Have you ever found yourself listening to hours of interviews? It’s an all too common task in academic research, and turning these recordings into written documents is incredibly time-consuming. Fortunately, some academic transcription companies, like Ditto Transcripts, can take the task off your hands and transcribe your recordings into written text that you can review anytime.
However, high-quality transcription goes beyond mere convenience—it’s essential for preserving what was said while improving data integrity. For this reason, researchers need accurate transcripts when conducting qualitative studies to support their findings with verbatim quotes.
With that behind us, how does transcription impact the quality of qualitative research analysis?
In this article, you’ll learn how:
- Quality transcripts capture language nuances and boost research credibility.
- It’s crucial for interviews, field notes, archives, focus groups, and lectures.
- Human transcription beats automated for accuracy in complex academic audio.
What is Academic Writing?
One form of communication that serves as the primary medium to disseminate knowledge is academic writing. What characterizes this writing is its formal tone, as it aims to present complex theories or ideas to its audience.
Academic authors often use discipline-specific terminology, such as “epigenetics” in biology or “cultural hegemony” in sociology, to convey even the finest details of the subject.
Citing sources is one of the most crucial factors in this form of writing. Authors use formats like MLA or APA to give credit and let readers check their facts simultaneously. And, unlike regular writing, you must back up your arguments with solid, verifiable evidence.
Universities and academic journals expect this kind of high-quality writing – it’s probably not even considered “high quality” for them but a mere standard. This is how complex knowledge gets shared and fields of study progress each year.
Relevance of Transcription In Academic Writing
Researchers sometimes dig into interviews or focus groups to get the raw data they need for qualitative studies, and transcribing those recordings is the best way to get the most out of it.
Take verbatim transcriptions, for example. They’re a word-for-word record that catches even the most subtle responses or speech patterns, which allows language analysis. When academic writers also want to back up their points, they can pull direct quotes from transcripts. Plus, transcription makes valuable information stick around for future research as it can help preserve histories or expert statements.
In short, there are tons of benefits that transcription can offer to academic writers, but that’s going to be a discussion for another article.
Types of Transcription By Detail
Your transcription provider might ask you about the level of detail you’d like your research transcription to be, given that you aren’t paying for automated services.
Below are the levels of detail that you can choose from.
Level of Detail | Description |
Verbatim Transcription | Captures every single word spoken, including filler words (“um,” “uh”), stutters, and extraneous sounds. |
Cleaned-up Transcription | Removes filler words, stutters, and non-word sounds while maintaining the overall flow and content. |
Speaker Identification | Identifies each speaker in the recording, making it easier to follow a conversation with multiple participants. |
Time-Stamped Transcription | Includes timestamps and transcribed text, allowing users to locate specific sections within the recording easily. |
Use Cases of Transcription in Academic Writing
Transcription can be used in different kinds of academic writing or research. Tackling each one of them will probably take us a year or two. Therefore, let’s cover the major ones.
Transcribing Interview Data
In any form of research, transcription of expert interview recordings is non-negotiable. Relying on recordings or sloppy notes alone is the main ingredient of compromised research integrity.
Say a psychology graduate student studying trauma survivors. Their video recording is filled with nuanced responses or emotional cues. High-quality transcription will simultaneously capture words, tone, and context—the bedrock of rigorous qualitative analysis.
It’s not just about converting the spoken word to written form; it’s about preserving the essence of each interview for thorough academic scrutiny.
Writing Up Field Notes
Transcribing field notes can be useful in ethnographic research. An anthropologist, for example, can study an Amazonian tribe using a voice memo and scribbled notes. That’s okay, for sure; however, transcribing the recordings and notes means turning them into analyzable data, which can further improve their studies.
Also, although automated transcriptions are now flooding the market, researchers should seriously consider human transcription. Their manual approach captures insights or niche terms like “ethnocentrism” or “doxa” that AI transcriptions will most likely miss.
Yes, it’s not as fast as automated solutions. Still, the deepened understanding of a human transcriber is critical for producing reliable academic writing – given that your transcriber specializes in this field.
Typing Out Archival Research
It’s a moral imperative to preserve collective knowledge through transcribing historical documents. For instance, a cache of Civil War diaries with fading, spidery handwriting.
In such cases, reliable academic transcription can preserve this information and democratize access. Given this importance, academics who uncover such untranscribed treasures have an ethical obligation to ensure their transcription, even if it delays their research.
However, doing it yourself is painstaking work. Passion for the job can only take you so far, and your energy is best used on far more essential matters. So, your most convenient option is to get transcription experts on your side.
Writing Down Lecture Content
In my opinion, transcribing lectures should be standard practice in higher education. It’s not just about convenience; it’s about accessibility and equity.
In the US alone, an estimated 308,000 children have hearing issues. Not to mention non-native speakers or those with processing disorders. With high-quality lecture transcripts, these students can get a better shot at learning, and transcripts can benefit all students as they let them review complicated material more efficiently.
From a teaching perspective, transcripts can help instructors identify areas for improvement in their teaching methods. In my experience in the industry, this is often neglected, though I’d say educators or educational institutions should consider it, given our rapidly increasingly digital academic environment.
Is It Better To Use Automated Transcription For Academic Writing?
The short answer is “No”. Let me explain.
Although automated transcription has become quite common due to the popularity of AI, it’s not the perfect fit for the notoriously accuracy-centric requirements of academic writing. Automated transcription can be an option for tasks where speed is more important than capturing every single detail—though I can’t think of many transcription tasks that require speed at the expense of accuracy.
Besides, automated transcription, with its 86% accuracy (at best), will only cause delays and mess up the entire process.
Automated systems are hugely impacted by heavy accents, technical jargon, background noise, multiple speakers, and other factors. In these scenarios, human transcriptionists are your best bet. Their ability to understand context, grasp unclear audio or video, and ensure terminology makes them the preferred choice for complicated academic recordings, especially those used for research or legal purposes.
That’s why manual academic transcription services are the most efficient way to support learning.
Why Choose Ditto As Your Academic Transcription Service?
Take advantage of all the benefits of academic transcription while enjoying Ditto’s perks.
- Experience: There’s no substitute for experience; since 2010, we’ve perfected our processes and tools to give our customers the highest level of service every single time.
- Accuracy: Accuracy is non-negotiable for lectures and research discussions. That’s why we focus on delivering transcripts with 99% accuracy.
- Human Transcribers: At Ditto, we don’t use automated transcription tools. All projects are done by humans, for humans, to ensure the highest level of accuracy.
- Speed: We know deadlines are essential, so we offer flexible turnaround times. This way, you can get the transcripts you need whenever you need them.
- Foreign Language: We offer transcription services in multiple languages. We can make your academic audio and video content accessible to foreign students.
- Customer Service: We also believe in providing quality customer service. Our team is here to answer your questions or address any concerns.
- ADA-Compliant: Our transcripts can help you comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act by providing access to educational materials for students with disabilities.
- Security Compliance: We understand the importance of securing your data. So, we implement security to keep it confidential. When we say security, we mean CJIS, HIPAA, and FINRA compliance.
Ditto’s Transcripts Supports Academic Writing
Academic transcription services can support learning by helping you focus on lectures, review concepts easily, and study efficiently. So, stop wasting time with inaccurate notes. Get a transcript with 99% accuracy at affordable rates and without any of the headaches.
Ditto Transcripts is a HIPAA, FINRA, and CJIS-compliant Denver, Colorado-based transcription services company that provides fast, accurate, and affordable transcripts for individuals and companies of all sizes. Call (720) 287-3710 today for a free quote, and ask about our free five-day trial.