SEC Glossary).
Conviction: LegalA judgment of guilt against a criminal defendant.
COPD: MedicalChronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
Coram Non Judice: LegalLatin for "before one who is not a judge." A proceeding held without a proper judge, in the wrong venue, or without jurisdiction.
Coroner: Law EnforcementA government officer who investigates deaths occurring under unusual or suspicious circumstances. In some jurisdictions, replaced by the Medical Examiner.
Corpus: AcademicA collection of texts or transcripts used for systematic linguistic or content analysis.
Correlation: AcademicA statistical measure of the strength and direction of association between two variables, ranging from –1 to +1.
Cost of capital: Business / FinancialThe weighted return required by a company's debt and equity holders, often expressed as the weighted average cost of capital (WACC).
Cost of goods sold (COGS): Business / FinancialThe direct costs of producing the goods a company sells. Revenue minus COGS equals gross profit.
Counsel: LegalA lawyer or team of lawyers; also, legal advice.
Counterclaim: LegalA claim brought by a defendant against the plaintiff in the same proceeding.
Coupon rate: Business / FinancialThe annual interest rate paid by a bond issuer to bondholders (FINRA Corporate and Agency Bond Glossary).
Court of Record: LegalA court whose proceedings are permanently recorded by a court reporter and that has the power to fine or imprison for contempt.
Court reporter: GeneralA professional who captures the spoken word during legal proceedings, often using stenography.; LegalA trained professional who creates the official verbatim record of legal proceedings using stenography, voice writing, or digital audio recording. Also called a "stenographer" when using a stenotype machine.
Court transcript: GeneralThe official written record of court proceedings.
Covenant: Business / FinancialA clause in a loan or bond agreement requiring (affirmative covenant) or restricting (negative covenant) certain borrower actions.
Cover / caption page: GeneralThe first page of a legal transcript identifying the case, parties, date, location, and type of proceeding.
Coverage ratio: Business / FinancialA measure of a borrower's ability to service debt — interest coverage, debt service coverage ratio (DSCR).
CPAP: MedicalContinuous positive airway pressure — a breathing therapy commonly used for sleep apnea.
CPI: Business / FinancialConsumer Price Index — a Bureau of Labor Statistics measure of price changes in a basket of consumer goods and services; a primary inflation gauge.
CPR: MedicalCardiopulmonary resuscitation.
CPT Code: MedicalCurrent Procedural Terminology code. Identifies medical procedures for billing.
CRD (Central Registration Depository): Business / FinancialFINRA's online system that maintains the employment, qualification, and disciplinary histories of more than 650,000 securities industry professionals and 5,000 brokerage firms (FINRA BrokerCheck Glossary).
Credit rating: Business / FinancialAn assessment of the creditworthiness of a borrower or instrument issued by agencies such as Moody's, S&P, Fitch, or DBRS Morningstar.
Credit spread: Business / FinancialThe yield difference between a corporate bond and a comparable-maturity Treasury, reflecting credit risk.
Crime: LegalAn act or omission punishable by law.
Crime Scene: Law EnforcementA location where evidence of a crime may be found.
Criminal Complaint: LegalA formal charging document filed by a prosecutor setting forth the alleged offense and supporting facts.; Law EnforcementA formal charging document filed by a prosecutor setting forth alleged offenses and supporting facts.
Criminal History: Law EnforcementA record of an individual's prior arrests, charges, and convictions.
Criminal Justice Information (CJI): Law EnforcementData managed by criminal justice agencies for the administration of justice, including biometric, identity history, biographic, property, and case/incident history data. Protected under CJIS.
Critical Value: MedicalA lab result so abnormal it requires immediate clinician notification.
Cross-Examination: LegalQuestioning of a witness by the opposing attorney after direct examination.
Cross-Notice: LegalA notice of deposition that adds to or modifies the original notice — for example, to add another party's deposition to the same date.
Cross-Reference: MedicalA check by the transcriptionist against the patient's prior records, problem list, or medication list to verify spelling and clinical accuracy.
Cross-sectional study: AcademicA study that collects data from a sample at a single point in time.
Crosstalk: GeneralWhen two or more speakers talk at the same time, making speech difficult to attribute and transcribe.; AcademicSpeakers talking simultaneously. Transcription conventions typically use square brackets or specific Jefferson symbols to mark overlap.
CRR (Certified Realtime Reporter): LegalA National Court Reporters Association certification for stenographers proficient in delivering realtime transcripts.
CSR (Certified Shorthand Reporter): LegalA state-level certification for stenographers, typically requiring 200+ words per minute on the stenotype machine. Not all states require certification.
Culture and Sensitivity (C&S): MedicalA microbiology test that identifies an infectious organism and determines which antibiotics will treat it.
Curriculum vitae (CV): AcademicAn academic résumé listing education, appointments, publications, grants, teaching, and service.
CUSIP: Business / FinancialA nine-character alphanumeric identifier for U.S. and Canadian securities, assigned by the CUSIP committee (FINRA Corporate and Agency Bond Glossary).
Custodial Interrogation: Law EnforcementQuestioning of a suspect by law enforcement after they have been deprived of freedom of action in a significant way. Triggers the Miranda warning requirement.
Custodial Interview: LegalA recorded interview conducted while a suspect is in police custody. Almost always transcribed verbatim and certified.
Custodian: Business / FinancialA financial institution that holds securities on behalf of clients for safekeeping.
Custody: Law EnforcementLegal control over a person — sufficient restraint that a reasonable person would not feel free to leave.
CVA: MedicalCerebrovascular accident — a stroke.
CXR: MedicalChest X-ray.

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D&C: MedicalDilation and curettage. A uterine procedure.
Daily Copy: LegalA transcript delivered at the end of each day of a multi-day proceeding.
Damages: LegalMonetary compensation awarded to a party who has suffered loss or injury.
Dark pool: Business / FinancialA private trading venue, typically operated by a broker-dealer, that allows large orders to be executed without pre-trade public quote display.
Dash Cam (Dashboard Camera): Law EnforcementA camera mounted in a patrol vehicle that captures audio and video from the front of the vehicle. Frequently transcribed for DUI stops and pursuit reviews.
Data analysis: AcademicThe process of inspecting, cleaning, transforming, and modeling data to extract findings.
Data cleaning: AcademicIdentifying and correcting errors, inconsistencies, and missing values in a dataset before analysis.
Data collection: AcademicSystematic gathering of information through interviews, surveys, observations, document review, or instruments.
Data encryption / security: GeneralProtecting files both in transit and at rest so that sensitive recordings and transcripts stay secure.
Data management plan (DMP): AcademicA formal plan, often required by federal funders, describing how research data will be collected, stored, protected, shared, and preserved.
Data saturation: AcademicIn qualitative research, the point at which additional data collection yields no new themes or insights.
Date of Loss (DOL): LegalThe date of an accident, injury, or other insured event in an insurance case.
Days sales outstanding (DSO): Business / FinancialThe average number of days it takes a company to collect payment after a sale.
De Facto: LegalLatin for "in fact." Describes a situation that exists in practice, even if not formally established by law.
De Jure: LegalLatin for "by law." Describes a state of affairs formally established by law, in contrast to de facto.
De Novo: LegalLatin for "anew." A standard of review in which an appellate court considers an issue without deferring to the lower court's decision.
De-Escalation: Law EnforcementTactics and communication techniques used to reduce the intensity of a conflict or encounter.
De-identification / anonymization: GeneralRemoving identifying details from transcripts to protect participant privacy, often required by an Institutional Review Board (IRB).
De-identified data: AcademicData from which direct identifiers have been removed but a code or key may still link back to participants. Contrast with anonymized data, where re-identification is impossible.
Dead cat bounce: Business / FinancialA brief, modest recovery in a security's price during an otherwise prolonged downtrend.
Deadly Force: Law EnforcementForce likely to cause death or serious bodily harm.
Dealer: Business / FinancialA person or firm in the business of buying and selling securities for their own account (FINRA BrokerCheck Glossary).
Debriefing: AcademicA post-participation meeting in which the researcher informs the participant about the study's purpose, addresses questions, and offers resources if needed.
Debt-to-equity ratio: Business / FinancialTotal debt divided by shareholders' equity; a measure of financial leverage.
Decedent: Law EnforcementA deceased person — a term used in death investigations.
Deception: AcademicWithholding or misrepresenting information to participants. Permitted in research only when scientifically justified, minimally risky, and followed by debriefing — subject to IRB review.
Deductive reasoning: AcademicDrawing specific conclusions from general premises or theories. Contrast with inductive reasoning.
Deep Tendon Reflex (DTR): MedicalA reflex elicited by tapping a tendon during the neurologic exam, graded 0 to 4+.
Defendant: LegalThe party against whom a lawsuit is filed (civil) or who is accused of a crime (criminal).; Law EnforcementA person formally charged with a crime.
Defense Attorney: Law EnforcementThe lawyer representing a criminal defendant.
Defensive Wound: Law EnforcementAn injury suffered while attempting to ward off an attack.
Deferred revenue: Business / FinancialCash received for goods or services not yet delivered; recorded as a liability until earned.
Defined benefit plan: Business / FinancialA pension plan that promises a specific retirement benefit, typically calculated from salary and years of service.
Defined contribution plan: Business / FinancialA retirement plan, such as a 401(k), where contributions are defined but the ultimate benefit depends on investment returns.
Deidentification: MedicalRemoving the 18 HIPAA identifiers from a record so it is no longer Protected Health Information.
Deliberation: LegalThe process by which a jury discusses the evidence and decides on a verdict.
Delimitations: AcademicThe boundaries the researcher sets to focus the study — what is intentionally excluded.
Delisting: Business / FinancialThe removal of a security from a stock exchange, voluntarily or for failing to meet listing requirements.
Delta: Business / FinancialAn option Greek measuring the change in the option's price for a one-dollar change in the underlying.
Demographics: AcademicParticipant characteristics such as age, sex, gender, race, ethnicity, education, income, and geographic location.
Department of Justice (DOJ): Law EnforcementThe federal executive department responsible for enforcing U.S. federal law.
Dependability: AcademicA trustworthiness criterion in qualitative research analogous to reliability — the consistency of findings over time and across investigators.
Dependent variable (DV): AcademicThe outcome of interest, expected to be affected by the independent variable.
Deponent: LegalA person who answers questions under oath during a deposition.
Deposition: LegalSworn out-of-court testimony given in response to questions from attorneys, recorded by a court reporter, and used during discovery or at trial.
Deposition (depo): GeneralSworn, out-of-court testimony given under oath and recorded for use in litigation.
Deposition summary: GeneralA condensed, organized digest of deposition testimony that highlights key facts, often with page-and-line references back to the full transcript.; LegalA condensed, page-and-line-referenced summary of a deposition transcript highlighting key testimony, used by attorneys to prepare for trial.
Depreciation: Business / FinancialThe systematic allocation of a tangible asset's cost over its useful life.
Derivative: Business / FinancialA financial instrument whose value is derived from an underlying asset, rate, or index — futures, options, swaps, forwards.
Dermatology: MedicalThe medical specialty concerning skin disease.
Descriptive statistics: AcademicNumerical summaries describing the basic features of a dataset (mean, median, mode, range, standard deviation).
Detailed notes / summary transcript: GeneralA condensed account capturing key points, decisions, or themes rather than every spoken word. Useful for long meetings and as the basis for deposition summaries.
Detective: Law EnforcementA plainclothes investigator, typically a promoted officer, responsible for follow-up investigation of crimes.
Detention: Law EnforcementA brief, temporary seizure of a person, short of arrest, supported by reasonable suspicion. The basis for a Terry stop.
Detention Hearing: LegalA judicial hearing — most often in juvenile court — to determine custody of a minor pending further proceedings.
Diabetes Mellitus (DM): MedicalA group of metabolic disorders characterized by elevated blood sugar.
Diagnosis (Dx): MedicalThe identification of a disease or condition. The plural is diagnoses.
Diary study: AcademicA method in which participants record their experiences, thoughts, or behaviors at specified intervals over a period of time.
Diastolic: MedicalThe lower number in a blood pressure reading — pressure during ventricular relaxation.
Dichotomous variable: AcademicA categorical variable with exactly two categories (yes/no, male/female, treatment/control).
Dictation: GeneralAudio recorded specifically to be transcribed, such as a physician or attorney speaking notes aloud for a transcriptionist to type up.; MedicalThe spoken recording produced by a clinician for later transcription. May be captured via handheld dictation device, telephone dictation line, or in-EMR voice capture.
Dictation Device: MedicalA digital recorder, phone-based dictation system, or smartphone app used to capture spoken clinical notes.
Dictator: MedicalThe clinician who records the dictation.
Dictum (Plural: Dicta): LegalA statement in a judge's opinion that is not essential to the case's outcome and therefore not binding on later courts.
Differential Diagnosis: MedicalA ranked list of possible diagnoses being considered.
Digital Dictation: MedicalDictation captured as a digital audio file rather than analog tape.
Digital Evidence: Law EnforcementInformation stored or transmitted in digital form, including audio, video, computer files, and mobile data.
Digital Reporter: LegalA court reporter who uses audio recording equipment instead of a stenotype machine, monitors the audio in real time, creates annotations, and produces a transcript from the recording.
Dilution: Business / FinancialA decrease in existing shareholders' ownership percentage caused by the issuance of additional shares.
Direct Examination: LegalThe initial questioning of a witness by the attorney who called them to testify.
Directed Verdict: LegalA judge's order directing the jury to return a specific verdict because the evidence allows no other reasonable conclusion.
Discharge summary: GeneralA report summarizing a patient's hospital stay and follow-up plan at the time of discharge.; MedicalA dictated overview of a hospital stay produced at the time of discharge. Includes admission diagnosis, hospital course, procedures, discharge medications, and follow-up plan.
Discount rate: Business / Financial(1) The rate the Federal Reserve charges banks for short-term loans at the discount window; (2) the rate used in DCF analysis to bring future cash flows to present value.
Discounted cash flow (DCF): Business / FinancialA valuation method that estimates a company's value as the sum of its future cash flows discounted to present value.
Discourse analysis: AcademicA qualitative method examining how language constructs meaning, identity, and social relations.
Discovery: LegalThe pretrial phase in which parties exchange information through depositions, interrogatories, document requests, and other tools.; Law EnforcementThe pretrial exchange of information between prosecution and defense.
Discussion (section): AcademicThe portion of a research paper that interprets findings, situates them in the literature, and acknowledges limitations.
Dismissal: LegalA court order terminating a case without a trial verdict.
Dispatch: Law EnforcementThe communication center that receives 911 calls and assigns officers to incidents. Dispatch audio is frequently transcribed for incident reconstruction.
Disposition: Law EnforcementThe final result of a criminal case (e.g., conviction, acquittal, dismissal).
Dissertation: AcademicA book-length scholarly work submitted in partial fulfillment of doctoral degree requirements. Typically defended orally before a committee.
Dissertation / thesis transcription: GeneralTranscribing research data, such as interviews, to support graduate work.
District Attorney (DA): Law EnforcementThe elected or appointed prosecutor for a state-level jurisdiction.
Diversification: Business / FinancialSpreading investments across asset classes, sectors, or geographies to reduce risk (SEC Glossary).
Diversion: LegalA program that allows certain defendants to avoid prosecution by completing rehabilitation, treatment, or community service.
Dividend: Business / FinancialA distribution of earnings paid by a corporation to its shareholders, typically in cash or additional stock.
Dividend per share (DPS): Business / FinancialTotal dividends declared divided by shares outstanding.
Dividend yield: Business / FinancialAnnual dividends per share divided by the share price.
DM: MedicalDiabetes mellitus.
DNR: MedicalDo not resuscitate. A patient directive against cardiopulmonary resuscitation.
Docket: LegalThe court's official schedule of cases and complete list of every document filed in a case.
Doctor of Osteopathy (DO): MedicalA fully licensed physician who has completed osteopathic medical school. Equivalent practice scope to an MD.
Doctoral committee: AcademicA group of faculty members supervising a doctoral student's dissertation, usually consisting of a chair and several members.
Document formatting: GeneralArranging a document's layout, headings, and styling to meet a required standard.
Documentation: MedicalThe written or transcribed record of a clinical encounter, procedure, or test.
Dodd-Frank Act: Business / FinancialThe Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010, the principal post-financial-crisis U.S. financial regulation statute.
DOI: AcademicDigital Object Identifier — a persistent identifier for scholarly articles, datasets, and other digital objects, prefixed by 10.
Dollar-cost averaging (DCA): Business / FinancialInvesting fixed dollar amounts at regular intervals to smooth out the average purchase price.
Domestic Violence (DV): Law EnforcementAbuse occurring within an intimate, family, or household relationship.
Double-blind: AcademicAn experimental design in which neither participants nor researchers know who is in which condition.
Double-spaced: AcademicA formatting convention in which lines of text are separated by a full blank line; standard in many academic styles for drafts and final submissions.
DRE (Drug Recognition Expert): Law EnforcementA specially trained officer who evaluates suspects for drug impairment using a 12-step protocol.
DRIP: Business / FinancialDividend Reinvestment Plan — automatic reinvestment of cash dividends into additional shares.
Drug Class: MedicalA group of medications sharing similar action — e.g., beta-blockers, ACE inhibitors, SSRIs.
Drug Interaction: MedicalAn effect that occurs when two or more medications, or a medication and substance, alter each other's action.
Drug Schedule: Law EnforcementThe federal classification of controlled substances by abuse potential and medical use, from Schedule I (highest abuse potential, no accepted medical use) to Schedule V.
Dual-channel / stereo recording: GeneralAudio recorded on separate channels, such as each party of a phone call on its own track, which improves speaker separation and accuracy.
Due diligence: Business / FinancialThe investigation a buyer, investor, or underwriter performs before completing a transaction.
Due Process: LegalThe constitutional guarantee that no person will be deprived of life, liberty, or property without a fair legal process.
DUI / DWI: Law EnforcementDriving Under the Influence / Driving While Intoxicated. The exact term varies by state.
Duly Sworn: LegalThe phrase recorded in a transcript indicating that a witness has been properly placed under oath.
Duration: Business / FinancialA measure of a bond's price sensitivity to interest rate changes, expressed in years.
DVP / RVP: Business / FinancialDelivery Versus Payment / Receive Versus Payment — settlement methods that link the transfer of securities to the simultaneous transfer of cash.
DVT: MedicalDeep vein thrombosis. A blood clot in a deep vein, most often the leg.
Dx: MedicalDiagnosis.
Dying Declaration: Law EnforcementA statement made by a person who believes they are about to die, concerning the cause or circumstances of their impending death. A recognized exception to the hearsay rule.

