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Capitalize all the letters in titles and major headings in medical reports. Subheadings should have initial capital letters, with only the first word of the subheading capitalized. Capitalize the first letter following a report heading or subheading.

When formatting a transcription, be sure to leave space between each paragraph of text to increase readability. In some documents, double spacing is even ideal—it's easier to read and makes it simple for readers to scan the document quickly. Submit your finished transcript in a readable file type.

Personal names, both first and last, are capitalized; otherwise original orthography is maintained. Two names joined together are separated (for example, "Pietropaolo" is transcribed "Pietro Paolo"). Abbreviated first names are not spelled out.

Type words exactly as they are written in the document. This includes capitalization, abbreviations, names, dates, and even misspelled words. If you happen to find a misspelled name, place, or event within the record, we encourage you to add a tag or a comment with the correct spelling of the word.

Use periods for abbreviations, such as D.C. and U.S. The times “A.M.” and “P.M.” should be in small caps (e.g. 8 A.M.). Acronyms have no periods. They should be spelled out in the first instance, using brackets to set off the full name.

When you cannot understand the audio at all, instead of guessing, you can mention [inaudible] or [unintelligible] in the transcriptions to indicate that part of the recording wasn't clear to transcribe. You could use symbols like '-' or '....' or write [several inaudible words] to indicate unclear sounds.

Type the abbreviation as it is in the document; then if you are able, spell out the abbreviation in all capital letters in single square brackets immediately after the abbreviation.

Type words exactly as they are written in the document. This includes capitalization, abbreviations, names, dates, and even misspelled words. If you happen to find a misspelled name, place, or event within the record, we encourage you to add a tag or a comment with the correct spelling of the word.

Use capital letters only ing to your spelling rules; not at the beginning of sentences. If you use punctuation marks, always separate them from the last word by a white space; in most cases it is even better to omit punctuation completely.

All words and names, without exception, must be transcribed in lowercase at all times. The pronoun “I” is not excluded from this rule. Only acronyms and spelled-out letters should be capitalized. When a letter is spelled- out, it must be capitalized, followed by a period, then by a space.

Abbreviations: Type the abbreviation as it is in the document; then if you are able, spell out the abbreviation in all capital letters in single square brackets immediately after the abbreviation. Do not spell out directions (NNW).

Best Practices for Transcription Transcripts should be at least 99% accurate. Grammar and punctuation are important for providing maximum clarity. Speaker identification helps users identify who is speaking. Essential to communicate non-speech sounds. Transcribe content as close to verbatim as possible.

Incomplete words are ones that are partially spoken, but cut off by the speaker. In Clean Copy, they are either written in full or omitted entirely, depending on the context. In Verbatim, only the part of the word that is spoken is written, followed by a dash to show that it was cut off.

Contractions & Abbreviations While normal contractions (e.g. "didn't" for did not) should be transcribed as written, abbreviated names and certain honorifics should be expanded for searchability. For example, the common contraction of the honorific "Sr" should be rendered {Sir}.

Punctuation exceptions: Straight or curved brackets in any letters have special functions for the transcriber (see below). Words not clearly legible are treated as follows: if unreadable, the matter in question will be represented within square brackets by the word "illegible": [illegible].