10 Steps to Effective Interview Transcription for Qualitative Researches

How to Transcribe Research Interviews?

To make voice transcription, there are two methods you can apply; Manuel and automatic transcription. Manual transcription methods used in transcribing audio recordings are being replaced by artificial intelligence-supported automatic transcription software due to their time-consuming and costly nature.

With transcription software, a 1-hour audio file, which is transcribed in an average of 4 hours with manual methods, is converted into text in minutes. In addition, the fees you will pay with manual methods are 10 times more expensive than the fees you will pay for these software.

***Although things have become easier, we have summarized the steps to be followed in the transcription process for field researchers in 10 articles for you in order to know the kitchen of the business.

Here are the steps to follow to efficiently transcribe research interviews:

1. Prepare the Hardware and Software You Will Need

When transcribing interviews, you may benefit from a headset, an adequate microphone (for recording during the interview) and good audio transcription software. AI-powered automated transcription applications (Transgate.ai, HappySubscribe, etc.) can speed up the process.

2. Create a Comfortable Working Environment

A quiet and calm environment will make it easier to focus on your work. This way, you can hear and transcribe the conversations easily.

3. Listen to the interview in advance and take notes on important parts

Before you start transcribing, make sure you listen to the whole interview and take notes where you think it is important. This will guide you through the transcription and ensure that you don't miss any details.

4. Create a Format for your Transcribed File

Setting a format for your transcript helps you create an organized and easy-to-follow transcript. Ensure confidentiality by giving speakers names or pseudonyms, and create an easy-to-follow format by moving to new lines as speakers change.

5. Start Transcribing

You can listen to the interview in small sections and then carefully transcribe each section. Make sure you understand the words and parts that are not clear by listening again and again.

6. Don't Forget to Proofread and Edit

After you have completed your first transcription, carefully review your text from beginning to end and make corrections where necessary. Finalize your transcript, taking care to maintain the integrity of meaning and correcting grammatical errors.

7. Pay Attention to Participant Anonymity and Data Confidentiality

Protect the rights of participants when transcribing research interviews. Do not include personal information and use altered names or coding.

8. Improve Accuracy by Using Software

Automatic transcription applications can make your work easier and faster. However, these software have varying margins of error and may require a little checking. You can improve accuracy by doing a quick check and edit yourself after automatic transcription.

9. Pay Attention to Your Time Planning

The transcription process can be quite time-consuming and a bit tedious. If you are a good keyboard user, adjust your time by calculating that it will take about 4-5 hours to transcribe an hour-long audio recording.

10. Backup and Archive Your Transcripts

When transcribing interviews, you may benefit from a headset, an adequate microphone (for recording during the interview) and good audio transcription software. AI-powered automated transcription applications (Transgate.ai, HappySubscribe, etc.) can speed up the process.

By following these steps, you can transcribe your research interviews accurately and efficiently. Proper transcription facilitates your data analysis and increases the reliability of your research results.

If you want to skip all these tiresome and lengthy processes and use automatic transcription, try our app for free now!

Good luck in your research!

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