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E-Transcript / PTX: LegalAn encrypted, searchable electronic transcript format (file extension .ptx) widely used in U.S. litigation. Supports synchronized exhibits, hyperlinked indexes, and digital signatures.
Earnings call: Business / FinancialA conference call held by a public company's management with analysts and investors to discuss quarterly results. The standard agenda is: safe-harbor statement, prepared remarks (CEO, CFO), Q&A.
Earnings call transcription: GeneralTranscripts of a public company's quarterly results calls.
Earnings per share (EPS): Business / FinancialNet income divided by weighted average shares outstanding. Reported as both basic and diluted EPS.
Earnings season: Business / FinancialThe few weeks each quarter when most public companies report results, typically two to six weeks after quarter-end.
EBITDA: Business / FinancialEarnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation, and Amortization. A non-GAAP measure of operating performance.
Echocardiogram (Echo): MedicalAn ultrasound study of the heart.
Edema: MedicalSwelling caused by excess fluid in tissues.
EDGAR: Business / FinancialElectronic Data Gathering, Analysis, and Retrieval — the SEC's filing system at sec.gov/edgar (EDGAR Glossary).
Edited transcription: GeneralGoes a step beyond clean verbatim with light grammatical correction and restructuring to produce a polished, readable document while preserving the speaker's intent. Common for manuscripts, publications, and formal reports.
EEG: MedicalElectroencephalogram. A recording of brain electrical activity.
Effect size: AcademicA standardized measure of the magnitude of an effect, independent of sample size. Common metrics include Cohen's d, Pearson's r, and odds ratio.
Effective date: Business / FinancialThe date a registration statement becomes effective and securities may be sold.
EHR / EMR: GeneralElectronic Health Record and Electronic Medical Record: the digital systems that store patient information, which transcribed documents are often integrated into.; MedicalElectronic Health Record / Electronic Medical Record. The digital chart into which finished transcripts are filed.
EKG / ECG: MedicalElectrocardiogram. A recording of the heart's electrical activity.
Element of a Crime: Law EnforcementA specific component that must be proven for a conviction (e.g., for burglary: unlawful entry, of a structure, with intent to commit a crime).
Eligibility criteria: AcademicInclusion and exclusion criteria that define who may participate in a study.
ELMO: LegalA document camera/projector used during depositions and trials to display documents, photographs, X-rays, or other exhibits.
Empirical research: AcademicResearch based on observation, measurement, or experimentation rather than pure theory.
En Banc: LegalLatin for "by the full bench." A session in which all judges of an appellate court hear a case, rather than the usual three-judge panel.
Encounter: MedicalA single instance of a patient receiving care.
Encryption in Transit / At Rest: MedicalSecuring data while being uploaded or downloaded (in transit) and while stored (at rest). Industry standard for medical transcription is AES-256 at rest and TLS 1.2+ in transit.; Law EnforcementSecuring data while being uploaded or downloaded (in transit) and while stored on servers (at rest). CJIS requires FIPS-140 validated encryption — typically AES-256 at rest and TLS 1.2 or higher in transit.
Encumbrance: Business / FinancialA claim, lien, or liability attached to a property or asset.
Endnote: Academic(1) A note placed at the end of a chapter or document. (2) A citation management software product.
Entrapment: Law EnforcementA defense alleging that police induced a person to commit a crime they otherwise would not have committed.
Epistemology: AcademicThe branch of philosophy concerned with the nature, sources, and limits of knowledge. Different epistemological stances — positivism, constructivism, critical theory — shape research design.
Eponym: MedicalA clinical term named for a person (e.g., Babinski sign, Parkinson disease, Foley catheter). AHDI prefers the non-possessive form (Parkinson disease, not Parkinson's disease).
Equity: Business / FinancialAn ownership interest in an entity — common stock in a corporation, membership interest in an LLC, partnership interest in a partnership (SEC Glossary).
ER: MedicalEmergency room. Also called emergency department (ED).
ERCP: MedicalEndoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography. A combined endoscopy and X-ray study of the bile and pancreatic ducts.
ERISA: Business / FinancialEmployee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 — the federal statute governing private-sector employee benefit plans.
Errata sheet: GeneralA form allowing a deponent to note corrections to their deposition transcript after reviewing it.; LegalA form attached to a deposition transcript allowing the deponent to note corrections after reading the transcript.
ESG: Business / FinancialEnvironmental, Social, and Governance — a framework for evaluating non-financial corporate performance.
ETF: Business / FinancialExchange-Traded Fund — a pooled investment vehicle that trades on an exchange like a stock.
Ethics review: AcademicInstitutional examination of a proposed research project to ensure ethical standards are met; in the U.S., conducted by an Institutional Review Board (IRB) for human subjects work.
Ethnography: AcademicA qualitative methodology involving extended immersion in a community to document and interpret its culture.
Etic / Emic: AcademicEtic perspective is the outsider's analytic view; emic perspective is the insider's lived understanding.
Etiology: MedicalThe cause of a disease.
ETOH: MedicalEthanol — clinical shorthand for alcohol or alcohol use.
Eurodollar: Business / FinancialU.S. dollar-denominated deposits held outside the United States.
Evidence: LegalAny type of proof legally presented at trial through testimony, records, or exhibits.; Law EnforcementAnything offered to prove or disprove a fact in dispute.
Evidence Identifier: Law EnforcementA tape, label, container, or string tag used to identify evidence, the person collecting it, the date, the case number, and a brief description.
Evidentiary Property: Law EnforcementProperty relevant to a crime; subject to chain-of-custody documentation.
Evidentiary Video: Law EnforcementBWC or other footage classified as containing investigative value, subject to longer retention than non-evidentiary footage.
Ex Parte: LegalLatin for "from one party." A communication or proceeding involving only one side of a case.
Ex Post Facto: LegalLatin for "after the fact." Refers to the constitutional prohibition on laws that retroactively criminalize conduct.
Ex-dividend: Business / FinancialSee Ex-dividend date.
Ex-dividend date: Business / FinancialThe first trading day on which buyers of a stock are not entitled to the most recently declared dividend.
Examination: LegalThe questioning of a witness. Includes direct, cross, redirect, and recross examination.
Examination (direct, cross, redirect, recross): GeneralThe phases of questioning a witness: direct (by the party who called them), cross (by the opposing party), and the follow-up rounds of redirect and recross.
Examination Note: MedicalDocumentation of a physical examination.
Examination Under Oath (EUO): LegalA sworn questioning session, frequently used in insurance claim investigations.
Exchange Act: Business / FinancialThe Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the federal statute governing secondary-market trading and ongoing disclosure obligations (EDGAR Glossary).
Exclusion of Witnesses: LegalA court order requiring witnesses to remain outside the courtroom until they testify, and forbidding them from discussing testimony with one another.
Exclusionary Rule: LegalA rule that prohibits the use of illegally obtained evidence in a criminal trial.; Law EnforcementA court rule barring use of evidence obtained in violation of constitutional rights.
Execution: Business / FinancialThe completion of a buy or sell order in the securities market.
Exempt research: AcademicResearch that meets one of the categories specified in 45 CFR 46.104 and is determined by the IRB to be exempt from full review (e.g., certain education-research, anonymous surveys, secondary analysis of de-identified data).
Exercise price: Business / FinancialSee Strike price.
Exhibit: GeneralA document or object entered as evidence and referenced within the transcript.; LegalA document, photograph, or object introduced as evidence during a deposition or trial. Exhibits are marked with an identifying number or letter and listed in the transcript's index.
Exigent Circumstances: Law EnforcementEmergency situations that justify warrantless entry, search, or arrest — for example, imminent destruction of evidence or hot pursuit.
Existing data: AcademicData that have already been collected for some other purpose; secondary research uses such data.
Expansion (Text Expander): MedicalA productivity tool in which a short abbreviation typed by the transcriptionist auto-expands to a longer phrase.
Expedited review: AcademicAn IRB review procedure for research that involves no more than minimal risk and falls within specified categories, conducted by the IRB chair or designated reviewers (45 CFR 46.110).
Expedited Transcript: LegalA transcript requested before the standard deadline for an additional fee — typically next-day, three-day, or same-day delivery.
Expense ratio: Business / FinancialThe annual operating costs of a mutual fund or ETF, expressed as a percentage of average assets.
Experimental design: AcademicA research design in which the researcher manipulates an independent variable and assesses its effect on a dependent variable, ideally with randomization and a control group.
Expert Witness: LegalA witness who gives opinion testimony on scientific, technical, or professional matters within their expertise.
Exploratory research: AcademicResearch conducted to investigate a topic that is not well understood, often used to generate hypotheses for future studies.
Expungement: LegalA court order sealing or destroying records, often after a passage of time without further offenses.; Law EnforcementThe court-ordered sealing or destruction of a criminal record.
External Beam Radiation Therapy (EBRT): MedicalA cancer treatment that directs radiation from a machine outside the body to the tumor.
External validity: AcademicThe extent to which study findings generalize beyond the study sample, setting, or time.
Extradition: Law EnforcementThe formal surrender of a fugitive from one jurisdiction to another.
Eye gaze: AcademicIn multimodal transcription, the direction of a speaker's or listener's visual attention, sometimes annotated alongside speech.
Eyewitness: LegalA person who testifies about what they personally saw.; Law EnforcementA person who personally observed an incident.

FF

Face validity: AcademicThe extent to which a measure appears, on its face, to assess the intended construct.
Face value: Business / FinancialThe nominal or par value of a bond — typically $1,000 — payable to the holder at maturity.
Factor analysis: AcademicA statistical technique that identifies underlying latent factors explaining patterns of correlation among observed variables.
Faculty advisor: AcademicThe faculty member who supervises a graduate student's research.
Fair value: Business / FinancialThe price at which an asset would change hands between a willing buyer and seller under FASB ASC 820 or IFRS 13.
False Imprisonment: LegalUnlawful restraint of a person's freedom of movement.
False starts: GeneralAbandoned or restarted sentences ("I was — well, what I mean is…"). Retained in verbatim transcripts and removed in clean verbatim.
Family History (FH): MedicalThe section of a clinical note describing diseases in close relatives.
FASB: Business / FinancialFinancial Accounting Standards Board — the body that establishes U.S. GAAP.
FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation): Law EnforcementThe principal federal investigative agency, part of the DOJ. Custodian of NCIC and CJIS.
FBS: MedicalFasting blood sugar.
FDIC: Business / FinancialFederal Deposit Insurance Corporation — insures deposits at U.S. banks up to applicable limits.
Fed funds rate: Business / FinancialThe interest rate at which depository institutions lend reserve balances to each other overnight; the Fed's primary monetary policy lever.
Federal Reserve (the Fed): Business / FinancialThe central bank of the United States, consisting of the Board of Governors and 12 regional Federal Reserve Banks.
Fellowship-Trained: MedicalA clinician who has completed subspecialty training after residency.
Felony: LegalA serious crime, generally punishable by imprisonment of more than one year or by death.; Law EnforcementA serious crime, generally punishable by more than one year of imprisonment or death.
FERPA: AcademicFamily Educational Rights and Privacy Act — federal law protecting the privacy of student education records, with implications for education research.
Fiduciary: Business / FinancialA person or entity legally obligated to act in another party's best interest.
Field Interview (FI): Law EnforcementA documented street-level contact with a person of investigative interest, not rising to arrest.
Field notes: GeneralA researcher's written observations, recorded alongside or in place of audio.; AcademicDetailed written records that an ethnographer or qualitative researcher produces during or shortly after fieldwork.
Field Sobriety Test (FST): Law EnforcementStandardized roadside tests — horizontal gaze nystagmus, walk-and-turn, one-leg stand — used to evaluate driver impairment.
Field Training Officer (FTO): Law EnforcementA senior officer responsible for training new recruits during their probationary patrol assignment.
Fieldwork: AcademicData collection in a real-world setting, including ethnographic immersion, observations, and interviews.
FIFO: Business / FinancialFirst-In, First-Out — an inventory valuation method assuming the earliest items purchased are the first sold.
File formats: GeneralThe container types accepted for transcription, including common audio formats (MP3, WAV, M4A) and video formats (MP4, MOV).
Filing type: Business / FinancialA submission category under federal securities laws (10-K, 10-Q, 8-K, S-1, proxy statement) (EDGAR Glossary).
Filler words: GeneralSounds and words like "um," "uh," "you know," and "like" that carry little meaning. Kept in verbatim work, removed in clean verbatim.; Medical"Um," "uh," "you know." Removed in clean medical transcripts.; LegalConversational sounds such as "um," "uh," and "you know." Preserved in verbatim transcripts and removed in clean verbatim.; AcademicSpoken sounds and words that fill pauses without semantic content — "um," "uh," "you know," "like." Whether to transcribe them depends on the project's methodological orientation. Conversation analysts retain them; clean-verbatim work removes them (Lives & Legacies Transcription Conventions, University of Toronto Scarborough).
Final Report: MedicalThe completed and authenticated transcribed report after edits and signature.
Final Transcript: LegalA fully proofed, formatted, and (where applicable) certified transcript ready for filing or distribution.
FinCEN: Business / FinancialFinancial Crimes Enforcement Network — the U.S. Treasury bureau responsible for AML enforcement.
Findings: AcademicThe results of a study, distinct from the discussion or interpretation.
Fingerprint: Law EnforcementA unique pattern of ridges on a finger; the foundation of biometric identification in criminal justice.
FINRA: Business / FinancialFinancial Industry Regulatory Authority — a self-regulatory organization that oversees U.S. broker-dealers (FINRA BrokerCheck Glossary).
FINRA compliance: GeneralAdherence to Financial Industry Regulatory Authority rules, relevant when transcribing regulated financial communications.
FIPS-140: Law EnforcementA U.S. federal standard for cryptographic modules. CJIS-compliant transcription vendors must use FIPS-140-validated encryption.
Firearm: Law EnforcementA weapon that discharges a projectile by means of an explosion.
First Responder: Law EnforcementThe first law enforcement officer, EMS, or fire personnel to arrive at a scene.
Fiscal year: Business / FinancialA 12-month accounting period that may or may not align with the calendar year. Many companies use a fiscal year ending in March, June, or September.
Fixed income: Business / FinancialSecurities that pay a defined, often predictable, cash flow — primarily bonds and certain preferred shares.
Flash crash: Business / FinancialA very rapid, deep price decline followed by a quick recovery, typically driven by algorithmic trading.
Float: Business / FinancialThe number of a company's shares available for public trading, excluding closely held or restricted shares.
Floor (trading floor): Business / FinancialThe physical or electronic venue where exchange members execute trades.
FNA: MedicalFine needle aspiration. A diagnostic biopsy technique.
Focus group: AcademicA facilitated discussion with a small group of participants (typically 6–10) chosen to share characteristics relevant to a research topic.
Focus group transcription: GeneralTranscripts of moderated group discussions, which require careful multi-speaker tracking.
Follow-Up: MedicalA planned subsequent appointment or evaluation.
Foot Pedal: MedicalA hands-free playback device used by transcriptionists to start, stop, and rewind audio while keeping both hands on the keyboard.
Foot Pursuit: Law EnforcementA chase on foot, often documented from BWC and dash cam audio.
Footnote: AcademicA note placed at the bottom of a page, used for citations or supplementary commentary.
Forecast: Business / FinancialA projection of future financial performance, often issued by management as guidance or by sell-side analysts as estimates.
Foreign Body: MedicalAny object that does not belong in the body, often referenced in trauma and ENT dictations.
Foreign exchange (FX, forex): Business / FinancialThe market in which currencies are traded against one another.
Foreign-language audio: GeneralRecordings in a language other than the transcript's target language, which may call for bilingual transcription or transcription plus translation.
Forensic: LegalRelating to the application of scientific methods to legal questions, such as forensic linguistics applied to disputed transcripts.; Law EnforcementRelating to the application of scientific methods to legal questions.
Forensic Linguistics: Law EnforcementThe application of linguistic analysis to legal matters, including authorship attribution and disputed transcript interpretation.
Foreperson: LegalThe juror who presides over deliberations and announces the verdict.
Form 10-K: Business / FinancialSEC annual report providing a comprehensive overview of a company's business, risk factors, audited financial statements, and management's discussion and analysis.
Form 10-Q: Business / FinancialSEC quarterly report containing unaudited financial statements and updates on material developments.
Form 13D / 13G: Business / FinancialBeneficial-ownership disclosures filed by holders of more than 5% of a registered class of equity securities. 13D for active investors; 13G for passive.
Form 13F: Business / FinancialQuarterly disclosure by institutional investment managers with at least $100 million in U.S. equity assets under management.
Form 4: Business / FinancialStatement of changes in beneficial ownership filed by company insiders within two business days of a transaction.
Form ADV: Business / FinancialThe form investment advisers use to register with the SEC and state regulators (SEC Form ADV Glossary).
Form BD: Business / FinancialUniform Application for Broker-Dealer Registration (FINRA BrokerCheck Glossary).
Form S-1: Business / FinancialSEC registration statement used for an initial public offering or other initial registration of securities.
Format: MedicalThe standardized structural template of a medical report — headings, paragraph breaks, signature block, etc.
Forty-five CFR forty-six: AcademicSee 45 CFR 46. Shorthand for the federal regulation establishing the Common Rule for human-subjects research (HHS 45 CFR 46).
Forward: Business / FinancialA non-standardized, over-the-counter contract to buy or sell an asset at a future date at a price agreed today.
Forward guidance: Business / FinancialStatements by management or a central bank about expected future performance or policy.
Foundation: LegalThe preliminary evidence required to establish the admissibility of further evidence — for example, authenticating a recording before playing it.
Freelance Court Reporter: LegalA self-employed or privately employed court reporter whose work is primarily depositions and administrative hearings rather than courtroom proceedings.
Frequency: AcademicA count of how often a value or category appears in a dataset.
Frisk: Law EnforcementA limited pat-down of outer clothing for weapons, permitted under Terry v. Ohio when reasonable suspicion exists.
Fruit of the Poisonous Tree: Law EnforcementA doctrine excluding evidence derived from an earlier illegal search, seizure, or interrogation.
Fugitive: Law EnforcementA person evading custody, arrest, or service of process.
Full board review: AcademicAn IRB review procedure required for research involving more than minimal risk, conducted by the fully convened IRB.
Fund of funds: Business / FinancialA pooled investment vehicle that invests primarily in other funds rather than directly in securities (SEC Glossary).
Funder: AcademicThe organization (NIH, NSF, NEH, foundation, agency, sponsor) providing financial support for a research project.
FUO: MedicalFever of unknown origin.
Futures contract: Business / FinancialA standardized exchange-traded contract obligating delivery of a specified asset at a specified future date and price.

GG

GAAP: Business / FinancialGenerally Accepted Accounting Principles — the U.S. accounting standards established by FASB.
Gang: Law EnforcementA group of three or more persons who associate together to commit crimes — definitions vary by state statute.
Garnishment: LegalA legal process in which a creditor collects a debt by intercepting the debtor's wages or bank funds.
GARP: Business / FinancialGrowth At a Reasonable Price — an investment style blending growth and value approaches (FINRA Terms and Acronyms).
Gatekeeper: AcademicAn individual or institution that controls researchers' access to a setting or population (a school principal, tribal council, prison warden, community leader).
GDP: Business / FinancialGross Domestic Product — the total value of goods and services produced in a country during a specified period.
General ledger: Business / FinancialThe master accounting record containing all of an entity's transactions.
General Order: Law EnforcementA written directive from a chief or sheriff establishing department policy.
General partner (GP): Business / FinancialThe managing partner of a limited partnership, with unlimited liability and operational control. Common structure for private-equity, venture-capital, and hedge fund managers.
Generalizability: AcademicThe degree to which findings from a sample apply to a broader population. See also External validity.
Generalizable knowledge: AcademicKnowledge intended to apply beyond the immediate study participants, often through publication or presentation; central to the federal definition of research (HHS Common Rule).
Generic Name: MedicalThe non-proprietary, scientific name of a drug (e.g., acetaminophen for Tylenol). AHDI prefers the generic name for unbranded references.
GERD: MedicalGastroesophageal reflux disease.
GI: MedicalGastrointestinal — the digestive system.
Gilt: Business / FinancialA bond issued by the U.K. government.
Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS): MedicalA neurologic scoring system from 3 to 15 used to assess level of consciousness.
Glass-Steagall: Business / FinancialThe Banking Act of 1933 provisions that separated commercial and investment banking, largely repealed by the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act of 1999.
Globally Recognized Format: MedicalA documentation format used consistently across institutions, such as the SOAP note or H&P.
Glossary (Custom Vocabulary): MedicalA client-supplied list of physician names, facility names, drug brands, and uncommon terms shared with the transcription team to improve accuracy.
Going concern: Business / FinancialAn accounting and audit assumption that an entity will continue to operate for the foreseeable future. A "going concern" qualification in an audit opinion is a serious red flag.
Going Off the Record: LegalA spoken instruction that pauses the official transcription. The reporter notes the time and resumes when the parties go back on the record.
Going On the Record: LegalA spoken instruction that resumes the official transcription.
Good-til-canceled (GTC): Business / FinancialAn order that remains active until executed or canceled.
Goodness-of-fit: AcademicA measure of how well a statistical model fits the observed data.
Goodwill: Business / FinancialAn intangible asset recorded when an acquirer pays more than the fair value of the acquired company's identifiable net assets.
GPS Tracking: Law EnforcementLocation surveillance using a Global Positioning System device. Generally requires a warrant.
Grand Jury: LegalA body of citizens that hears evidence presented by the government and determines whether probable cause exists to indict a person for a felony. Grand jury proceedings are closed to the public.; Law EnforcementA body of citizens that hears prosecution evidence and decides whether probable cause exists to indict.
Grant: AcademicAn award of funding for a research project, made by a government agency, foundation, or other sponsor.
Grant proposal: AcademicA formal document requesting funding, typically including specific aims, background, research design, timeline, and budget.
Greenshoe (over-allotment option): Business / FinancialA provision in an underwriting agreement allowing underwriters to sell additional shares (typically up to 15%) if demand exceeds expectations.
Gross domestic product: Business / FinancialSee GDP.
Gross margin: Business / FinancialGross profit divided by revenue, expressed as a percentage.
Gross profit: Business / FinancialRevenue minus cost of goods sold.
Grounded theory: AcademicA qualitative methodology in which theory is systematically generated from data through iterative coding and constant comparison. Originated with Glaser and Strauss (1967).
Growth stock: Business / FinancialA stock expected to grow earnings at an above-average rate, typically trading at higher price-to-earnings multiples.
GSE: Business / FinancialGovernment-Sponsored Enterprise — a privately held entity chartered by Congress, such as Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, or the Federal Home Loan Banks (FINRA Terms and Acronyms).
GU: MedicalGenitourinary.
Guardian Ad Litem (GAL): LegalA person appointed by the court to represent the interests of a minor or incapacitated person in a specific case.
Guidance: Business / FinancialManagement's forward-looking projections for revenue, earnings, or other metrics, typically issued on earnings calls.
Guilty: LegalA plea or verdict admitting that the defendant committed the crime charged.
Gunshot Residue (GSR): Law EnforcementParticulate matter expelled from a firearm when discharged; can be analyzed to determine whether a person recently fired a weapon.

