Oct
5
What will my Focus Group or Research Interview Transcript look like?
Transcription for the purposes of research, such as transcribing focus groups and interviews for research and analysis, may require a template or format specific to the needs of the researcher and the qualitative analysis software you might be utilising. Below are some helpful tips on how Sterling Transcription defines, categorises and presents research transcriptions. By being aware of the options available to you, you can tailor the format and cost of your own research transcriptions to suit your specific needs and budget.
Transcriptions for research can be roughly divided into two categories: Interview Transcription and Focus Group Transcription. Interview transcription generally covers conversations with one to three participants. Focus Group transcription is more complex, often with a larger number of interviewees, and many or may not require detailed identification of each speaker.
Identification and Differentiation of Speakers
Sterling Transcription has a standard format for university transcription and research transcription when it comes to identifying or differentiating speakers. Identification means that where names are provided in the transcript, we will use those names to identify each speaker.
Differentiation means that where names are not provided, but speakers can be differentiated by voice and/or gender, we will label the speakers differently, based on this differentiation. Examples of identification and differentiation are outlined below.
If you require that speakers not be identified or differentiated, you can request this from Sterling Transcription by adding a note to your files. The transcriptionist will simply label speakers as Facilitator and Interviewee at no additional cost.
Interview transcription – files with 1 to 3 speakers:
Facilitators and interviewees are always differentiated as accurately as possible. Where names are given, speakers will be identified by those names. Where no names are provided, speakers will be differentiated as either Facilitator or Interviewee as appropriate. For files with no names provided, if there are two facilitators or interviewees, these will be further differentiated by gender and voice, for example Facilitator, Male 1, Male 2.
Example 1:
Facilitator: Hi, I am the facilitator and I have not mentioned my name at any time in the transcript.
Interviewee: I am the interviewee and I have also not mentioned my name at any stage.
Example 2:
Facilitator 1: Hi, I am the facilitator with the male voice and I do not mention my name.
Facilitator 2: Hi, I am the facilitator with the female voice and I also do not mention my name.
Jane: Hi, I am the interviewee Jane. While I do not mention my name, the facilitators call me Jane when they speak, so I am identified as such.
Example 3:
John: Hi, I am the facilitator and I introduce myself as John.
Male: Hi, I am an interviewee with a male voice and I am not identified at any stage.
Jane: Hi, I am an interviewee and my name is Jane.
Focus group transcription – files with 4+ speakers:
Sterling Transcription differentiates between facilitators and interviewees, however not between individual interviewees other than by gender. This means that interviewees will be named simply Male or Female. This style is preferred by the majority of clients who use our transcription services as they are more interested in the content of the discussion as a whole, rather than knowing which speaker made certain comments.
If you would like speakers to be identified or differentiated, please add a note to your files requesting this. If you require names to be used, rather than numeric identifiers, please provide a speaker log with your audio. Where no speaker log is provided, please understand that we can only identify/differentiate numerically on a best attempts basis and as such this may not be possible for large focus groups. Please note that a surcharge may apply where identification or differentiation numerically is required, so please contact us to discuss your specific requirements.
Example 1 (differentiation only by gender, free of charge):
Facilitator: Hi, I am the facilitator.
Male: Hi, I am an interviewee with a male voice.
Male: Hi, I am an interviewee with a male voice.
Female: Hi, I am an interviewee with a female voice.
Male: Hi, I am an interviewee with a male voice. I could be one of the two males who have already spoken or a new participant.
Example 2 (client requests speaker differentiation, may incur surcharges):
Facilitator: Hi, I am the facilitator.
Male 1: Hi, I am an interviewee with a male voice.
Male 2: Hi, I am an interviewee with a different male voice to the first male.
Female: Hi, I am an interviewee with a female voice.
Male 1: Hi, I sound like I am male 1 again.
Example 3 (client requests speaker identification, may incur surcharges):
Facilitator: Hi, I am the facilitator.
John: Hi, I am John.
James: Hi, I am the interviewee James. While I do not mention my name, other participants call me James so I am identified as such.
Jane: Hi, I am Jane.
John: I have not mentioned my name again, but the typist has been provided a speaker log so knows it is me speaking.
Knowing what options are available to you is important in deciding on the format for your transcription. The more accurate the identification of speakers, the more likely this requirement will incur an additional cost, however closer identification of speakers may not be a priority for the purposes of your research.
Sterling Transcription is able to help with formatting documents in a way which allows automatic synchronisation with the audio when input into software you might be using, and has a proven track record of transcribing audio recordings quickly and professionally. So for help, advice and transcription services for research and university transcription, call Sterling Transcription – on-line, on-time and on-call transcription.