HH

H&P: MedicalHistory and Physical. A foundational document covering a patient's medical history and physical examination findings, dictated at admission or initial outpatient evaluation.
H&P (history and physical): GeneralA document recording a patient's medical history and the findings of a physical examination.
Habeas Corpus: LegalLatin for "you have the body." A civil proceeding used to challenge the legality of a person's confinement.; Law EnforcementA petition challenging the legality of a person's detention.
Haircut: Business / FinancialA reduction applied to the market value of an asset when used as collateral, reflecting credit and liquidity risk.
Halo effect: AcademicA cognitive bias in which an overall impression of a person or thing influences judgments about specific traits.
Hard Stop: Law EnforcementA high-risk vehicle stop using multiple officers, drawn weapons, and tactical positioning.
Hate Crime: Law EnforcementA criminal offense motivated in whole or part by bias against a protected characteristic.
Hawkish / Dovish: Business / FinancialHawkish describes a monetary policy stance favoring higher interest rates to control inflation; dovish favors lower rates to support employment and growth.
Hawthorne effect: AcademicThe phenomenon of participants changing their behavior because they know they are being observed.
HCT: MedicalHematocrit. The percentage of blood volume composed of red blood cells.
HDL: MedicalHigh-density lipoprotein — the "good" cholesterol.
Headline number: Business / FinancialThe top-line figure investors focus on first — often revenue or EPS — in an earnings release.
Hearing: LegalA proceeding before a judge — generally shorter than a trial — at which arguments and limited evidence may be presented.
Hearing transcript / proceedings: GeneralThe written record of a hearing or other formal legal session.
Hearsay: LegalAn out-of-court statement offered to prove the truth of the matter asserted. Generally inadmissible at trial unless an exception applies.; Law EnforcementAn out-of-court statement offered for the truth of the matter asserted. Generally inadmissible unless an exception applies.
Hedge: Business / FinancialA position taken to offset risk in another position.
Hedge fund: Business / FinancialA privately offered pooled investment vehicle, typically limited to accredited investors and qualified purchasers, that employs flexible strategies including leverage, short-selling, and derivatives.
HEENT: MedicalHead, Eyes, Ears, Nose, and Throat. A standard physical-exam heading.
HELOC: Business / FinancialHome Equity Line of Credit — a revolving credit line secured by the borrower's home equity.
Helsinki Declaration: AcademicThe World Medical Association's statement of ethical principles for medical research involving human subjects, first adopted in 1964 and periodically revised.
Hermeneutics: AcademicThe theory and methodology of interpretation, particularly of texts.
Hgb / HGB: MedicalHemoglobin. The oxygen-carrying protein in red blood cells.
High-frequency trading (HFT): Business / FinancialAlgorithmic trading characterized by extremely short holding periods and very high order-to-execution ratios.
High-yield bond: Business / FinancialA bond rated below investment grade (BB+/Ba1 or lower). Also called a junk bond.
HIPAA: GeneralThe U.S. Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, which governs the privacy and security of protected health information.; MedicalHealth Insurance Portability and Accountability Act. The U.S. law governing privacy and security of Protected Health Information. HIPAA-compliant transcription requires Business Associate Agreements, encryption, access controls, and trained personnel.; AcademicHealth Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 — federal law protecting individually identifiable health information. The HIPAA Privacy Rule has specific provisions for research use of protected health information.
HIPAA compliance: GeneralHandling protected health information in line with HIPAA requirements.
HIPAA-Compliant Transcription: MedicalTranscription performed under controls that satisfy the HIPAA Privacy Rule and Security Rule, including BAAs, encrypted transfer/storage, role-based access, and audit trails.
Histogram: AcademicA bar chart displaying the frequency distribution of a continuous variable.
History of Present Illness (HPI): MedicalThe narrative portion of a clinical note describing the patient's current symptoms — onset, location, duration, character, alleviating factors, related symptoms, and severity.
HIV: MedicalHuman immunodeficiency virus.
HL7: GeneralA set of standards for exchanging electronic health information between different systems.
Holding company: Business / FinancialA parent corporation that owns enough voting stock in subsidiaries to control management and policy.
Holding period: Business / FinancialThe length of time an investor holds a security; relevant for tax treatment (short-term vs. long-term capital gains).
Homicide: Law EnforcementThe killing of one person by another. Categories include murder, manslaughter, and justifiable homicide.
Homogeneity of variance: AcademicA statistical assumption that the variance of a variable is roughly equal across groups; tested with Levene's or Bartlett's test.
Hospital Course: MedicalThe narrative section of a discharge summary describing what happened during the inpatient stay.
Hostile Witness: LegalA witness who shows antagonism toward the questioning party, allowing the attorney to use leading questions on direct examination.
Hot Pursuit: Law EnforcementA continuous, immediate chase of a fleeing suspect — may justify warrantless entry.
HTN: MedicalHypertension. High blood pressure.
Human subject: AcademicA living individual about whom an investigator obtains information or biospecimens through intervention or interaction, or identifiable private information (45 CFR 46.102).
Human subjects research: AcademicResearch meeting the federal definition that involves human subjects; triggers IRB oversight in covered institutions.
Human transcription: GeneralTranscription produced and reviewed by trained people rather than software. Delivers higher accuracy on difficult audio, accents, crosstalk, and specialized terminology.
Hung Jury: LegalA jury unable to reach a unanimous verdict, often resulting in a mistrial.
Hybrid transcription: GeneralA workflow in which AI produces a first draft that human transcriptionists then correct, format, and certify.
Hyper-: MedicalPrefix meaning above or excessive (e.g., hypertension, hyperglycemia).
Hypo-: MedicalPrefix meaning below or deficient (e.g., hypothyroidism, hypoglycemia).
Hypothesis: AcademicA specific, testable prediction about the relationship between variables.

II

IA (Internal Affairs): Law EnforcementThe unit that investigates allegations of officer misconduct.
IAFIS (Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System): Law EnforcementThe FBI's national fingerprint and criminal history database, now part of the Next Generation Identification (NGI) system.
ICD-10 Code: MedicalInternational Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision. The diagnosis coding system referenced in dictations and used for billing.
ICE (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement): Law EnforcementThe federal agency responsible for immigration enforcement and certain transnational crime investigations.
ICU: MedicalIntensive care unit.
Identifiable private information: AcademicPrivate information for which the identity of the subject is or may readily be ascertained (45 CFR 46.102).
Identification Procedure: Law EnforcementA method for confirming a suspect's identity — photo array, lineup, or showup.
Identifier (Standard Identifier): Law EnforcementA short code used in police reports to label parties — C1 (complainant), V1 (victim), S1 (suspect), W1 (witness), D1 (defendant), R1 (juvenile respondent), RP1 (reporting person).
Idiopathic: MedicalOf unknown cause.
IFRS: Business / FinancialInternational Financial Reporting Standards — accounting standards issued by the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB), used in most non-U.S. jurisdictions.
Imaging: Law EnforcementForensic copying of digital storage media for examination without altering the original.
Imaging Study: MedicalAny diagnostic image — X-ray, CT, MRI, ultrasound, PET, nuclear medicine scan.
Impairment: Business / FinancialA reduction in the carrying value of an asset to its recoverable amount when the carrying value exceeds fair value.
Impeachment: Law EnforcementChallenging a witness's credibility, often using prior inconsistent statements from recorded interviews.
Impeachment (of a Witness): LegalThe process of challenging a witness's credibility, often using a prior inconsistent statement from a deposition transcript.
Implied Consent: Law EnforcementThe legal principle that operating a motor vehicle on public roads implies consent to chemical testing upon DUI suspicion.
Impression: MedicalA diagnostic conclusion section, common in radiology reports.
Impression Evidence: Law EnforcementPatterns made by one object pressing against another — shoeprints, tire tracks, tool marks.
IMRaD: AcademicA common research-paper structure: Introduction, Methods, Results, and Discussion.
In Camera: LegalLatin for "in chambers." A hearing or review conducted privately by the judge, outside the presence of the public, press, or jury.
In Limine: LegalSee "Motion in Limine."
In-EMR Voice Capture: MedicalDictation captured directly inside the electronic medical record, often with embedded speech recognition.
In-the-money (ITM): Business / FinancialAn option with intrinsic value — a call whose strike is below the underlying's price, or a put whose strike is above the underlying's price.
Inadmissible: LegalEvidence that may not be considered by the jury under the rules of evidence.
Inaudible: MedicalA section of dictation that cannot be deciphered after careful repeated listening, marked [inaudible] or as a blank flagged for the dictator.; LegalA section of audio that cannot be understood despite careful repeated listening. Marked [inaudible] or [inaudible 00:14:22] in transcripts.
Inaudible / unintelligible markers: GeneralNotations (for example, [inaudible 00:12:04]) used when audio can't be reliably understood, preserving accuracy by flagging rather than guessing.
Incident Report: Law EnforcementThe agency's official record of an event, ranging from minor losses to major crimes.
Inclusion criteria: AcademicCharacteristics that prospective subjects must have to be eligible for a study.
Income statement: Business / FinancialA financial statement summarizing revenues, expenses, gains, and losses over a reporting period. Also called the profit and loss (P&L) statement.
Indenture: Business / FinancialThe contract between a bond issuer and bondholders specifying the bond's terms.
Independent variable (IV): AcademicThe variable manipulated or selected by the researcher to assess its effect on the dependent variable.
Index fund: Business / FinancialA mutual fund or ETF designed to track the performance of a market index, such as the S&P 500.
Indication: MedicalThe medical reason a treatment is given.
Indictment: LegalA formal charge issued by a grand jury alleging a felony offense.; Law EnforcementA formal grand jury charge alleging commission of a felony.
Inductive reasoning: AcademicDrawing general conclusions from specific observations. The dominant logic in most qualitative research.
Inferential statistics: AcademicStatistical procedures that allow researchers to draw conclusions about a population from a sample.
Inflation: Business / FinancialA sustained increase in the general price level of goods and services.
Informant: Law EnforcementSee "Confidential Informant."
Information: LegalA formal charging document filed by a prosecutor without a grand jury, used in some jurisdictions and offenses.
Information (Charging Document): Law EnforcementA formal charge filed by a prosecutor without grand jury involvement.
Informed consent: AcademicA potential participant's voluntary agreement to participate in research after being told about purpose, procedures, risks, benefits, alternatives, and rights. Documented under 45 CFR 46.116.
Initial Appearance: LegalA defendant's first appearance in court, where the charges, rights, and bond are addressed.
Initial margin: Business / FinancialThe cash or collateral required to open a leveraged position.
Initial public offering (IPO): Business / FinancialThe first sale of a company's stock to the public, typically registered on Form S-1.
Initial Responding Officer: Law EnforcementThe first law enforcement officer to arrive at a scene.
Injunction: LegalA court order requiring a party to do or refrain from doing a specific act.
Inpatient: MedicalA patient formally admitted to a hospital.
Insider trading: Business / FinancialTrading by company insiders (officers, directors, 10% holders) — legal when properly reported on Form 4; illegal when based on material nonpublic information (MNPI).
Institutional investor: Business / FinancialPension funds, mutual funds, insurance companies, endowments, sovereign wealth funds, and other large pooled-capital allocators.
Institutional Review Board (IRB): AcademicA federally mandated committee that reviews and oversees human-subjects research at U.S. institutions. Established by the National Research Act of 1974.
Instrumentation: AcademicThe tools (surveys, scales, observation protocols, interview guides) used to collect data.
Intangible asset: Business / FinancialA non-physical asset such as goodwill, patents, trademarks, or customer relationships.
Intelligent Verbatim (Clean Verbatim): LegalA lightly edited transcript that removes fillers, false starts, and stutters while preserving every substantive word.
Inter Alia: LegalLatin for "among other things." Used in legal writing to indicate a non-exhaustive list.
Inter-rater reliability: AcademicThe degree to which two or more raters agree when independently coding the same material. Common indices include Cohen's kappa and Krippendorff's alpha.
Interagency: Law EnforcementInvolving more than one law enforcement agency.
Interest coverage ratio: Business / FinancialEBIT divided by interest expense; a measure of a company's ability to service interest payments.
Interest rate swap: Business / FinancialA derivative in which counterparties exchange streams of interest payments — typically fixed-for-floating — on a notional principal amount.
Intern: MedicalA first-year resident physician.
Internal Affairs (IA): Law EnforcementSee "IA."
Internal consistency: AcademicThe degree to which items on a scale measure the same construct, often quantified with Cronbach's alpha.
Internal validity: AcademicThe extent to which a study's design supports causal claims by ruling out alternative explanations.
Interpretation: MedicalThe clinician's explanation of a diagnostic study, central to radiology and cardiology reports.
Interpretive phenomenological analysis (IPA): AcademicA qualitative method for exploring how individuals make sense of significant life experiences.
Interrogation: LegalA recorded questioning of a suspect by law enforcement, typically transcribed verbatim and certified.; Law EnforcementQuestioning of a suspect designed to elicit incriminating information. Triggers Miranda requirements when custodial.
Interrogatories: LegalWritten questions sent from one party to another during discovery, answered in writing under oath.
Interrupted speech: AcademicSpeech cut off before completion. Common transcription conventions use a double dash (--) or a hyphen at the cut-off point (Lives & Legacies, UofT Scarborough).
Interval History: MedicalA focused update of changes since the patient was last seen.
Intervention: AcademicA treatment, program, or manipulation introduced by the researcher to test its effects on participants or their environment.
Interview: AcademicA structured, semi-structured, or unstructured conversation between researcher and participant aimed at eliciting information.
Interview / interrogation transcription: GeneralWritten records of suspect, witness, or victim interviews.
Interview guide: AcademicA document listing topics or questions to be covered in an interview; semi-structured guides allow flexible follow-up.
Interview transcription: GeneralWritten records of one-on-one or small-group interviews.
Interviewer (INT, I, or IR): AcademicConvention in interview transcripts to label the researcher conducting the interview. Participants are typically labeled Interviewee, IE, R (Respondent), P (Participant), or by a pseudonym.
Intoxication: Law EnforcementA state of impairment caused by alcohol, drugs, or other substances.
Inventory Search: Law EnforcementA warrantless search of a lawfully seized vehicle or property, conducted to document its contents per agency policy.
Inventory turnover: Business / FinancialCost of goods sold divided by average inventory; a measure of how efficiently inventory is sold and replaced.
Investigation: Law EnforcementThe systematic inquiry into the circumstances of a suspected crime.
Investigator in Charge: Law EnforcementThe official responsible for crime scene investigation.
Investment adviser: Business / FinancialAn individual or firm that provides investment advice for compensation, regulated under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 (SEC Glossary).
Investment Company Act: Business / FinancialThe Investment Company Act of 1940 — the federal statute governing mutual funds, closed-end funds, and other registered investment companies.
Investment-grade: Business / FinancialA credit rating of BBB- / Baa3 or higher, indicating relatively low default risk.
Investor relations (IR): Business / FinancialThe corporate function responsible for communicating with shareholders, analysts, and the broader investment community.
IPO: Business / FinancialSee Initial public offering.
IRA: Business / FinancialIndividual Retirement Account — a tax-advantaged retirement savings vehicle. Variants include Traditional IRA, Roth IRA, SEP IRA, and SIMPLE IRA.
IRB: AcademicSee Institutional Review Board.
IRR: Business / FinancialInternal Rate of Return — the discount rate at which the net present value of a series of cash flows equals zero.
IV: MedicalIntravenous — given through a vein.

JJ

Jail: Law EnforcementA facility holding pretrial detainees and persons serving short sentences, typically operated by a county sheriff.
Jefferson transcription system: AcademicA widely used set of conventions for transcribing spoken interaction developed by Gail Jefferson, capturing pauses, overlaps, stress, intonation, latching, sound stretches, and audible features. Standard in conversation analysis.
JOBS Act: Business / FinancialJumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012 — federal legislation that eased certain securities-law requirements for emerging-growth companies and authorized Regulation Crowdfunding.
Joinder: LegalThe combining of multiple claims or parties into a single lawsuit.
Joint Commission: MedicalThe U.S. organization that accredits hospitals and publishes the "Do Not Use" abbreviation list to reduce medical errors.
Joint Task Force: Law EnforcementA multi-agency investigative team — common in federal-state-local narcotics, gang, and human-trafficking work.
Joint venture (JV): Business / FinancialA business arrangement in which two or more parties pool resources for a specific project while remaining distinct entities.
Journal: AcademicA periodical publishing peer-reviewed scholarly articles in a defined field.
Judge: LegalThe judicial officer who presides over a court proceeding, rules on legal issues, and (in a bench trial) decides questions of fact.; Law EnforcementThe judicial officer presiding over a court.
Judgment: LegalA final court decision resolving the rights and obligations of the parties.
Judicial Notice: LegalA judge's acceptance of a well-known fact without requiring evidence to prove it.
Junior debt: Business / FinancialDebt that is subordinate to senior debt in priority of repayment in the event of bankruptcy or liquidation.
Junk bond: Business / FinancialSee High-yield bond.
Jurisdiction: LegalA court's authority to hear and decide a particular case.; Law EnforcementThe authority of a law enforcement agency or court to act within a defined geographic area or subject matter.
Juror: LegalA member of the jury.
Jury: LegalA group of citizens sworn to render a verdict on questions of fact at trial.
Jury Charge: LegalSee "Charge to the Jury."
Jury Instructions: LegalThe written or spoken instructions a judge gives to the jury about the law applicable to the case.
Jury Selection: LegalThe process of choosing jurors. See "Voir Dire."
Justice: AcademicA Belmont principle requiring fair distribution of the benefits and burdens of research (HHS Belmont Report).
Juvenile: Law EnforcementA minor under the age of legal majority (varies by state). Reports label arrested juveniles "R1" rather than "D1."
JVD: MedicalJugular venous distention.
JVP: MedicalJugular venous pressure.

KK

K-1: Business / FinancialSchedule K-1 — a U.S. tax form that partnerships, S corporations, and certain trusts use to report each partner's or shareholder's share of income, deductions, and credits.
K-9 Unit: Law EnforcementA police dog and handler team, used for tracking, narcotics or explosives detection, and apprehension.
Kangaroo Court: LegalA pejorative term for a sham judicial proceeding that disregards proper legal procedure.
Keogh plan: Business / FinancialA tax-deferred retirement plan for self-employed individuals and unincorporated businesses, largely superseded by SEP and SIMPLE IRAs.
Ketones: MedicalByproducts of fat metabolism, elevated in uncontrolled diabetes and ketogenic diets.
Key informant: AcademicAn individual with specialized knowledge of a community, organization, or phenomenon who provides in-depth information to the researcher.
Key Person: Business / FinancialA provision in a fund's limited partnership agreement specifying named individuals whose departure may trigger investor rights such as a suspension of investment activity.
Keyword: AcademicA term used by indexing services to classify and retrieve a paper.
Knock-and-Announce: Law EnforcementThe general constitutional requirement that police announce their presence and purpose before forcibly entering to execute a warrant.
Known Sample: Law EnforcementSee "Comparison Sample."
KPI: Business / FinancialKey Performance Indicator — a quantifiable metric used to evaluate organizational or business-unit performance. Investor presentations frequently disclose company-specific KPIs (ARR, GMV, DAU, MAU, same-store sales).
Kruskal-Wallis test: AcademicA non-parametric alternative to ANOVA used when assumptions of normality or homogeneity are violated.
KUB: MedicalKidney, Ureter, Bladder X-ray. A plain abdominal X-ray.
Kurtosis: AcademicA statistical measure of the "tailedness" of a distribution relative to a normal curve.
KYC: Business / FinancialKnow Your Customer — the AML process of verifying a customer's identity and assessing risk.

LL

Laboratory Data (Labs): MedicalResults of blood, urine, microbiology, or tissue tests, summarized in the Objective section of a clinical note.
Laceration: MedicalA torn or jagged wound.
Lagging indicator: Business / FinancialAn economic metric that changes after the broader economy — examples include unemployment, CPI, and corporate profits.
Laparoscopy: MedicalMinimally invasive abdominal surgery using a camera and small incisions.
Larceny: Law EnforcementThe taking and carrying away of another's property with intent to permanently deprive.
Large-cap: Business / FinancialA company with a large market capitalization. Conventional thresholds: large-cap > $10 billion; mid-cap $2 billion–$10 billion; small-cap $300 million–$2 billion; micro-cap < $300 million.
Latching: AcademicIn conversation analysis, two utterances with no audible gap or overlap between them, often marked with the equals sign (=) in Jefferson notation.
Latent content: AcademicUnderlying meaning that requires interpretation, contrasted with manifest (surface) content.
Latent Print: Law EnforcementA fingerprint impression left on a surface, not visible without enhancement.
Laterality: MedicalThe side of the body — left, right, or bilateral. Required by ICD-10 for many diagnoses.
LBO: Business / FinancialLeveraged Buyout — an acquisition in which a substantial portion of the purchase price is financed with debt, often secured by the target's assets and cash flow.
LDL: MedicalLow-density lipoprotein — the "bad" cholesterol.
Leading indicator: Business / FinancialAn economic metric that tends to move ahead of the broader economy — examples include building permits, manufacturing new orders, and the yield curve.
Leading Question: LegalA question that suggests its own answer. Generally not allowed on direct examination but permitted on cross-examination.
Lecture / podcast transcription: GeneralConverting educational talks or audio programs into text for study, accessibility, or publishing.
LEEP (Law Enforcement Enterprise Portal): Law EnforcementThe FBI's secure portal that gives authorized law enforcement personnel access to many federal investigative resources.
Less-Lethal: Law EnforcementForce options designed to incapacitate without causing death — TASER, OC spray, beanbag rounds, baton.
Letter of intent (LOI): Business / FinancialA non-binding document outlining the principal terms of a proposed transaction prior to definitive documentation.
Letter-by-Letter Initialism: MedicalAn abbreviation pronounced one letter at a time (MRI, EKG), distinguished from an acronym pronounced as a word.
Leverage: Business / FinancialThe use of borrowed capital to amplify returns; also refers to the ratio of debt to equity.
LFT: MedicalLiver function tests.
Liability: LegalLegal responsibility for one's acts or omissions.
LIBOR: Business / FinancialLondon Interbank Offered Rate — formerly a benchmark interbank lending rate. In USD markets, LIBOR has been replaced by SOFR (Secured Overnight Financing Rate) since June 30, 2023.
Lien: Business / FinancialA legal claim against an asset used as collateral for a debt.
LIFO: Business / FinancialLast-In, First-Out — an inventory valuation method assuming the most recently purchased items are the first sold. Permitted under U.S. GAAP, prohibited under IFRS.
Likert scale: AcademicAn ordinal rating scale, typically with 5 or 7 points, capturing agreement, frequency, or intensity (e.g., Strongly disagree to Strongly agree).
Limit order: Business / FinancialAn order to buy or sell a security at a specified price or better.
Limitations: AcademicThe aspects of a study's design or execution that constrain its findings or generalizability.
Limited partner (LP): Business / FinancialA partner in a limited partnership whose liability is limited to invested capital and who typically does not participate in management.
Line of Duty: Law EnforcementActs performed in the course of official law enforcement responsibilities.
Line rate: GeneralPricing based on a standard transcript line, commonly defined as 65 characters. A traditional model in legal and medical transcription.
Lineup: Law EnforcementAn identification procedure in which a witness views the suspect alongside several similar-looking persons.
Liquidity: Business / FinancialThe ease with which an asset can be converted to cash without materially affecting its price.
Liquidity ratio: Business / FinancialA measure of a company's ability to meet short-term obligations — current ratio, quick ratio, cash ratio.
Listing: Business / FinancialAdmission of a security to trading on a national securities exchange.
Literature review: AcademicA synthesis of existing scholarship on a topic, situating the current study within the field.
Litigant: LegalA party to a lawsuit.
Litigation: LegalA legal contest in court to enforce a contract or right.
Litigation Support: LegalServices that assist attorneys with discovery, transcripts, exhibits, and trial preparation.
Litigation Support (Medical-Legal): MedicalMedical transcription provided to attorneys for personal-injury, malpractice, IME, and disability files — often requiring certified accuracy.
Live Monitoring: Law EnforcementReal-time observation of an interview or surveillance feed.
LMP: MedicalLast menstrual period.
Localization: GeneralAdapting translated content to a specific region's culture, idioms, and conventions.
Lockup period: Business / FinancialA contractually mandated period (commonly 90–180 days post-IPO) during which insiders agree not to sell their shares.
Loitering: Law EnforcementRemaining in a public place without apparent purpose; criminalized in some jurisdictions under narrow conditions.
Long position: Business / FinancialOwnership of a security in anticipation of price appreciation.
Longitudinal study: AcademicA study that collects data from the same subjects repeatedly over time.
Low Confidence Score: MedicalA speech-recognition flag indicating that a word or phrase has low estimated accuracy and should be reviewed.
LPR (License Plate Reader): Law EnforcementA camera system that automatically captures and records vehicle license plates.

MM

M&A: Business / FinancialMergers and Acquisitions — corporate transactions involving the consolidation or transfer of ownership of companies or business units.
Machine / AI transcription: GeneralTranscripts generated by software using ASR, without human review. Quick and cheap but unreliable when accuracy matters.
Macro (Text Macro): MedicalA productivity feature that inserts a block of standard text — for example, a normal physical exam template — in response to a short trigger.
Magistrate Judge: LegalA judicial officer who assists U.S. district judges with case preparation and may decide some criminal and civil matters by consent of the parties.
Malignant: MedicalCancerous; tending to invade and metastasize.
Manuscript: AcademicA submitted but not-yet-published version of a scholarly article.
Margin: Business / Financial(1) The collateral required to support a leveraged position. (2) Profitability — gross margin, operating margin, net margin.
Margin call: Business / FinancialA demand from a broker for additional collateral when account equity falls below the maintenance requirement.
Margin of error: AcademicA statistic expressing the amount of random sampling error in a survey's results.
Marijuana / Cannabis: Law EnforcementA controlled substance whose legal status varies by state. Frequently misspelled in police reports — "marijuana" is the standard spelling.
Market capitalization (market cap): Business / FinancialShare price multiplied by total shares outstanding.
Market maker: Business / FinancialA broker-dealer that quotes both bid and ask prices to provide liquidity in a security.
Market order: Business / FinancialAn instruction to buy or sell a security immediately at the best available price.
Marketable securities: Business / FinancialHighly liquid financial instruments that can be quickly converted to cash, reported as current assets.
Master limited partnership (MLP): Business / FinancialA limited partnership whose interests trade on a public exchange, common in energy and natural-resources sectors.
Material adverse change (MAC) clause: Business / FinancialA provision in a merger or financing agreement allowing termination if the target suffers a defined adverse event.
Material nonpublic information (MNPI): Business / FinancialInformation that is both material to investment decisions and has not been disclosed to the public; trading on MNPI is illegal insider trading.
Material Witness: Law EnforcementA witness whose testimony is essential to a case, sometimes held in custody to ensure availability.
Maturity: Business / FinancialThe date on which a bond's principal is repaid.
MAXQDA: AcademicA leading qualitative data analysis software package alongside NVivo, ATLAS.ti, and Dedoose.
MBS: Business / FinancialMortgage-Backed Security — a bond backed by a pool of mortgages.
MD: MedicalDoctor of Medicine.
Mean: AcademicThe arithmetic average of a set of numbers.
Measurement: AcademicThe systematic assignment of numbers to characteristics of objects or events.
Median: AcademicThe middle value in an ordered dataset; less affected by outliers than the mean.
Mediating variable: AcademicA variable that explains the mechanism through which an independent variable affects a dependent variable.
Mediation: LegalA form of alternative dispute resolution in which a neutral mediator helps the parties negotiate a settlement.
Medical Editor: MedicalA specialized professional who edits ASR-generated medical drafts against source dictation, ensuring clinical and HIPAA accuracy.
Medical Examiner (ME): Law EnforcementA physician who investigates suspicious, unexpected, or violent deaths and performs autopsies.
Medical Language Specialist (MLS): MedicalThe AHDI's preferred term for the medical transcriptionist role, emphasizing clinical-language expertise.
Medical Necessity: MedicalDocumentation supporting that a service is reasonable and appropriate for a patient's condition. Affects payment and audit risk.
Medical terminology: GeneralThe specialized clinical vocabulary a transcriptionist must know to produce accurate medical documents.
Medical transcription (MT): GeneralConverting physician dictation and clinical audio into formatted medical documents.; MedicalThe transcription of dictated medical records — histories and physicals, consultations, operative notes, discharge summaries, pathology, radiology, and more.
Medical Transcriptionist: MedicalA trained professional who produces written medical reports from dictation. Now often called a Healthcare Documentation Specialist (HDS).
Medications: MedicalA clinical-note section listing current drugs, doses, frequencies, and routes.
Meeting minutes: GeneralA summarized official record of what was discussed and decided at a meeting.
Mega-cap: Business / FinancialA company with a market capitalization above $200 billion (the threshold varies).
Member checking: AcademicA qualitative trustworthiness practice in which the researcher returns findings or interpretations to participants for verification.
Memo-writing: AcademicSee Memoing.
Memoing: AcademicWriting reflective notes during analysis to record analytic insights, decisions, and emerging interpretations.
Mens Rea: LegalLatin for "guilty mind." The mental-state element of a crime, required for many offenses.
Meta-analysis: AcademicA statistical synthesis of results across multiple studies addressing the same research question.
Methamphetamine: Law EnforcementA Schedule II controlled substance commonly investigated by narcotics units.
Methodology: AcademicThe overall strategy and rationale guiding the research design — how the researcher will produce knowledge.
Methods: AcademicThe specific procedures used to collect and analyze data — distinct from methodology.
Mezzanine financing: Business / FinancialA hybrid of debt and equity financing, typically unsecured subordinated debt with warrants or conversion features.
MI: MedicalMyocardial infarction — heart attack.
Midcap: Business / FinancialSee Large-cap.
Min-U-Script: LegalSee "Condensed Transcript."
Minimal risk: AcademicThe probability and magnitude of harm or discomfort in research that is no greater than what is encountered in daily life or during routine examinations (45 CFR 46.102).
Miranda Warning: LegalThe statement of constitutional rights — including the right to remain silent and the right to counsel — that police must give a suspect before custodial interrogation.; Law EnforcementThe advisement of constitutional rights — right to remain silent, that statements can be used against you, right to counsel, right to appointed counsel if indigent — required before custodial interrogation under Miranda v. Arizona (1966).
Mirandize: Law EnforcementThe verb form of administering Miranda warnings.
Mirandized Statement: LegalA statement given by a suspect after a proper Miranda warning. The reading itself is transcribed verbatim because waiver validity may be challenged in court.; Law EnforcementA statement given by a suspect after a proper Miranda warning. The warning itself is transcribed verbatim because waiver validity may be challenged in court.
Misdemeanor: LegalA less serious crime, typically punishable by a fine and/or up to one year in jail.; Law EnforcementA less serious crime, generally punishable by no more than one year in jail.
Missing data: AcademicObservations that are missing for some variables in a dataset; handled through deletion, imputation, or specialized analytic methods.
Mistrial: LegalA trial ended before verdict due to fundamental error or a hung jury. A new trial may begin with a new jury.
Mixed-methods research: AcademicA research approach combining qualitative and quantitative data within a single study or program of research.
mL: MedicalMilliliter. AHDI preferred form for liquid volume.
MLA style: AcademicCitation and formatting style established by the Modern Language Association, standard in humanities scholarship.
Mode: AcademicThe most frequently occurring value in a dataset.
Moderating variable: AcademicA variable that changes the strength or direction of the relationship between an independent and dependent variable.
Modified Accelerated Cost Recovery System (MACRS): Business / FinancialThe U.S. tax depreciation system for most tangible property placed in service after 1986.
Modus Operandi (MO): Law EnforcementThe distinctive method by which a particular offender commits crimes.
Money market: Business / FinancialThe market for short-term debt instruments (Treasury bills, commercial paper, certificates of deposit, repos) typically maturing within one year.
Moody's: Business / FinancialA major credit-rating agency. Ratings: Aaa (highest) down through Aa, A, Baa, Ba, B, Caa, Ca, C, with numerical modifiers (1, 2, 3).
Motion: LegalA formal request asking the court to issue a ruling or order.
Motion in Limine: LegalLatin for "at the threshold." A pretrial motion asking the court to exclude particular evidence from being introduced at trial.
Motion to Suppress: Law EnforcementA defense motion asking the court to exclude evidence obtained in violation of the defendant's rights.
Movant: LegalThe party that files a motion.
Moving average: Business / FinancialThe average price of a security over a defined period, recalculated as new data arrives.
MRI: MedicalMagnetic resonance imaging.
MRSA: MedicalMethicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. A drug-resistant bacterial infection.
MSRB: Business / FinancialMunicipal Securities Rulemaking Board — the self-regulatory organization that establishes rules for broker-dealers and municipal advisors trading municipal securities.
Mug Shot: Law EnforcementSee "Booking Photo."
Multi-speaker audio: GeneralRecordings with several participants, requiring careful speaker tracking and identification.
Multimodal transcription: AcademicA transcript that captures not only speech but also gesture, gaze, posture, prosody, and other non-verbal communication, often using parallel tiers.
Multivariate analysis: AcademicStatistical analysis involving multiple dependent variables analyzed simultaneously.
Municipal bond (muni): Business / FinancialA debt security issued by a state, municipality, or local government agency, often with federal tax-exempt interest.
Mutual fund: Business / FinancialA pooled investment vehicle registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940 that issues redeemable shares.

NN

N: AcademicThe total number of participants, observations, or units in a sample, typically reported as "N = 250."; AcademicThe number of participants in a subgroup, often used as "n = 50."
NAD: MedicalNo acute distress (in physical exam) or no abnormality detected (in imaging) — context determines which.
Narcotics: Law EnforcementDrugs that dull the senses, relieve pain, and induce sleep — colloquially used to refer to controlled substances generally.
Narrative inquiry: AcademicA qualitative methodology that treats stories told by participants as primary data, attending to plot, character, and meaning.
NASDAQ: Business / FinancialA U.S. stock exchange operated by Nasdaq, Inc.; historically home to many technology companies.
National best bid and offer (NBBO): Business / FinancialThe highest displayed bid and lowest displayed offer across all U.S. exchanges for a given security (FINRA Terms and Acronyms).
National Research Act: AcademicThe 1974 U.S. law that mandated IRBs and led to the Belmont Report.
Naturalistic inquiry: AcademicResearch conducted in natural settings without researcher manipulation, common in qualitative work.
NCIC (National Crime Information Center): Law EnforcementThe FBI-maintained electronic clearinghouse of crime data — wanted persons, stolen vehicles, missing persons — accessible to law enforcement nationwide.
NCRA: MedicalNational Court Reporters Association (not a medical body but referenced when transcription work crosses into legal medical depositions).
NCRA (National Court Reporters Association): LegalThe principal U.S. professional association for court reporters and captioners.
Negative: MedicalAbsent — used for both exam findings and test results.
Negative case analysis: AcademicA trustworthiness practice in which the researcher actively seeks out cases that contradict emerging interpretations.
Negligence: LegalFailure to exercise the standard of care a reasonably prudent person would exercise under the same circumstances.
Negligent Discharge: Law EnforcementThe unintentional firing of a weapon, generally subject to internal investigation.
Neonatal: MedicalRelating to the newborn period (birth through 28 days).
Net asset value (NAV): Business / FinancialThe per-share value of a fund's assets minus liabilities, calculated daily for open-end mutual funds.
Net income: Business / FinancialRevenue minus all expenses, taxes, and losses. The bottom line of the income statement.
Net interest margin (NIM): Business / FinancialA bank's interest income from loans and securities minus interest paid on deposits and borrowings, divided by interest-earning assets.
Net present value (NPV): Business / FinancialThe sum of future cash flows discounted to the present, used to evaluate investment opportunities.
Net worth: Business / FinancialAssets minus liabilities.
Next of Kin: Law EnforcementThe closest living relative — relevant to death notifications.
NIBRS (National Incident-Based Reporting System): Law EnforcementThe FBI's standard reporting system for incident-level crime data, replacing the older Summary Reporting System.
NICU: MedicalNeonatal intensive care unit.
NIH: AcademicNational Institutes of Health — the largest U.S. federal funder of biomedical research.
NKDA: MedicalNo known drug allergies.
No-Knock Warrant: Law EnforcementA warrant authorizing entry without announcement, granted in limited circumstances.
Nolo Contendere: LegalLatin for "I do not wish to contest." A plea in which the defendant accepts punishment without admitting guilt.
Nominal variable: AcademicA categorical variable whose values have no inherent order (eye color, religious affiliation).
Non-Evidentiary Video: Law EnforcementBWC footage classified as having no investigative value, subject to shorter retention.
Non-GAAP measure: Business / FinancialA financial metric not defined under GAAP. Public companies must reconcile non-GAAP measures to the most directly comparable GAAP figure under SEC Regulation G.
Non-parametric statistics: AcademicStatistical procedures that do not require assumptions about the distribution of the underlying population; used for ordinal and nominal data.
Non-probability sampling: AcademicSampling methods in which the probability of selection is not known — convenience, purposive, quota, and snowball sampling.
Non-response: AcademicFailure to obtain measurements on selected sampling units; a source of bias if non-responders differ systematically from responders.
Non-verbal communication: AcademicCommunication through gesture, facial expression, posture, gaze, and proxemics. Round brackets are commonly used in transcripts to denote non-verbal cues, e.g., (laugh), (sighs), (waving gesture) (Lives & Legacies, UofT Scarborough).
Non-verbal cues: GeneralNotations for non-speech sounds and actions, such as [laughter], [applause], or [long pause], that add context to a transcript.
Normal Limits (WNL): MedicalWithin normal limits.
Normality: AcademicThe assumption that a variable's values follow a normal (bell-shaped) distribution; required for many parametric tests.
Notary Public: LegalA public officer authorized to administer oaths and authenticate signatures, often used to swear in deponents.
Notice of Deposition: LegalA formal document informing the opposing party of the date, time, and place of a deposition.
Notional value: Business / FinancialThe face amount used to calculate payments on a derivative contract. Notional value is not actually exchanged.
NPO: MedicalLatin nil per os, "nothing by mouth." A pre-procedure or fasting order.
NSAID: MedicalNonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (e.g., ibuprofen, naproxen).
NSF: AcademicNational Science Foundation — major U.S. federal funder of basic research in science, engineering, and social sciences.
Null hypothesis (H₀): AcademicThe hypothesis of no effect or no difference, against which alternative hypotheses are tested.
NVivo: AcademicA widely used qualitative data analysis software platform.
NYSE: Business / FinancialNew York Stock Exchange — the world's largest stock exchange by listed company market capitalization.

OO

Oath: LegalA solemn promise to tell the truth, sworn before testimony.
OB/GYN: MedicalObstetrics and gynecology.
Objection: LegalA formal challenge during a proceeding to a question or piece of evidence. Common bases include relevance, hearsay, leading, and form.
Objective: MedicalThe "O" in SOAP — measurable findings: vital signs, exam findings, labs, imaging.
Objectivity: AcademicA research stance emphasizing impartial, value-free observation. Treated differently across positivist, interpretivist, and critical paradigms.
Observational study: AcademicA study in which the researcher observes rather than manipulates variables.
OC Spray (Oleoresin Capsicum): Law EnforcementPepper spray, a less-lethal force option.
OCC: Business / Financial(1) Options Clearing Corporation — the clearinghouse for U.S. listed options. (2) Office of the Comptroller of the Currency — the federal regulator of national banks. Transcriptionists must disambiguate from context.
OECD: Business / FinancialOrganisation for Economic Co-operation and Development — an international economic organization of 38 member countries.
Off the Record: LegalA period during a proceeding when the court reporter pauses transcription. Discussions held off the record are not part of the official transcript.
Off-balance-sheet: Business / FinancialAssets, liabilities, or financing arrangements not recorded on the balance sheet, such as certain operating leases (prior to ASC 842) and special purpose entities.
Off-Duty: Law EnforcementA period when an officer is not on assigned shift but may still take police action.
Offer (ask): Business / FinancialSee Ask.
Office for Human Research Protections (OHRP): AcademicThe HHS office responsible for overseeing protections for human subjects in HHS-supported research (HHS OHRP).
Office of Research Integrity (ORI): AcademicThe HHS office that promotes integrity in PHS-supported research and oversees handling of research misconduct allegations.
Officer-Involved Shooting (OIS): Law EnforcementAn incident in which a law enforcement officer discharges a firearm at a person, typically triggering specialized investigation and review.
Official Court Reporter: LegalA court reporter employed on salary by a court system who works inside a courthouse every day.
OLDCARTS: MedicalA mnemonic used to organize the History of Present Illness: Onset, Location, Duration, Character, Aggravating factors, Relieving factors, Timing, Severity.
On Scene: Law EnforcementThe status of being present at the location of an incident — radio code 10-23 in many ten-code systems.
On the Record: LegalA period when the court reporter is transcribing the proceeding. Statements made on the record become part of the official transcript.
On the record / off the record: GeneralWhether statements are being officially transcribed ("on") or deliberately excluded from the record ("off").
Oncology: MedicalThe medical specialty concerning cancer.
Online survey: AcademicA survey delivered via web platform (Qualtrics, REDCap, SurveyMonkey, Google Forms).
Op Note (Operative Report): MedicalA dictated surgical narrative including preoperative and postoperative diagnoses, procedure performed, surgeon, anesthesia, findings, technique, complications, and disposition.
Open access: AcademicA publishing model in which research is freely available online without paywall.
Open Carry: Law EnforcementVisible carrying of a firearm in public, where legally permitted.
Open coding: AcademicA first-cycle coding stage, particularly in grounded theory, in which the researcher labels segments of data without imposing a predefined framework.
Open interest: Business / FinancialThe total number of outstanding derivative contracts that have not been settled.
Open vs. closed captions: GeneralOpen captions are permanently visible on the video; closed captions can be turned on or off by the viewer.
Open-end fund: Business / FinancialA mutual fund that continuously issues and redeems shares at net asset value.
Open-ended question: AcademicA question with no predetermined response options, allowing participants to answer in their own words.
Opening Statement: LegalAn attorney's introductory remarks at trial outlining what the evidence will show.
Operating expenses (OpEx): Business / FinancialDay-to-day expenses required to run a business — SG&A, R&D, and other recurring costs.
Operating income: Business / FinancialRevenue minus cost of goods sold and operating expenses; also called operating profit or EBIT.
Operating margin: Business / FinancialOperating income divided by revenue.
Operational definition: AcademicThe specific, measurable definition of a variable used in a study.
Operations Order: Law EnforcementA written tactical plan for a specific law enforcement operation.
Operative report: GeneralA detailed account of a surgical procedure.
Opinion: LegalA judge's or court's written explanation of a decision.
Option: Business / FinancialA contract giving the holder the right, but not the obligation, to buy (call) or sell (put) an underlying asset at a specified price on or before a specified date.
Order: LegalA directive issued by a court.
Order book: Business / FinancialThe list of buy and sell orders for a security at various price levels.
Ordinal variable: AcademicA categorical variable with a meaningful order but unequal intervals between categories (Likert ratings, education levels).
ORIF: MedicalOpen reduction and internal fixation. An orthopedic procedure for fracture repair.
Original Recording: Law EnforcementThe first, unaltered version of an audio or video file — must be preserved under chain-of-custody rules.
Original Transcript: LegalThe first certified copy of a transcript signed by the court reporter and filed with the court or delivered to the ordering party.
Orthopedics: MedicalThe medical specialty concerning the musculoskeletal system.
OT: MedicalOccupational therapy.
OTC: Business / FinancialOver-the-Counter — trading conducted directly between two parties, not on an organized exchange (FINRA Terms and Acronyms).
Out-of-the-money (OTM): Business / FinancialAn option with no intrinsic value — a call whose strike is above the underlying's price, or a put whose strike is below the underlying's price.
Outlier: AcademicAn observation that deviates markedly from other values in a dataset.
Outpatient: MedicalA patient receiving care without hospital admission.
Outstanding shares: Business / FinancialThe total number of a company's shares held by all shareholders, including institutional investors and insiders.
Over-the-Counter (OTC): MedicalMedications available without a prescription.
Overlap: AcademicTwo or more speakers talking at the same time. Jefferson notation marks overlap with left and right brackets aligning the simultaneous talk.

PP

p-value: AcademicThe probability, assuming the null hypothesis is true, of obtaining a result at least as extreme as the one observed.
p.c: MedicalLatin post cibum, "after meals."
p.o: MedicalLatin per os, "by mouth."
p.r.n: MedicalLatin pro re nata, "as needed."
P/B ratio: Business / FinancialPrice-to-Book — share price divided by book value per share.
P/E ratio: Business / FinancialPrice-to-Earnings — share price divided by earnings per share. Reported as trailing (TTM) or forward.
Page and line numbering: GeneralSequential numbering of pages and lines so specific testimony can be cited precisely. Standard in legal and court transcripts.
Page rate: GeneralPricing per finished transcript page, common in court and legal work.
Page-Line Citation: LegalA reference to specific testimony by page and line number (e.g., 42:17), the standard way attorneys cite a transcript.
Paper profit / loss: Business / FinancialAn unrealized gain or loss on a position still open.
Par value: Business / FinancialThe nominal value of a bond ($1,000) or the stated value of a share of stock (often $0.01 or $0.001).
Paradigm: AcademicA shared set of assumptions about reality, knowledge, and methods within a research community. Positivism, post-positivism, constructivism, critical theory, and pragmatism are common research paradigms.
Paralegal: LegalA trained professional who assists attorneys with legal research, document preparation, and case management.
Parametric statistics: AcademicStatistical procedures that assume specific distributional properties (typically normality) and require interval or ratio data.
Pari Passu: LegalLatin for "on equal footing." Describes assets or creditors treated equally without preference.; Business / FinancialLatin for "on equal footing." Securities or claims that rank equally in priority.
Participant: AcademicA person who takes part in a research study; the preferred term over "subject" in most contemporary social-science writing.
Participant observation: AcademicAn ethnographic method in which the researcher takes part in the community being studied while observing.
Participant pseudonym: AcademicA fictitious name used in transcripts and publications in place of a participant's real name to protect confidentiality.
Parties: LegalThe plaintiffs and defendants involved in a lawsuit — also called the litigants.
Past Medical History (PMH): MedicalA clinical-note section listing prior diagnoses and chronic conditions.
Past Surgical History (PSH): MedicalA clinical-note section listing prior operations and their dates.
Pat-Down: Law EnforcementSee "Frisk."
Pathology Report: MedicalA dictated report on tissue or laboratory analysis, including gross description, microscopic description, and final diagnosis.
Patient ID: MedicalThe unique identifier (medical record number, account number, or DOB) used to attach a transcribed report to the correct chart.
Patrol: Law EnforcementThe routine policing function of monitoring an assigned area.
Pause: AcademicA silence in speech. Transcription notation varies: ellipses (...) for short pauses, parenthesized seconds (2.0) in Jefferson notation, or the word "pause" in round brackets for longer ones (Lives & Legacies, UofT Scarborough).
Payout ratio: Business / FinancialDividends per share divided by earnings per share; the share of earnings returned to shareholders as dividends.
PCP: MedicalPrimary care physician.
PE: Medical(1) Physical examination. (2) Pulmonary embolism. Context determines meaning.
Peer review: AcademicEvaluation of scholarly work by qualified experts in the field before publication or funding.
Penal Code (PC): Law EnforcementA jurisdiction's compiled criminal statutes. References like "PC 211" (California robbery) commonly appear in West Coast transcripts.
Pendente Lite: LegalLatin for "while the litigation is pending." Refers to court orders that apply during ongoing proceedings.
Penny stock: Business / FinancialA low-priced, low-market-cap stock, generally trading under $5 per share, with heightened FINRA disclosure requirements.
Pension fund: Business / FinancialA pooled investment fund that funds retirement obligations for plan participants.
Per-audio-minute / per-audio-hour rate: GeneralPricing based on the length of the recording rather than the length of the finished transcript.
Percussion: MedicalA physical exam technique using tapping to assess underlying structures.
Peremptory Challenge: LegalA challenge during jury selection that excuses a prospective juror without stating a reason. Each side has a limited number.
Perioperative: MedicalThe period surrounding surgery — preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative phases.
Perjury: LegalThe criminal offense of knowingly making a false statement under oath.
Perp: Law EnforcementShort for "perpetrator." Industry slang, generally avoided in formal reports.
Petit Jury: LegalA trial jury (typically 12 members), as opposed to a grand jury. Pronounced "PETTY jury."
Petition: LegalA formal written request to a court.
PFT: MedicalPulmonary function test.
Phenomenology: AcademicA qualitative methodology focused on the lived experience of participants and the meanings they assign to that experience.
PHI (protected health information): GeneralAny patient data covered by HIPAA.; MedicalAny identifiable health information regulated under HIPAA — names, dates, diagnoses, treatment notes, and any of 18 specific identifiers.
Phonetic Alphabet: Law EnforcementThe NATO/APCO alphabet used in radio communications (Alpha, Bravo, Charlie, Delta, Echo, Foxtrot, Golf, Hotel, India, Juliet, Kilo, Lima, Mike, November, Oscar, Papa, Quebec, Romeo, Sierra, Tango, Uniform, Victor, Whiskey, X-ray, Yankee, Zulu).
Phonetic spelling: GeneralSpelling an unfamiliar name or word as it sounds when the correct spelling isn't known, usually flagged for client confirmation.
Photographic Lineup (Photo Array, Six-Pack): Law EnforcementAn identification procedure using six photos shown to a witness.
Physical Examination: MedicalThe hands-on portion of a clinical encounter, documented in the Objective section of SOAP or its own section in an H&P.
Pilot study: AcademicA small-scale preliminary study used to test procedures, instruments, and feasibility before the main study.
PIPE: Business / FinancialPrivate Investment in Public Equity — an investment by accredited or institutional investors in a public company's privately placed securities.
Plagiarism: AcademicThe use of others' words, ideas, or work without proper attribution; a form of research misconduct.
Plain View Doctrine: Law EnforcementA doctrine allowing seizure of evidence in plain sight when officers are lawfully present.
Plaintiff: LegalThe party that initiates a civil lawsuit.
Plan: MedicalThe "P" in SOAP — diagnostic workup, therapy, referrals, education, and follow-up.
Plea: LegalA criminal defendant's formal response to a charge — guilty, not guilty, no contest (nolo contendere), or an Alford plea.
Plea Bargain: Law EnforcementAn agreement between defendant and prosecutor — guilty plea in exchange for a concession.
Plea Deal (Plea Bargain): LegalAn agreement in which a defendant pleads guilty in exchange for a concession by the prosecutor.
Pleading: LegalA formal written statement of a party's claims or defenses, such as a complaint or answer.
Podcasting (Voice Capture): MedicalGeneral term for any spoken-audio capture; sometimes used loosely for medical dictation.
Police Officer Standards and Training (POST): Law EnforcementThe state-level body that certifies law enforcement officers and sets training standards.
Population: AcademicThe entire group of people, items, or events to which the researcher wishes to generalize. Contrast with sample.
Portfolio: Business / FinancialA collection of investments held by an investor or managed by an adviser.
Positionality: AcademicThe researcher's reflexive disclosure of their identity, background, and relationship to the topic and participants — important in qualitative writing.
Positivism: AcademicA philosophical stance holding that knowledge is best derived from observable, measurable phenomena; underlies most quantitative research.
Post hoc test: AcademicA statistical test conducted after a significant omnibus test (such as ANOVA) to identify which specific groups differ.
Post-Miranda Statement: Law EnforcementA statement made after a proper Miranda warning and valid waiver.
POSTOP / Postoperative: MedicalAfter surgery.
Power (statistical): AcademicThe probability of correctly rejecting a false null hypothesis. Conventionally targeted at 0.80 or higher.
Pragmatic paradigm: AcademicA research stance that selects methods based on what works for the research question, often associated with mixed-methods designs.
Pre-Event Buffering: Law EnforcementSee "Buffering Mode."
Pre-market: Business / FinancialTrading that occurs before the regular U.S. market open (9:30 a.m. Eastern).
Pre-registration: AcademicThe practice of publicly registering hypotheses, design, and analysis plans before data collection to reduce researcher degrees of freedom.
Preauthorization: MedicalInsurer approval required before certain procedures or medications.
Precedent: LegalA prior court decision that guides courts deciding similar cases.
Predicate Offense: Law EnforcementA prior crime that triggers enhanced penalties or qualifies a person for a separate charge.
Predictive validity: AcademicThe extent to which a measure predicts a future outcome.
Preeclampsia: MedicalA pregnancy complication marked by high blood pressure and protein in the urine.
Preferred stock: Business / FinancialEquity that pays a fixed dividend and has priority over common stock in dividends and liquidation, generally without voting rights.
Preliminary Hearing: LegalA hearing at which a judge decides whether enough evidence exists to require the defendant to stand trial.
Premium: Business / Financial(1) The price paid for an option. (2) The amount above par value at which a bond trades. (3) The amount above fair value paid in an acquisition.
PREOP / Preoperative: MedicalBefore surgery.
Preprint: AcademicA version of a manuscript shared publicly (e.g., on arXiv, SSRN, bioRxiv, medRxiv) before peer review.
Prescription (Rx): MedicalA clinician's written or electronic order for medication.
Present value: Business / FinancialThe current worth of a future cash flow, discounted at an appropriate rate.
Presenting Complaint: MedicalSee Chief Complaint.
Presumptive Test: Law EnforcementA non-confirmatory test used to screen for the presence of a substance — common for drugs and blood.
Pretextual Stop: Law EnforcementA traffic stop for a minor violation that is actually motivated by suspicion of a more serious crime. Generally constitutional under Whren v. United States.
Pretrial Conference: LegalA meeting between the parties (and sometimes the judge) before trial to address procedural matters, settlement, or scheduling.
Price discovery: Business / FinancialThe market process of determining the price of a security through the interaction of buyers and sellers.
Prima Facie: LegalLatin for "at first look." Describes evidence sufficient to establish a fact unless rebutted.
Primary data: AcademicData collected by the researcher directly from original sources for the current study.
Primary Diagnosis: MedicalThe condition chiefly responsible for the encounter.
Primary market: Business / FinancialThe market for new securities issuances — IPOs, follow-on offerings, new bond issuances.
Primary Officer: Law EnforcementThe officer assigned principal responsibility for an incident's investigation and report.
Prime brokerage: Business / FinancialA bundle of services — securities lending, leveraged trade execution, custody — provided by large investment banks primarily to hedge funds.
Principal: Business / Financial(1) The face amount of a bond. (2) A party that buys or sells securities for its own account. (3) The capital amount of an investment, distinct from interest or earnings.
Principal Investigator (PI): AcademicThe lead researcher with primary responsibility for a study's design, conduct, and reporting.
Prior: Law EnforcementA prior conviction, often relevant to sentencing or enhancement.
Privacy: AcademicA participant's right to control the disclosure of personal information.
Private equity (PE): Business / FinancialInvestment in privately held companies, typically through leveraged buyouts, growth equity, or distressed acquisitions.
Private placement: Business / FinancialThe sale of securities to a limited number of accredited investors without a public offering, often relying on Regulation D exemptions.
Pro Bono: LegalLatin for "for the good." Legal services provided free of charge.
Pro forma: Business / FinancialLatin for "as a matter of form." Financial statements adjusted to reflect a hypothetical transaction or different accounting treatment.
Pro Hac Vice: LegalLatin for "for this occasion." Permission granted to an out-of-state attorney to participate in a specific case.
Pro Se: LegalLatin for "for oneself." A party who appears in court without an attorney.
Probability sampling: AcademicSampling in which every member of the population has a known, nonzero chance of being selected — simple random, systematic, stratified, and cluster sampling.
Probable Cause: LegalA reasonable basis, supported by facts, for believing a crime has been committed or that evidence of a crime exists in a particular place.
Probable Cause (PC): Law EnforcementA reasonable basis, supported by facts and circumstances, to believe a crime has been committed or that evidence exists in a particular place. The standard for arrests and search warrants.
Probation: Law EnforcementA court-imposed period of supervised release in lieu of, or following, incarceration.
Probe: AcademicA follow-up question or prompt used by an interviewer to elicit more detail.
Procedure: LegalThe rules governing how a lawsuit is conducted — civil, criminal, evidentiary, bankruptcy, and appellate procedure each have their own rule sets.
Procedure Note: MedicalA dictated record of a non-surgical procedure (e.g., colonoscopy, central line placement).
Process consent: AcademicAn ongoing approach to consent that recognizes participants' right to withdraw or renegotiate involvement throughout a study, particularly in ethnographic and longitudinal work.
Production of Documents: LegalA discovery request in which one party asks another to produce specified documents.
Profit and loss statement (P&L): Business / FinancialSee Income statement.
Prognosis: MedicalThe expected course or outcome of a disease.
Progress note: GeneralA note documenting a patient's status and care during the course of treatment.; MedicalA dated entry documenting a patient's ongoing care during a hospital stay or treatment course.
Projectile Trajectory Analysis: Law EnforcementThe method for determining the path of a high-speed object such as a bullet.
Proof of Service: LegalA document confirming that a party has been properly served with legal papers.
Proofreader / editor: GeneralA second professional who reviews a draft transcript against the audio to catch errors, verify spellings, and confirm formatting before delivery.
Proofreading: MedicalThe final review pass focused on grammar, spelling, formatting, and terminology consistency.
Property Crime: Law EnforcementCrimes involving theft or destruction of property — burglary, larceny, motor vehicle theft, arson.
Property Record: Law EnforcementThe agency form used to log all property taken into police custody — evidence, recovered stolen items, found property.
Prosecution: Law EnforcementThe government's pursuit of criminal charges against a defendant.
Prosecutor: LegalThe government attorney who pursues criminal charges against a defendant.
Prospectus: Business / FinancialThe disclosure document delivered to investors in a registered securities offering, summarizing the issuer, the offering, and the risks.
Protective Order: LegalA court order limiting the disclosure or use of certain information.
Protocol: MedicalA standardized clinical procedure or treatment plan.; AcademicThe detailed plan for conducting a study, including aims, design, procedures, instruments, and analysis plan.
Proxy statement: Business / FinancialA disclosure document (Schedule 14A) delivered to shareholders before a meeting, describing matters to be voted on.
PSA: MedicalProstate-specific antigen — a blood test used in prostate cancer screening.
Pseudonym: AcademicA fictitious identifier used in place of a real name to protect participant identity in transcripts and publications.
PT: Medical(1) Physical therapy. (2) Prothrombin time — a measure of blood clotting. Context determines meaning.
PTSD: MedicalPost-traumatic stress disorder.
PTT: MedicalPartial thromboplastin time — another measure of blood clotting.
Public Defender: Law EnforcementA government-employed attorney representing indigent defendants.
Public float: Business / FinancialSee Float.
Public offering price (POP): Business / FinancialThe price at which new securities are offered to the public (FINRA Terms and Acronyms).
Publication bias: AcademicThe tendency for studies with statistically significant or novel findings to be published more readily than null or negative results.
Purposive sampling: AcademicA non-probability sampling strategy in which participants are deliberately selected because they meet criteria relevant to the research question.
Pursuit: Law EnforcementAn active vehicle or foot chase of a fleeing suspect, subject to strict policy.
Put option: Business / FinancialAn option contract giving the holder the right to sell the underlying at the strike price on or before expiration.

QQ

q: MedicalLatin quaque, "every." Often combined with hours (q.4h., q.6h.).
Q&A format: GeneralA layout labeling questions and answers (Q: / A:), standard in depositions and interviews.
q.d: MedicalLatin quaque die, "every day." On the Joint Commission "Do Not Use" list — expand to "daily."
q.h.s: MedicalLatin quaque hora somni, "every night at bedtime."
q.i.d: MedicalLatin quater in die, "four times a day."
QIB: Business / FinancialQualified Institutional Buyer — an institution with at least $100 million in qualifying securities, eligible to purchase Rule 144A securities.
Qualified Immunity: Law EnforcementA legal doctrine shielding government officials from civil liability when their conduct does not violate clearly established law.
Qualified opinion: Business / FinancialAn audit opinion stating that financial statements are fairly presented except for a specified matter.
Qualitative analysis: Business / FinancialEvaluation based on non-quantifiable factors — management quality, brand strength, competitive moat, regulatory environment.
Qualitative research: AcademicResearch focused on understanding meanings, experiences, and processes, typically through interviews, observations, and document analysis, with non-numerical data.
Qualitative research transcription: GeneralTranscribing interviews, focus groups, and field recordings for qualitative analysis, often done verbatim to preserve nuance for coding.
Quality Assurance (QA): MedicalA structured review step in which a second professional reviews a transcript against the source dictation before delivery.
Quality control (QC / QA): GeneralThe review stage or stages that verify a transcript meets accuracy, formatting, and confidentiality standards before it's sent to the client.
Quality Score: MedicalA graded metric used by transcription companies to measure transcriptionist performance, typically expressed as an accuracy percentage.
Quantitative analysis: Business / FinancialEvaluation based on measurable financial and statistical data.
Quantitative easing (QE): Business / FinancialA monetary policy in which a central bank purchases longer-dated securities to inject liquidity and lower long-term interest rates. Opposite: quantitative tightening (QT).
Quantitative research: AcademicResearch focused on measurement and statistical analysis of numerical data to test hypotheses or describe phenomena.
Quarter: Business / FinancialA three-month fiscal reporting period. Q1, Q2, Q3, Q4. Transcriptionists should preserve the company's fiscal labeling — "the second quarter of fiscal 2026," not "the second quarter of 2026," when they differ.
Quash: LegalTo nullify, void, or set aside — for example, to quash a subpoena.
Quasi-experimental design: AcademicA study with an intervention but without full random assignment to conditions.
Questioned Evidence: Law EnforcementEvidence whose source is in question — to be compared against a known sample.
Qui Tam: LegalShort for the Latin phrase meaning "who as well." A provision (notably under the False Claims Act) allowing private individuals to sue on behalf of the government and share in any recovery.
Quick ratio: Business / Financial(Current assets minus inventory) divided by current liabilities; a measure of short-term liquidity excluding less-liquid inventory.
Quid Pro Quo: LegalLatin for "something for something." An exchange of one thing of value for another.
Quiet period: Business / FinancialThe window before an IPO or earnings release during which company communications are restricted under SEC rules.
Quota sampling: AcademicA non-probability method in which the researcher fills predetermined quotas of participants matching specific characteristics.

RR

RADAR: Law EnforcementA speed-measurement device using radio waves; older models often surface in DUI transcripts.
Radio Traffic: Law EnforcementOfficer-to-dispatch and officer-to-officer radio communication, transcribed using standardized notation for call signs, units, and ten-codes.
Radiology Report: MedicalA dictated narrative interpreting an imaging study, structured as Clinical History, Technique, Findings, and Impression.
Rally: Business / FinancialA sustained increase in security or market prices.
Random assignment: AcademicAllocating participants to study conditions by chance, supporting causal inference in experimental research.
Random sampling: AcademicSelecting participants from a population such that every member has an equal (or known) chance of selection.
Randomized controlled trial (RCT): AcademicAn experimental design in which participants are randomly assigned to treatment or control conditions; the gold standard in clinical research.
Range: Business / FinancialThe difference between the highest and lowest price of a security over a given period.; AcademicThe difference between the highest and lowest values in a dataset.
Range of Motion (ROM): MedicalThe measured extent of joint movement.
Rap Sheet: Law EnforcementSlang for a criminal history record.
Rapport: AcademicThe trust and ease established between researcher and participant, supporting open and honest data collection.
Ratio variable: AcademicA continuous variable with a meaningful zero point (weight, time elapsed, count).
RBC: MedicalRed blood cell.
RDR (Registered Diplomate Reporter): LegalThe highest NCRA certification level, requiring substantial experience and a rigorous skills exam.
Read and sign: GeneralA deponent's right to review their transcript and sign off on it or submit corrections.; LegalThe deponent's right to read the deposition transcript and submit corrections via an errata sheet within a specified period after delivery.
Realized gain / loss: Business / FinancialA gain or loss locked in by closing a position. Contrast with unrealized (paper) gain or loss.
Realtime / CART: GeneralRealtime is transcription produced instantly as words are spoken. CART (Communication Access Realtime Translation) uses the same approach to provide live captions for accessibility.
Realtime Transcript: LegalA transcript displayed on screen within seconds of the words being spoken, used by attorneys, judges, and CART consumers.
Reasonable Doubt: LegalSee "Beyond a Reasonable Doubt."
Reasonable Suspicion: Law EnforcementA particularized, objective basis to suspect criminal activity, less than probable cause. The standard for a Terry stop.
Rebuttal: LegalEvidence or argument introduced to counter the opposing side's evidence.
Recess: LegalA short break in a proceeding.
Recession: Business / FinancialA significant decline in economic activity, conventionally two consecutive quarters of negative real GDP growth; formally dated in the U.S. by the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER).
Recidivism: Law EnforcementRepeated criminal behavior by previously convicted offenders.
Record date: Business / FinancialThe date a shareholder must own a stock to receive a declared dividend.
Record Mode: Law EnforcementThe active recording state of a BWC, distinct from buffering mode.
Recross-Examination: LegalAdditional cross-examination after redirect.
Recruitment: AcademicThe process of identifying, contacting, and enrolling participants in a study.
Recurrence: MedicalThe return of a disease after a period of improvement.
Redaction: GeneralRemoving or obscuring sensitive or confidential information, such as names and identifiers, from a transcript.; LegalThe removal or masking of confidential information from a transcript — such as Social Security numbers, juvenile names, or sealed material — before release.; Law EnforcementThe removal or masking of confidential information — Social Security numbers, juvenile names, victim identifiers, sealed material — before a transcript or video is released.
REDCap: AcademicResearch Electronic Data Capture — a widely used secure web platform for building and managing research databases and surveys.
Redemption: Business / Financial(1) The repurchase of fund shares by the issuing fund at NAV. (2) The retirement of a bond at maturity or call.
Redirect Examination: LegalFurther questioning of a witness by the attorney who originally called them, following cross-examination.
Reference list: AcademicA list of sources cited in a research paper, formatted according to the chosen style.
Referral: MedicalThe act of sending a patient to another clinician or service.
Reflexivity: AcademicThe qualitative researcher's ongoing critical reflection on how their identity, assumptions, and choices shape the research.
Regimen: MedicalA prescribed plan of therapy.
Registered representative: Business / FinancialA FINRA-licensed individual authorized to recommend or sell securities on behalf of a broker-dealer.
Registration statement: Business / FinancialA filing made with the SEC to register a securities offering, principally on Form S-1, S-3, or S-4.
Regression analysis: AcademicA family of statistical methods modeling the relationship between a dependent variable and one or more independent variables.
Regulation A (Reg A+): Business / FinancialAn SEC exemption permitting public offerings up to $75 million (Tier 2) without full Form S-1 registration.
Regulation D (Reg D): Business / FinancialSEC rules providing safe-harbor exemptions from registration for private placements, primarily Rules 504, 506(b), and 506(c).
Regulation FD (Fair Disclosure): Business / FinancialSEC rule requiring public companies to disclose material information to all investors simultaneously, preventing selective disclosure to favored analysts.
Regulation G: Business / FinancialSEC rule governing public companies' use of non-GAAP financial measures, requiring reconciliation to the most directly comparable GAAP figure.
Regulation S-K: Business / FinancialSEC rule prescribing disclosure requirements for the non-financial portions of registration statements and periodic reports.
Regulation S-X: Business / FinancialSEC rule prescribing the form and content of financial statements in registration statements and periodic reports.
REIT: Business / FinancialReal Estate Investment Trust — a company that owns or finances income-producing real estate. To qualify, a REIT must distribute at least 90% of taxable income as dividends.
Reliability: AcademicThe consistency of a measure across raters, occasions, or items. Distinguished from validity (Ebling Library Research Terminology).
Remand: LegalAn appellate court order sending a case back to a lower court for further proceedings.
Repeated measures: AcademicA design in which the same participants are measured under multiple conditions or at multiple time points.
Replicability: AcademicThe ability of an independent researcher to obtain the same findings using the same methods and data.
Replication: AcademicRepeating a study to test whether its findings hold.
Repo (repurchase agreement): Business / FinancialA short-term collateralized loan in which one party sells securities to another and agrees to repurchase them at a higher price. Reverse repo is the mirror transaction.
Reporter's Certificate: LegalThe signed page of a transcript in which the court reporter certifies it as a true and accurate record.
Reporter's Privilege: LegalA reporter's professional duty (and in some states a legal right) to maintain the confidentiality of off-the-record discussions.
Reporting Officer: Law EnforcementThe officer who authors the report of an incident.
Reporting Person (RP): Law EnforcementA person who reports an incident on behalf of another.
Request for Admission: LegalA discovery request in which one party asks the other to admit or deny specified facts under oath.
Required minimum distribution (RMD): Business / FinancialThe minimum amount a retirement-plan participant must withdraw annually beginning at the applicable age (FINRA Terms and Acronyms).
Res Judicata: LegalLatin for "a matter already judged." A doctrine preventing the same parties from relitigating issues already decided by a final judgment.
Research misconduct: AcademicFabrication, falsification, or plagiarism in proposing, performing, or reporting research, as defined by federal research-integrity policy.
Research question: AcademicA clear, focused, answerable question that drives the study.
Researcher subjectivity: AcademicThe acknowledged role of the researcher's perspective in shaping qualitative inquiry. Often surfaced through positionality statements.
Resident: MedicalA licensed physician undergoing post-graduate specialty training.
Respect for persons: AcademicA Belmont principle requiring that individuals be treated as autonomous agents and that persons with diminished autonomy receive additional protections (HHS Belmont Report).
Respondeat Superior: LegalLatin for "let the master answer." A doctrine holding employers liable for the wrongful acts of employees committed in the scope of employment.
Respondent: LegalThe party against whom a petition or appeal is brought.; Law EnforcementA juvenile who is arrested for a crime (in agencies that distinguish juveniles from adult defendants).
Response rate: AcademicThe percentage of sampled individuals who actually participate in a survey or study.
Restatement: Business / FinancialA revision of previously issued financial statements to correct material errors.
Restitution: LegalMoney a defendant is ordered to pay to a victim to compensate for losses caused by the crime.
Restraining Order: Law EnforcementA court order prohibiting a person from certain contact or conduct.
Restricted stock unit (RSU): Business / FinancialA grant of company stock that vests over time, common in employee compensation.
Results (section): AcademicThe portion of a research paper presenting findings, typically without interpretation.
Retained earnings: Business / FinancialCumulative net income retained by a company after dividends, recorded as a component of shareholders' equity.
Return on assets (ROA): Business / FinancialNet income divided by total assets; a measure of asset productivity.
Return on equity (ROE): Business / FinancialNet income divided by shareholders' equity; a measure of profitability relative to equity capital.
Return on invested capital (ROIC): Business / FinancialNet operating profit after tax divided by invested capital; a measure of value creation.
Revenue (top line): Business / FinancialThe total income from sales of goods and services before any deductions.
Reverse coding: AcademicReversing the numerical values assigned to negatively worded items so they align with the directionality of a scale.
Reverse stock split: Business / FinancialA corporate action that reduces the number of shares outstanding while proportionally increasing the share price; the inverse of a stock split.
Reversed: LegalAn appellate court ruling that overturns the lower court's decision.
Review of Systems (ROS): MedicalA head-to-toe inventory of patient-reported symptoms by organ system.
Right to Counsel: Law EnforcementThe constitutional right to an attorney during custodial interrogation and at all critical stages of criminal proceedings.
Rights offering: Business / FinancialAn invitation to existing shareholders to purchase additional shares, typically at a discount to market.
Rigor: AcademicThe methodological soundness of a study; how well the researcher adhered to disciplinary standards of inquiry (Ebling Library Research Terminology).
Riot: Law EnforcementA violent disturbance involving an assembly of people.
Risk: AcademicThe probability of harm or injury (physical, psychological, social, legal, or economic) resulting from participation in research.
Risk Factor: MedicalA characteristic that increases the likelihood of a disease (e.g., smoking for COPD).
Risk-free rate: Business / FinancialThe theoretical return on an investment with zero default risk, typically proxied by short-term U.S. Treasury bills.
Risk-weighted assets (RWA): Business / FinancialA bank's assets weighted by regulatory risk factors, used in calculating capital adequacy ratios.
RMR (Registered Merit Reporter): LegalA National Court Reporters Association certification indicating advanced stenographic skill beyond the RPR.
RMS (Records Management System): Law EnforcementThe software system that stores agency records — incident reports, arrests, evidence logs, citations.
Roadshow: Business / FinancialA series of presentations by a company's management to potential institutional investors prior to a securities offering.
Robbery: Law EnforcementThe taking of property from a person by force or threat of force.
Roll Call: Law EnforcementA pre-shift briefing of patrol officers.
ROM: MedicalRange of motion.
Roth IRA: Business / FinancialA tax-advantaged individual retirement account funded with after-tax dollars; qualified withdrawals in retirement are tax-free.
Rough Draft Transcript: LegalAn unedited preliminary transcript delivered quickly for attorney review. Not certified and not admissible as official testimony.
Routes of Administration: MedicalHow a drug is given: PO (oral), IV (intravenous), IM (intramuscular), SQ/SC (subcutaneous), SL (sublingual), PR (per rectum), topical, inhaled.
RPR (Registered Professional Reporter): LegalThe foundational nationwide certification awarded by the National Court Reporters Association.
Rule 10b-5: Business / FinancialThe principal SEC anti-fraud rule prohibiting material misstatements, omissions, and manipulative practices in connection with the purchase or sale of securities.
Rule 10b5-1: Business / FinancialSEC rule permitting insiders to trade under pre-established written plans as an affirmative defense to insider-trading allegations.
Rule 144: Business / FinancialSEC rule providing safe-harbor conditions under which restricted or control securities can be resold without registration.
Rule-Out (R/O): MedicalA diagnosis being considered and investigated but not yet confirmed.
Rush / expedited: GeneralThe fastest service tier, for urgent jobs, offered at a premium rate.
Rx: MedicalPrescription.

SS

S&P 500: Business / FinancialA market-capitalization-weighted index of 500 large U.S. publicly traded companies, maintained by S&P Dow Jones Indices.
Safe harbor: Business / FinancialA statutory or regulatory provision protecting parties from liability when specified conditions are met. The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act safe harbor protects qualifying forward-looking statements that are accompanied by meaningful cautionary language — typically read at the start of an earnings call.
Sally Port: Law EnforcementA controlled, secure entry point at a jail or police facility used to transfer prisoners.
Sample: AcademicA subset of a population selected for study.
Sample size: AcademicThe number of participants or observations in a sample, often determined through a priori power analysis.
Sampling frame: AcademicThe list or procedure used to identify members of the population from which the sample is drawn.
Sanctions: LegalPenalties imposed by a court for failure to comply with rules or orders.
Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX): Business / FinancialThe 2002 federal statute imposing enhanced corporate governance, internal-controls (Section 404), and audit-oversight requirements on public companies.
SBIR / STTR: AcademicSmall Business Innovation Research / Small Business Technology Transfer — U.S. federal programs funding small-business R&D.
Scale: AcademicA multi-item instrument designed to measure a construct.
Scatterplot: AcademicA graph displaying the relationship between two continuous variables.
SCD: MedicalSequential compression device — used to prevent DVT in postoperative patients.
Scholarship: AcademicThe body of academic work in a discipline; also a financial award supporting study.
Scopist: LegalA professional who edits a stenographer's raw notes into a readable transcript, correcting errors and formatting to court requirements.
Scrip: Business / FinancialA certificate or substitute security; also used for dividends paid in additional shares rather than cash.
SDoH (Social Determinants of Health): MedicalNon-medical factors influencing health outcomes — housing, food security, education, employment, and social support.
Sealed Record: LegalA record removed from public access by court order.
Search Incident to Arrest: Law EnforcementA warrantless search of an arrested person and the area within their immediate control.
Search Warrant: Law EnforcementA judge-issued written order authorizing law enforcement to search a specified place for specified items, supported by probable cause and particularity.
SEC: Business / FinancialSecurities and Exchange Commission — the principal U.S. federal securities regulator (sec.gov).
Secondary data: AcademicData originally collected for another purpose and reanalyzed for the current study.
Secondary market: Business / FinancialThe market for previously issued securities — the exchanges and OTC markets where most trading occurs.
Secondary offering: Business / FinancialA follow-on offering of additional shares by a company already public, or a sale of existing shares by a large holder.
Sector: Business / FinancialA broad division of the economy. The Global Industry Classification Standard (GICS) defines 11 sectors: Energy, Materials, Industrials, Consumer Discretionary, Consumer Staples, Health Care, Financials, Information Technology, Communication Services, Utilities, and Real Estate.
Securities Act: Business / FinancialThe Securities Act of 1933 — the federal statute regulating the initial offer and sale of securities (EDGAR Glossary).
Securities Exchange Act: Business / FinancialSee Exchange Act.
Securities lending: Business / FinancialThe temporary loan of securities by one investor to another, typically to support short selling.
Selection bias: AcademicSystematic differences between those selected for a study and those who are not, distorting findings.
Self-report: AcademicData collected directly from participants about their own attitudes, behaviors, or experiences.
Sell-side: Business / FinancialThe portion of the financial industry that issues, recommends, and trades securities for the buy-side — investment banks, broker-dealers, and equity research firms.
Semi-structured interview: AcademicAn interview format guided by a prepared question list but flexible enough to allow follow-up and exploration.
Senior debt: Business / FinancialDebt with priority over other debt in the event of bankruptcy or liquidation.
Sensitivity: AcademicThe proportion of true positives correctly identified by a test or measure.
Sentencing: LegalThe hearing at which the court announces a convicted defendant's punishment.; Law EnforcementThe court proceeding at which a convicted defendant's punishment is imposed.
Sequela: MedicalA chronic condition resulting from a prior disease or injury.
Sergeant: Law EnforcementThe first-line supervisory rank in most U.S. police agencies.
Service of Process: LegalThe formal delivery of legal documents (such as a summons or subpoena) to a party.
Settlement: LegalAn agreement resolving a lawsuit without a final court judgment.; Business / FinancialThe completion of a securities transaction with the exchange of cash and securities. U.S. equities settle T+1 (one business day after trade) as of May 28, 2024.
Sex Offender Registry: Law EnforcementA government database identifying convicted sex offenders, including residence and employment information.
SG&A: Business / FinancialSelling, General and Administrative expenses — operating expenses other than COGS and R&D.
Share buyback: Business / FinancialSee Buyback.
Short interest: Business / FinancialThe total number of shares of a security that have been sold short and not yet covered.
Short sale: Business / FinancialThe sale of borrowed securities with the expectation of buying them back at a lower price.
Short squeeze: Business / FinancialA rapid price increase that forces short sellers to cover, driving the price still higher.
Showup: Law EnforcementAn identification procedure in which a witness views a single suspect, typically soon after the offense.
Side-Arm: Law EnforcementA holstered firearm carried as an officer's primary weapon.
Sidearm: Law EnforcementVariant spelling of side-arm.
Sidebar: GeneralA private discussion between the judge and attorneys, typically out of the jury's hearing.; LegalSee "Bench Conference."
SIE: Business / FinancialSecurities Industry Essentials — FINRA's introductory securities qualification exam.
Sig: MedicalLatin signa, "label as." The dosing instructions on a prescription.
Signal Code: Law EnforcementSee "Ten-Code."
Signature Line: MedicalThe authentication block at the end of a transcribed report identifying the dictating clinician.
Significance level (α): AcademicThe probability threshold for declaring a result statistically significant, conventionally 0.05.
Single-blind: AcademicA study design in which either participants or researchers (but not both) are unaware of condition assignments.
Sinking fund: Business / FinancialA bond provision requiring the issuer to set aside funds or repurchase a portion of the bonds before maturity.
Six-Pack: Law EnforcementSee "Photographic Lineup."
Sketch (Crime Scene Sketch): Law EnforcementA diagram of a crime scene showing positions of evidence, victims, and structures.
Skewness: AcademicA measure of asymmetry in a distribution.
Sleep Apnea: MedicalA disorder marked by pauses in breathing during sleep.
Snowball sampling: AcademicA non-probability method in which initial participants refer additional participants from their networks; useful for hard-to-reach populations.
SOAP note: GeneralA structured clinical note format organized into Subjective, Objective, Assessment, and Plan.; MedicalA widely used clinical documentation format: Subjective, Objective, Assessment, Plan.
SOB: MedicalShortness of breath.
SOC 2: GeneralAn auditing standard covering how a service organization manages data security, availability, and confidentiality.
Social desirability bias: AcademicParticipants' tendency to respond in ways they perceive as socially acceptable rather than truthful.
Social History: MedicalA clinical-note section covering tobacco, alcohol, drug use, occupation, and living situation.
SOFR: Business / FinancialSecured Overnight Financing Rate — the U.S. benchmark interest rate that replaced LIBOR as of June 30, 2023.
Solvency: Business / FinancialA company's ability to meet long-term financial obligations.
SOP (Standard Operating Procedure): Law EnforcementWritten agency procedures governing routine activities.
Soundalike: MedicalA word or phrase that sounds similar to another, creating transcription risk — ilium (pelvic bone) vs ileum (intestine), perineal vs peroneal, dysphagia vs dysphasia.
Source audio / audio file: GeneralThe original recording submitted for transcription.
Sources: AcademicMaterials cited in a research project. Distinguished as primary (original) or secondary (interpretive).
SOX: Business / FinancialSee Sarbanes-Oxley Act.
Speaker diarization: GeneralThe technical process of distinguishing and separating different speakers within an audio file.
Speaker Identification: LegalLabeling each speaker in a transcript (for example, "MR. SMITH:" or "THE COURT:"). Required for any multi-party recording.
Speaker labels / speaker identification: GeneralTags identifying who is speaking, by name or role, throughout the transcript.
Speaker tracking: GeneralFollowing and correctly attributing each speaker's words across a multi-speaker recording.
Specificity: AcademicThe proportion of true negatives correctly identified by a test or measure.
Speech Recognition Engine: MedicalThe software platform that performs ASR — examples include Nuance Dragon Medical and Amazon Transcribe Medical.
Speech-to-text: GeneralA general term for converting spoken words into written form, whether by software or by a person.
Sponsor: AcademicThe organization funding a research study.
Spontaneous Statement: Law EnforcementAn unsolicited statement by a suspect, not the product of interrogation. Generally admissible without Miranda.
Spread: Business / FinancialThe difference between two prices, rates, or yields — bid-ask spread, credit spread, yield spread.
SPSS: AcademicA widely used statistical software package; now owned by IBM.
Square brackets: AcademicUsed in transcripts to indicate interviewer comments, contextual notes, redactions, or substitutions for proper nouns to protect identity (Lives & Legacies, UofT Scarborough).
SSRI: MedicalSelective serotonin reuptake inhibitor — a class of antidepressants.
Stagflation: Business / FinancialAn economic condition combining stagnant growth with high inflation.
Stake-Out: Law EnforcementProlonged covert observation of a person or location.
Stakeholder: AcademicA person, group, or organization with an interest in the research outcomes.
Standard & Poor's (S&P): Business / FinancialA major credit-rating agency. Ratings: AAA (highest) through AA, A, BBB, BB, B, CCC, CC, C, D, with plus and minus modifiers.
Standard / extended: GeneralNormal and longer delivery tiers; extended is typically the most economical option.
Standard deviation (SD): AcademicA measure of dispersion around the mean.
Standard error (SE): AcademicAn estimate of the variability of a sample statistic across repeated samples.
Standard Identifier: Law EnforcementSee "Identifier."
Standard of Proof: LegalThe level of certainty required to prevail on a question of fact. Civil cases generally require a "preponderance of the evidence"; criminal cases require proof "beyond a reasonable doubt."
Stare Decisis: LegalLatin for "to stand by things decided." The doctrine that courts should follow precedent.
STAT: GeneralIn medical contexts, an urgent, highest-priority turnaround request.; MedicalLatin statim, "immediately."
STATA: AcademicA widely used statistical software package, common in economics and epidemiology.
State's Evidence: Law EnforcementEvidence offered by a cooperating co-defendant in exchange for leniency.
Statement: Law EnforcementA recorded oral or written account given by a victim, witness, or suspect.
Statistical significance: AcademicA finding unlikely to be due to chance alone, conventionally indicated by p < 0.05.
Status Post (s/p): MedicalUsed to indicate a patient's condition following an event or procedure (e.g., "s/p appendectomy 2019").
Statute: LegalA written law enacted by a legislature.
Statute of Limitations: LegalA law setting a deadline by which a lawsuit or charge must be filed.
Stedman's Medical Dictionary: MedicalA standard reference used by medical transcriptionists for term verification.
Stenographer: LegalA court reporter who uses a stenotype machine. See "Court Reporter."
Stenographer / stenography: GeneralA method of rapid shorthand capture using a stenotype machine to record speech in real time, and the professional who performs it.
Stenotype Machine: LegalA specialized 22-key chord keyboard used by stenographers to capture speech phonetically at 200+ words per minute.
Stipulation (Stip): LegalA formal agreement between attorneys, recorded on the transcript, about a fact or procedural matter. Common stipulations cover transcript delivery, reading and signing, and admissibility of exhibits.
Stock split: Business / FinancialA corporate action that increases the number of shares outstanding while proportionally reducing the share price.
Stop and Identify: Law EnforcementStatutes in some states that require a person to identify themselves to police upon lawful detention.
Stratified sampling: AcademicA probability method in which the population is divided into strata and samples are drawn from each.
Strike price: Business / FinancialThe price at which the holder of an option can buy (call) or sell (put) the underlying.
Structured interview: AcademicAn interview in which all participants are asked the same set of questions in the same order.
Style Guide: MedicalA document specifying formatting, punctuation, capitalization, and numerical conventions. The most widely used in medical transcription is the AHDI Book of Style.
Sub-prime: Business / FinancialLending to borrowers with weaker credit profiles than prime borrowers.
Subject: Law EnforcementA person of investigative interest, broader than "suspect."
Subjective: MedicalThe "S" in SOAP — the patient's reported symptoms and history.
Subordinated debt: Business / FinancialDebt that ranks below senior debt in priority of repayment.
Subpoena: LegalA court order requiring a person to appear and testify or produce documents.; Law EnforcementA court order requiring appearance or production of records.
Subpoena Duces Tecum: LegalLatin for "bring with you under penalty of punishment." A subpoena commanding production of specified documents or evidence.
Subspecialty: MedicalA focused area within a specialty (e.g., interventional cardiology within cardiology).
Subtitling / captioning: GeneralTime-synced on-screen text of spoken content.
Suffix: MedicalA word ending that modifies the root — -itis (inflammation), -ectomy (surgical removal), -otomy (cutting into), -ostomy (surgical opening), -emia (blood condition), -osis (abnormal condition), -pathy (disease), -plasty (surgical repair), -scopy (visual exam).
Sui Generis: LegalLatin for "of its own kind." A one-of-a-kind classification.
Summary Judgment: LegalA judgment granted without a full trial when there is no genuine dispute of material fact.
Summons: LegalA document notifying a defendant that a lawsuit has been filed and requiring a response.
Suppression Hearing: Law EnforcementA pretrial hearing on a motion to exclude evidence.
Surgical History: MedicalSee Past Surgical History.
Surplus: Business / FinancialAssets in excess of liabilities and required reserves.
Surveillance: Law EnforcementThe observation of a person, place, or activity.
Surveillance / wiretap audio: GeneralRecordings from monitoring or intercepted communications, often challenging audio that benefits from expert human transcription.
Survey: AcademicA method for collecting standardized data from a sample via questionnaire.
Suspect: Law EnforcementA person believed to have committed a crime, labeled "S1" in standard report identifiers.
Sustained: LegalA judge's ruling that an objection is valid.
Swap: Business / FinancialA derivative in which counterparties exchange cash flows or other financial instruments — interest-rate swap, currency swap, credit-default swap, total-return swap.
SWAT (Special Weapons and Tactics): Law EnforcementA specialized tactical unit deployed for high-risk operations.
Sworn Testimony: LegalStatements made by a witness under oath, subject to penalty of perjury.
Sx: MedicalSymptoms.
Symptom: MedicalA patient-reported subjective experience of disease (distinct from a sign, which is objective).
Syndicate: Business / FinancialA group of underwriters or lenders that collectively underwrite a securities offering or extend a loan.
Syndrome: MedicalA characteristic cluster of signs and symptoms.
Systematic review: AcademicA formal, transparent synthesis of all available evidence on a research question, often the basis for meta-analysis. Reporting standards include PRISMA.
Systolic: MedicalThe upper number in a blood pressure reading — pressure during ventricular contraction.

TT

T&A: MedicalTonsillectomy and adenoidectomy.
T+1, T+2: Business / FinancialSettlement conventions. U.S. equities settle T+1; certain other instruments settle T+2.
T-test: AcademicA statistical test comparing the means of two groups.
t.i.d: MedicalLatin ter in die, "three times a day."
Tachycardia: MedicalA faster-than-normal heart rate.
Taking Attorney: LegalThe attorney who notices and conducts a deposition.
Tangible book value: Business / FinancialBook value minus intangible assets and goodwill.
TARP: Business / FinancialTroubled Asset Relief Program — the 2008 U.S. Treasury program to stabilize the financial system following the global financial crisis.
TASER / Conducted Energy Weapon (CEW): Law EnforcementA less-lethal device that delivers an electrical current to incapacitate a subject.
TBA (To-Be-Announced): Business / FinancialA forward transaction in agency mortgage-backed securities where specific pool details are determined just before settlement (FINRA Terms and Acronyms).
Telemetry: MedicalContinuous cardiac monitoring.
Template: MedicalA standardized framework into which dictated content is inserted, common in EMR-based transcription.
Ten-Code (10-Code): Law EnforcementBrevity codes used in police radio communication. Common examples: 10-4 (acknowledged), 10-7 (out of service), 10-8 (in service), 10-9 (repeat), 10-13 (existing conditions), 10-17 (en route), 10-20 (location), 10-22 (disregard), 10-23 (on scene), 10-26 (estimated time of arrival), 10-29 (warrant check), 10-50 (motor vehicle accident), 10-52 (ambulance needed), 10-54 (hit and run), 10-55 (intoxicated driver), 10-61 (traffic stop), 10-64 (crime in progress), 10-65 (armed robbery), 10-72 (prisoner in custody), 10-80 (domestic disturbance), 10-94 (gunshot wound). Codes vary by agency, so transcribers preserve the spoken code and may include the agency's translation in brackets.
Tender (the Witness): LegalThe act of an attorney completing direct examination and making the witness available to the opposing side for questioning.
Tender offer: Business / FinancialA public offer by a bidder to purchase securities from existing holders at a stated price, typically at a premium to market.
Tenure: AcademicA permanent academic appointment granted following a rigorous review of research, teaching, and service.
Terry Stop: Law EnforcementA brief, investigative detention supported by reasonable suspicion, derived from Terry v. Ohio (1968). Often paired with a frisk.
Test-retest reliability: AcademicThe consistency of a measure across two administrations to the same participants.
Testify: Law EnforcementTo give sworn evidence in a court proceeding.
Testimony: LegalStatements made under oath by a witness in court or at a deposition.; Law EnforcementStatements made under oath.
Text Streaming: LegalThe realtime delivery of transcript text over the internet to remote participants.
Theft: Law EnforcementThe unlawful taking of property.
Thematic analysis: AcademicA widely used qualitative method for identifying, analyzing, and reporting themes within data; the Braun & Clarke (2006) approach is the most cited.
Theoretical framework: AcademicThe set of theories and concepts that guide the design and interpretation of a study.
Theoretical sampling: AcademicA grounded-theory practice of selecting subsequent participants based on emerging analytic categories.
Theory: AcademicA coherent set of explanations for a phenomenon, supported by evidence.
Therapeutic: MedicalRelating to treatment.
Thesis: Academic(1) A scholarly project, typically required for a master's degree. (2) The central argument of a paper.
Thick description: AcademicDetailed, contextually rich qualitative description that captures meaning rather than mere surface behavior; Geertz's term.
Threat Assessment: Law EnforcementA structured evaluation of the danger posed by a person or situation.
TIA: MedicalTransient ischemic attack — a temporary stroke-like episode.
Ticker symbol: Business / FinancialA short alphabetic code identifying a publicly traded security — AAPL, MSFT, GOOGL, BRK.A.
Tier 1 capital: Business / FinancialA bank's core capital — common equity and disclosed reserves — used in regulatory capital adequacy calculations under Basel III.
Time Code / Timestamp: LegalA marker (HH:MM:SS) inserted into a transcript indicating when something was said. Placement may be at speaker changes, fixed intervals, or inaudible sections.
Time coding / time codes: GeneralPrecise time references, often to the second or video frame, tied to the recording. Used in captioning, video, and legal and law enforcement work.
Time of Dictation / Time of Transcription: MedicalTimestamps recorded on transcribed reports for audit and tracking purposes.
Time stamps / timestamping: GeneralNotations marking when speech occurs, inserted at set intervals, at speaker changes, or at specific points so readers can locate moments in the audio.
Time-series analysis: AcademicA statistical method for analyzing data collected sequentially over time.
TIPS: Business / FinancialTreasury Inflation-Protected Securities — U.S. Treasuries whose principal is adjusted for inflation as measured by CPI.
Title page: AcademicThe opening page of a paper, thesis, or grant proposal carrying the title, authors, affiliation, and date.
Topography: MedicalAnatomic location.
Tort: LegalA civil wrong (other than breach of contract) that causes injury or loss, giving rise to liability.
Total addressable market (TAM): Business / FinancialThe estimated total revenue opportunity available for a product or service if 100% market share were achieved (FINRA Terms and Acronyms).
Total return: Business / FinancialThe total gain on an investment, including price appreciation and reinvested income.
Trading volume: Business / FinancialThe total number of shares or contracts traded during a specified period.
Traffic Stop: Law EnforcementThe temporary detention of a vehicle and its occupants, supported by reasonable suspicion of a traffic or criminal violation. Recorded on dash cam and BWC.
Trailing twelve months (TTM): Business / FinancialA financial figure calculated over the most recent twelve months, regardless of fiscal year.
Trajectory: Law EnforcementThe path of a projectile.
Tranche: Business / FinancialA French term meaning "slice." A portion of a debt offering or structured product with distinct terms, ratings, or priorities.
Transcript: MedicalThe finished written document produced from a dictation.; LegalThe official word-for-word record of a deposition, hearing, trial, or other proceeding, produced by a court reporter or transcriptionist.; AcademicThe written record produced through transcription.
Transcription: GeneralThe process of converting spoken audio or video into written text.; MedicalThe process of converting recorded speech into written text.; AcademicThe process of converting recorded speech to written text. Levels include verbatim (every utterance and feature), clean verbatim (removing fillers and false starts), and intelligent (edited for readability).
Transcription + translation: GeneralA combined service that produces a transcript and then translates it into another language.
Transcriptionist: MedicalSee Medical Transcriptionist.; LegalA trained professional who produces a written transcript from a recorded audio or video file.
Transcriptionist / transcriber: GeneralA trained professional who listens to recordings and produces accurate written transcripts.
Transferability: AcademicA trustworthiness criterion in qualitative research analogous to external validity — the extent to which findings might apply in other contexts. Supported by rich, thick description.
Translation: GeneralConverting text or speech from one language into another.
Treasury bill (T-bill): Business / FinancialA short-term U.S. government debt obligation with a maturity of one year or less, sold at a discount to face value.
Treasury bond (T-bond): Business / FinancialA long-term U.S. government debt obligation with a maturity of 20 or 30 years.
Treasury note (T-note): Business / FinancialA U.S. government debt obligation with a maturity of 2, 3, 5, 7, or 10 years.
Treasury stock: Business / FinancialShares repurchased by the issuing company and held in its treasury rather than retired.
Treatment: AcademicThe intervention or condition applied to the experimental group.
Trespass: Law EnforcementUnlawful entry onto another's property.
Trial: LegalA formal court proceeding at which the prosecution or plaintiff and the defense present evidence and arguments to a judge or jury.
Triangulation: AcademicThe use of multiple data sources, methods, theories, or investigators to corroborate findings.
Trier of Fact: LegalThe person or body — judge or jury — that decides questions of fact in a case.
Triple-net lease (NNN): Business / FinancialA commercial real estate lease in which the tenant pays property taxes, insurance, and maintenance in addition to base rent.
Truancy: Law EnforcementA juvenile's unexcused absence from school.
Trustworthiness: AcademicThe qualitative analogue of validity and reliability, articulated by Lincoln and Guba in four criteria: credibility, transferability, dependability, and confirmability.
Turnaround time (TAT): GeneralThe time between submitting a recording and receiving the finished transcript.; MedicalThe interval between dictation submission and finished-report delivery. Standard TAT in medical transcription ranges from 2 to 24 hours for routine work and as short as one hour for stat reports.
Tx: MedicalTreatment.
Type I error: AcademicRejecting a true null hypothesis (false positive).
Type II error: AcademicFailing to reject a false null hypothesis (false negative).
Typing services: GeneralProducing typed documents from handwritten, printed, or PDF sources such as contracts, manuscripts, and forms.

UU

U.S. Marshals Service: Law EnforcementThe federal agency responsible for fugitive apprehension, witness security, and federal court protection.
Ultra Vires: LegalLatin for "beyond the powers." Describes acts taken beyond legal authority.
Ultrasound (US): MedicalA diagnostic imaging study using high-frequency sound waves.
Unanticipated problem: AcademicAn event in human-subjects research that is unexpected, related to participation, and suggests greater risk than previously known; typically requires prompt IRB reporting.
Under Advisement: LegalA judge's notation that a decision will be issued later after consideration of the arguments.
Undercover: Law EnforcementAn officer or operation conducted covertly, with the officer's identity concealed.
Underwriter: Business / FinancialAn investment bank that takes on the risk of placing a new securities offering with investors.
Uniform Commercial Code (UCC): LegalA standardized set of state laws governing commercial transactions.
Uniformed Officer: Law EnforcementA patrol officer in standard agency uniform, distinguished from plainclothes detectives.
Unintelligible: MedicalSpeech that is heard but cannot be deciphered.; LegalUsed in a transcript when speech is heard but cannot be deciphered, often due to accents, mumbling, or audio quality. Marked [unintelligible].; Law EnforcementUsed in a transcript when speech is heard but cannot be deciphered, often due to crosstalk, accents, mumbling, or audio quality. Marked [unintelligible].
Unit of analysis: AcademicThe entity (individual, group, organization, document, utterance) about which conclusions are drawn.
Units (Joint Commission): MedicalThe Joint Commission instructs clinicians to write out "unit" rather than abbreviate it — "U" or "IU" can be misread as a zero or four.
Univariate analysis: AcademicAnalysis of a single variable.
Unqualified opinion: Business / FinancialA clean audit opinion stating that the financial statements are presented fairly in all material respects.
Unrealized gain / loss: Business / FinancialA gain or loss on a security still held. See also Paper profit / loss.
Unstructured interview: AcademicAn interview without a fixed question list, allowing free-form conversation around a topic.
Unsub: Law EnforcementShort for "unknown subject" — a person of investigative interest whose identity has not been determined.
Upcoding: MedicalBilling for a more expensive service than was actually delivered. A compliance violation.
Uptick rule: Business / FinancialHistorically, a rule requiring that a short sale be executed at a price higher than the previous trade; replaced by the modified Rule 201 "alternative uptick rule" triggered after a 10% intraday decline.
Urgent: MedicalRequiring prompt attention, but less immediate than stat.
URI: MedicalUpper respiratory infection.
Urinalysis (UA): MedicalA laboratory analysis of urine.
Use of Force: Law EnforcementAny physical means used by an officer to compel compliance, ranging from a controlling hold to deadly force. Subject to extensive reporting and review requirements.
Use of Force Continuum: Law EnforcementThe graduated model agencies use to describe the appropriate level of force in response to a subject's actions.
UTI: MedicalUrinary tract infection.

VV

Vaccination History: MedicalDocumentation of immunizations administered, with dates.
Validity: AcademicThe extent to which a measure or study actually assesses what it claims to assess (Ebling Library Research Terminology). Subtypes include face, content, construct, criterion, convergent, discriminant, and predictive validity.
Valuation: Business / FinancialThe process of determining the present worth of a company or asset using methods such as DCF, comparable-company analysis, or precedent transactions.
Value at Risk (VaR): Business / FinancialA statistical estimate of the potential loss in the value of a portfolio over a defined period at a given confidence level.
Value investing: Business / FinancialAn investment style focused on securities trading below intrinsic value, associated with Benjamin Graham and Warren Buffett.
Variable: AcademicAny attribute or characteristic that can take different values across people, time, or settings.
Variance: AcademicA measure of dispersion equal to the average squared deviation from the mean.
Vega: Business / FinancialAn option Greek measuring sensitivity to changes in implied volatility.
Vehicle Identification Number (VIN): Law EnforcementThe unique 17-character serial number assigned to a motor vehicle.
Venture capital (VC): Business / FinancialEquity financing provided to early-stage and growth companies, typically organized as limited partnerships.
Venue: LegalThe geographic location where a case is properly tried.
Verbatim Transcript: LegalA word-for-word transcript capturing every utterance exactly as spoken — including fillers, false starts, and stutters. Required for most legal and law-enforcement work.; Law EnforcementA word-for-word transcript capturing every utterance exactly as spoken — including fillers, false starts, and crosstalk. The standard format for nearly all law enforcement transcription.
Verbatim transcription: General(also: also: full verbatim, strict verbatim, true verbatim) A word-for-word record of everything said, including filler words, false starts, stutters, repetitions, and often non-verbal sounds such as laughter or long pauses. Used when an exact record matters, as in legal, law enforcement, and certain research settings.; AcademicA transcript reproducing speech exactly as spoken — every word, sound, repetition, and false start. Contrast with clean verbatim.
Verbatim Transcription (Medical): MedicalA transcript that records exactly what the dictator said, including misstatements and false starts. Used selectively in medical work — most medical transcription is lightly edited for grammar and obvious errors while preserving clinical content.
Verdict: LegalThe formal decision of a jury or judge resolving the disputed issues.
Vesting: Business / FinancialThe process by which an employee earns full rights to equity grants or retirement contributions over time.
Vice: Law EnforcementA category of offenses involving prostitution, gambling, and other "morality" crimes.
Victim: Law EnforcementA person against whom a crime was committed. Labeled "V1" in standard agency reports.
Video file: GeneralA recording with both visuals and an audio track; transcribed from the audio, sometimes with relevant on-screen text noted.
Vital Signs (VS): MedicalTemperature, pulse, respirations, blood pressure, oxygen saturation, and pain.
Voice Capture: MedicalAny spoken-audio capture used for transcription.
Voice File / Audio File: MedicalThe digital recording of a dictation, in formats such as WAV, MP3, DSS, or proprietary EMR codecs.
Voice Writer: LegalA court reporter who speaks into a stenomask (a silenced microphone) repeating everything said in the proceeding; voice-recognition software converts the speech to text.
Voir dire: GeneralThe process of questioning prospective jurors during jury selection; in some contexts, questioning a witness's qualifications.; LegalLatin/French for "to speak the truth." (1) The preliminary questioning of prospective jurors to identify bias. (2) The questioning of an expert witness about qualifications before that expert is allowed to offer opinion testimony.; Law EnforcementThe questioning of prospective jurors during selection, or of an expert witness about their qualifications.
Volatility: Business / FinancialThe degree of variation in the price of a security over time, often measured by standard deviation or the VIX for the S&P 500.
Volume-weighted average price (VWAP): Business / FinancialThe average price of a security over a trading session, weighted by volume (FINRA Terms and Acronyms).
Vulnerable populations: AcademicGroups requiring additional protections in research — including children, pregnant women, prisoners, individuals with impaired decision-making capacity, and economically or educationally disadvantaged persons (45 CFR 46 Subparts B, C, and D).

WW

WACC: Business / FinancialWeighted Average Cost of Capital — the blended cost of a company's debt and equity, weighted by their proportions in the capital structure. Used as the discount rate in DCF analysis.
Waiver: LegalThe voluntary giving up of a known right.
Waiver of consent: AcademicAn IRB-approved exception to the requirement for written informed consent, available under specified conditions in 45 CFR 46.116(f).
Walk-Through: Law EnforcementAn initial assessment of a crime scene by walking through it to identify evidence and resources needed; also a final survey before scene release.
Wanted Person: Law EnforcementA person sought for arrest, typically entered into NCIC.
Warrant: LegalA written court order authorizing law-enforcement action, such as an arrest or search.; Law EnforcementA court order authorizing law enforcement to take specified action — search, arrest, or seizure.; Business / FinancialA long-dated option-like security, typically issued by the company itself, giving the holder the right to purchase shares at a specified price.
Wash sale: Business / FinancialA purchase of substantially identical securities within 30 days before or after selling at a loss; the loss is disallowed for tax purposes under IRC Section 1091.
WBC: MedicalWhite blood cell. The component of a CBC that reflects immune system status.
WDWN: MedicalWell-developed, well-nourished. A general appearance descriptor used in physical exams.
Wealth management: Business / FinancialComprehensive financial services — investment management, financial planning, tax, estate, and trust services — typically aimed at high-net-worth individuals.
Weapon: Law EnforcementAny instrument designed for or used to inflict harm.
Webinar transcription: GeneralTranscribing online seminars or presentations.
Weighted average maturity (WAM): Business / FinancialThe average maturity of a portfolio's holdings, weighted by their proportions.
Weighted mean: AcademicAn average in which each value is given a specified weight reflecting its importance or representativeness.
Welfare Check: Law EnforcementA patrol response to verify the safety or well-being of a person at a residence.
Wellness Visit: MedicalAn annual preventive health appointment, often using a standardized template.
Whisper number: Business / FinancialAn unofficial earnings estimate circulated among investors, often differing from published consensus.
Whistleblower: Business / FinancialAn individual who reports securities-law violations. The SEC and CFTC operate whistleblower programs offering monetary awards under Dodd-Frank.
Wholly owned subsidiary: Business / FinancialA subsidiary in which the parent owns 100% of the common stock.
Wire (Body Wire): Law EnforcementA concealed recording device worn during an undercover operation.
Wiretap: Law EnforcementCourt-authorized interception of wire or electronic communications under Title III of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act. Transcription of wiretap audio requires CJIS-compliant handling and meticulous attention to slang, code words, and overlapping speech.
Within-subjects design: AcademicAn experimental design in which each participant experiences all conditions, also called a repeated-measures design.
Witness: LegalA person who gives sworn testimony about facts relevant to a case.; Law EnforcementA person who saw or heard an event relevant to an investigation. Labeled "W1" in standard agency reports.
WKSI: Business / FinancialWell-Known Seasoned Issuer — a category of large, frequent SEC filers eligible for streamlined registration procedures (FINRA Terms and Acronyms).
WNL: MedicalWithin normal limits.
Word Error Rate (WER): MedicalThe standard metric for transcription accuracy — substitutions, insertions, and deletions divided by the reference word count.
Word Index: LegalAn alphabetical list of significant words in a transcript with page-line citations, attached at the end of the document.
Work Type: MedicalThe category of dictation a transcriptionist handles — H&P, consult, op note, discharge summary, ER note, radiology, pathology, clinic note, letter.
Workflow Platform: MedicalThe software environment that routes dictations to transcriptionists, tracks turnaround, and delivers finished reports to the EMR.
Working capital: Business / FinancialCurrent assets minus current liabilities; a measure of short-term operational liquidity.
Working Copy: Law EnforcementA duplicate of original digital evidence used for analysis and transcription, preserving the original under chain of custody.
Working paper: AcademicA draft research paper circulated for comment, often before formal peer review.
Working title: AcademicA tentative title used during the research process, often refined before publication.
Writ: LegalA formal written court order commanding or prohibiting an action.
Writ of Habeas Corpus: LegalSee "Habeas Corpus."
Write-down / Write-off: Business / FinancialAn accounting entry reducing the carrying value of an asset (write-down) or removing it from the books entirely (write-off).

XX

X-axis / Y-axis: AcademicThe horizontal and vertical axes of a two-dimensional plot.
X-ray (Plain Film): MedicalThe most basic diagnostic imaging study, using electromagnetic radiation to produce 2D images.
XBRL: Business / FinancialeXtensible Business Reporting Language — an XML-based markup language used by the SEC for standardized electronic reporting of financial data (EDGAR Glossary).

YY

Yates's correction: AcademicA continuity correction sometimes applied to the chi-square test for 2×2 contingency tables.
Year-over-year (YoY): Business / FinancialA comparison of a financial metric in one period to the same period in the prior year.
Year-to-date (YTD): Business / FinancialA measure of performance from the start of the calendar or fiscal year to the present.
Yield: Business / FinancialThe income return on an investment, expressed as a percentage of its current price or face value.
Yield curve: Business / FinancialA graph plotting yields of bonds of equal credit quality across maturities. A normal curve slopes upward; an inverted curve (short rates above long rates) has historically preceded recessions.
Yield to maturity (YTM): Business / FinancialThe total return anticipated on a bond if held to maturity, accounting for current price, coupon, and principal repayment.
Yield to worst (YTW): Business / FinancialThe lowest potential yield on a callable bond, accounting for all possible call dates.

ZZ

Z-score: Business / FinancialEdward Altman's Z-score is a formula combining five financial ratios to predict the probability of bankruptcy within two years.; AcademicA standardized score expressing how many standard deviations a value lies above or below the mean.
Zero-coupon bond: Business / FinancialA bond that pays no periodic interest and is sold at a deep discount to face value, with the full return realized at maturity.

##

10-K: Business / FinancialSee Form 10-K.
10-Q: Business / FinancialSee Form 10-Q.
8-K: Business / FinancialSEC current report filed to disclose material events between regular periodic filings (acquisitions, executive changes, bankruptcy, material agreements).
911 Call: Law EnforcementEmergency dispatch audio. Frequently transcribed as evidence and for internal review; turnaround is often urgent.
911 call transcription: GeneralTranscribing emergency dispatch calls.

Quick reference

Medical

Common Prefixes & Suffixes Quick Reference

Medical terms are constructed from Greek and Latin roots combined with prefixes and suffixes. A working knowledge of these morphemes lets a transcriptionist make sense of unfamiliar terms on the fly.

Common Prefixes

Prefix	Meaning	Example
a-, an-	without	apnea, anemia
ab-	away from	abduction
ad-	toward	adduction
ante-	before	antepartum
anti-	against	antibiotic
bi-	two	bilateral
brady-	slow	bradycardia
cardi/o-	heart	cardiology
cyt/o-	cell	cytology
derm/o-	skin	dermatology
dys-	painful, abnormal	dysphagia
ecto-	outside	ectopic
endo-	inside	endoscopy
epi-	upon	epidural
gastr/o-	stomach	gastritis
hem/o-, hemat/o-	blood	hematology
hepat/o-	liver	hepatitis
hyper-	excessive	hypertension
hypo-	deficient	hypothyroid
inter-	between	intercostal
intra-	within	intraoperative
macro-	large	macroscopic
micro-	small	microscopic
nephr/o-	kidney	nephrology
neur/o-	nerve	neurology
onc/o-	tumor	oncology
oste/o-	bone	osteoporosis
peri-	around	perioperative
poly-	many	polyuria
post-	after	postoperative
pre-	before	preoperative
pulmon/o-	lung	pulmonology
sub-	under	subcutaneous
supra-	above	supraventricular
tachy-	fast	tachycardia
trans-	across	transdermal

Common Suffixes

Suffix	Meaning	Example
-algia	pain	neuralgia
-cele	hernia, swelling	rectocele
-centesis	surgical puncture	thoracentesis
-dynia	pain	pleurodynia
-ectomy	surgical removal	appendectomy
-emia	blood condition	anemia
-gram	image, recording	mammogram
-graphy	process of recording	mammography
-itis	inflammation	tonsillitis
-logy	study of	cardiology
-lysis	breakdown	hemolysis
-megaly	enlargement	hepatomegaly
-oma	tumor	lipoma
-opathy	disease	neuropathy
-osis	abnormal condition	cyanosis
-ostomy	surgical opening	colostomy
-otomy	cutting into	tracheotomy
-plasty	surgical repair	rhinoplasty
-plegia	paralysis	hemiplegia
-pnea	breathing	dyspnea
-rrhea	discharge, flow	diarrhea
-scopy	visual examination	colonoscopy
-stasis	stopping, control	hemostasis
-uria	urine condition	hematuria

Law Enforcement

Police Phonetic Alphabet & Common Ten-Codes Quick Reference

NATO/APCO Phonetic Alphabet

Letter	Word	Letter	Word
A	Alpha	N	November
B	Bravo	O	Oscar
C	Charlie	P	Papa
D	Delta	Q	Quebec
E	Echo	R	Romeo
F	Foxtrot	S	Sierra
G	Golf	T	Tango
H	Hotel	U	Uniform
I	India	V	Victor
J	Juliet	W	Whiskey
K	Kilo	X	X-ray
L	Lima	Y	Yankee
M	Mike	Z	Zulu

Common Ten-Codes (Vary by Agency)

Code	Meaning
10-4	Acknowledged / Affirmative
10-6	Busy / Stand by
10-7	Out of service
10-8	In service
10-9	Repeat
10-13	Existing conditions / Officer needs assistance
10-15	Prisoner in custody
10-17	En route
10-18	Urgent
10-20	Location
10-22	Disregard
10-23	On scene
10-26	Estimated time of arrival
10-27	Driver's license check
10-28	Vehicle registration check
10-29	Warrant / record check
10-31	Crime in progress
10-33	Emergency / officer needs help
10-50	Motor vehicle accident
10-52	Ambulance needed
10-54	Hit and run
10-55	Intoxicated driver
10-56	Intoxicated pedestrian
10-61	Traffic stop
10-62	Breaking and entering
10-64	Crime in progress
10-65	Armed robbery
10-66	Notify medical examiner
10-67	Investigate report of death
10-72	Prisoner in custody
10-79	Civil disturbance
10-80	Domestic disturbance
10-82	Person with a gun
10-94	Gunshot wound

Transcription note: Ten-codes vary widely by agency. Transcribers typically preserve the spoken code verbatim and, when the agency has a published code list, may add the translation in brackets — e.g., "Dispatch, we're 10-23 [on scene]."

Business / Financial

Quick-Reference: Most Common Earnings Call Sections

Section	What's said	Transcription notes
Operator introduction	Operator opens the call, names the company and quarter, introduces IR contact	Capture the operator's name and exact greeting verbatim
Safe-harbor statement	IR officer reads forward-looking-statements disclaimer	Standard PSLRA language; verify against company-provided script
CEO prepared remarks	High-level results, strategic themes, segment commentary	Preserve CEO emphasis, pause cues, and named executive references
CFO prepared remarks	Detailed financial walkthrough, guidance, capital allocation	Numbers are critical — confirm every basis point, dollar figure, and percentage
Q&A	Sell-side analysts ask questions in queue order	Capture analyst name and firm before each question (e.g., "Jane Doe, Morgan Stanley")
Closing remarks	Management thanks participants; operator closes	Preserve any forward-looking commitments made in closing

Quick-Reference: Common Number Formatting Conventions

Spoken	Written (standard)	Notes
"Twenty-five basis points"	25 bps or 25 basis points	Never "BIPS" or "bps." Lowercase "bps."
"Three and a quarter percent"	3.25%	Use the numeral; preserve precision spoken
"Fifteen million dollars"	$15 million	Spell out "million" / "billion"
"Two-point-one billion"	$2.1 billion	Hyphenated when spoken as a single number
"Quarter-over-quarter"	QoQ	Use abbreviations sparingly in narrative; preserve in tables
"Year-over-year"	YoY	Preserve spoken "year-over-year" verbatim in dialogue
"Earnings per share of one dollar and twenty-three cents"	EPS of $1.23	Currency symbol, two decimals
"Free cash flow of negative fifty million"	FCF of $(50) million or –$50M	Parentheses or minus sign per house style
"Up four hundred basis points"	up 400 bps	Spell out "basis points" on first mention, then "bps"
"Net dollar retention of one hundred and twenty percent"	NDR of 120%	Use the numeral and percent sign

Academic

Quick-Reference: Common Transcription Conventions

Symbol or notation	Meaning	Source / system
(pause) or (2.0)	Short or timed pause in speech	Jefferson; widely used
... (ellipsis)	A brief pause or trailing off	Standard qualitative practice
-- (em dash)	Speech cut off mid-sentence	UofT Scarborough conventions
[laughs], [coughs]	Non-verbal vocalizations	Most qualitative systems
(laugh), (sighs), (waving gesture)	Non-verbal behavior, round brackets	UofT Scarborough conventions
[interviewer's note]	Interviewer comments, square brackets	UofT Scarborough conventions
[name redacted] or [School A]	Identifier removed for confidentiality	Standard de-identification
= (equals sign)	Latching — no audible gap between utterances	Jefferson
[overlap]	Simultaneous speech	Jefferson uses left and right brackets
CAPS	Loud or emphatic speech	Jefferson; widely used
°word°	Quiet or whispered speech	Jefferson
>fast< <slow>	Faster or slower than surrounding speech	Jefferson
(( ))	Transcriber's comments	Jefferson
(inaudible) or (unintelligible)	Could not be transcribed	Standard practice

Quick-Reference: Citation Styles at a Glance

Style	Primary use	In-text format	Reference list term
APA	Psychology, education, social sciences	(Smith, 2023, p. 45)	References
MLA	Languages, literature, humanities	(Smith 45)	Works Cited
Chicago (notes-bibliography)	History, humanities	Superscript footnote	Bibliography
Chicago (author-date)	Sciences, social sciences	(Smith 2023, 45)	References
Vancouver / AMA	Medicine, biomedical sciences	Superscript numeral	References
IEEE	Engineering, computer science	[12]	References
Harvard	UK / international social sciences	(Smith 2023, 45)	References

Frequently asked questions

MedicalWhat's the difference between medical transcription and clinical documentation improvement (CDI)?

Medical transcription produces the written record from dictation. CDI reviews completed documentation to improve accuracy, specificity, and coding integrity. The two functions are complementary.

MedicalWhat's the difference between a medical transcriptionist and a medical scribe?

A transcriptionist produces written records from dictated audio after the encounter. A scribe documents in real time, in the room with the clinician.

MedicalIs your medical transcription service HIPAA compliant?

Yes. Ditto Transcripts is fully HIPAA compliant, signs Business Associate Agreements, and uses encrypted transfer and storage with U.S.-based, background-checked transcriptionists.

MedicalWhat audio formats do you accept for medical dictation?

Common formats include MP3, WAV, DSS, M4A, AAC, and WMA, as well as direct integrations with phone dictation systems and EMR voice capture.

MedicalAre AI-generated medical transcripts safe to use as the final record?

Not without human editing. Speech-recognition systems can substitute, omit, or hallucinate words, and clinical documentation must be verified by a trained medical language specialist before being signed into a patient's chart.

MedicalWhat turnaround times do you support?

Standard medical TAT is typically 24 hours; stat and same-day options are available for urgent reports such as ER notes, operative reports, and discharge summaries.

LegalWhat's the difference between a court reporter and a legal transcriptionist?

A court reporter creates the record live during a proceeding — by stenotype, voice writing, or digital recording. A legal transcriptionist works from an existing audio or video file to produce a written transcript after the fact.

LegalWhat's the difference between verbatim and clean verbatim?

Verbatim captures every word and utterance — "ums," false starts, stutters. Clean verbatim removes those for readability while preserving every substantive word. Most legal work requires true verbatim.

LegalWhat makes a transcript admissible in court?

A certified transcript signed by a qualified reporter or transcriptionist, prepared from a clear chain of custody, and formatted to the court's local rules. Some jurisdictions also require notarization.

LegalAre AI-generated legal transcripts admissible?

Almost never on their own. Courts require certification by a human who has reviewed the transcript against the source audio. Ditto Transcripts uses U.S.-based legal transcriptionists for every certified deliverable.

Law EnforcementWhat's the difference between a Terry stop and an arrest?

A Terry stop is a brief investigative detention based on reasonable suspicion. An arrest is a longer, custody-level seizure based on probable cause. Miranda warnings are required for custodial interrogation, not for Terry-stop questioning.

Law EnforcementWhen is verbatim transcription required for law enforcement audio?

Almost always. Police interrogations, witness statements, 911 calls, BWC footage, dash cam audio, and wiretap recordings are typically transcribed verbatim because exact wording can determine admissibility, charging, or trial outcomes.

Law EnforcementIs your law enforcement transcription service CJIS compliant?

Yes. Ditto Transcripts is fully CJIS compliant. All work is performed by U.S.-based, background-checked transcriptionists; files are encrypted in transit and at rest; access is logged and audited; and BAAs/compliance attestations are available upon request.

Law EnforcementWhat audio formats do you accept for law enforcement work?

Common formats include MP3, WAV, M4A, AAC, WMA, MP4 (video), MOV, MKV, and proprietary BWC/RMS formats from Axon (Evidence.com), Motorola, Panasonic, Getac, Watchguard, and others.

Law EnforcementHow do you handle ten-codes, radio codes, and inaudible sections?

Spoken codes are preserved verbatim. When an agency has a published code list, the meaning may be added in brackets. Inaudible or unintelligible sections are flagged with [inaudible] or [unintelligible] and a timestamp so officers can locate the section for re-review.

Law EnforcementCan you redact transcripts before release?

Yes. Common redactions include juvenile names, victim identifiers, Social Security numbers, confidential informant identifiers, and sealed material.

Business / FinancialWhat is financial transcription?

Financial transcription is the process of converting recorded financial communications — earnings calls, board meetings, analyst-day events, investor presentations, broker-dealer interviews, depositions in securities litigation, FINRA arbitration hearings, and internal compliance conversations — into accurate written records. Quality matters: a misheard ticker, transposed basis point, or wrongly attributed quote can move markets or expose firms to compliance risk.

Business / FinancialHow is financial transcription different from general transcription?

Financial work demands specialized vocabulary (regulatory acronyms, accounting standards, derivative product names), exact number capture (basis points, billion vs. million, currency precision), and consistent formatting of tickers, fiscal periods, and named executives. Many engagements also require non-disclosure agreements and U.S.-based, security-cleared transcriptionists.

Business / FinancialAre financial transcripts legally admissible?

For SEC filings, FINRA arbitrations, deposition transcripts, and internal investigations, transcripts must meet evidentiary standards — accurate, complete, and produced under verifiable chain of custody. Certified transcripts may be required. Ditto Transcripts provides certificates of accuracy on request.

Business / FinancialDo you transcribe earnings calls with multiple speakers and overlapping speech?

Yes. Earnings calls typically include an operator, IR officer, CEO, CFO, additional executives, and a queue of sell-side analysts. Our human transcriptionists identify each speaker by name and firm, handle overlapping speech with bracketed notation, and preserve the speaker order needed for analyst reports and compliance review.

Business / FinancialWhy choose human transcriptionists for financial work?

Automated speech recognition still struggles with specialized vocabulary (CUSIP numbers, eponymous ratios, foreign-listed tickers), accented speech, and crosstalk during Q&A. Human transcriptionists trained in finance terminology deliver the accuracy required for investor communications, regulatory filings, and litigation.

Business / FinancialWhat are typical turnaround times for financial transcripts?

Ditto Transcripts offers standard, expedited, and rush turnaround. Earnings-call transcripts are commonly delivered within 24 hours; same-day and overnight turnaround is available for time-sensitive engagements.

AcademicWhat is academic transcription?

Academic transcription is the process of converting research-related audio and video recordings — interviews, focus groups, fieldwork, dissertation defenses, lectures, oral histories, and conference presentations — into accurate written transcripts suitable for qualitative analysis, publication, archival deposit, or IRB compliance.

AcademicWhat is the difference between verbatim, clean verbatim, and intelligent transcription?

Verbatim captures every utterance, including filler words ("um," "uh"), false starts, repetitions, and non-verbal cues. Clean verbatim removes fillers and false starts while preserving the substance of speech — most common for qualitative research interviews. Intelligent transcription further edits for grammar and readability, suitable for publication-ready quotations but not for conversation analysis or discourse research.

AcademicDo you sign confidentiality agreements for research transcription?

Yes. Ditto Transcripts routinely signs confidentiality agreements, non-disclosure agreements, and data use agreements with universities and research teams. We work with sensitive human-subjects data, including IRB-approved protocols involving vulnerable populations.

AcademicHow do you handle de-identification and confidentiality of participant data?

Our U.S.-based transcriptionists follow research-team instructions for participant pseudonyms, redaction of identifiers (names, locations, employers, institutional affiliations), and consistent labeling conventions (e.g., Participant 1, P1, IE1). We deliver transcripts to your specified naming convention so they can be imported directly into NVivo, ATLAS.ti, Dedoose, or MAXQDA without additional cleanup.

AcademicCan you transcribe focus groups with multiple speakers?

Yes. Focus group transcription is one of our most common academic services. We identify each speaker (typically as Participant 1, Participant 2, Moderator, etc.) and handle crosstalk with bracketed notation. For larger groups, providing a speaker reference list or seating chart improves attribution accuracy.

AcademicWhat turnaround times can I expect for dissertation or thesis interview transcription?

Standard turnaround is typically three to five business days, with expedited and rush options available for time-sensitive defenses or grant deadlines. We work with graduate students, faculty, and research staff across all U.S. time zones.

AcademicDo you use AI for academic transcription?

Ditto Transcripts provides human-produced transcripts. Automated speech recognition struggles with technical vocabulary, accented English, overlapping speakers, and field recording conditions — all common in academic work. Human transcriptionists deliver the accuracy that IRB documentation, peer review, and qualitative analysis require.

Need a transcription partner you can trust?

U.S.-based, human-produced transcripts across medical, legal, law enforcement, financial, and academic work — with the accuracy, security, and turnaround your field requires.