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Transcription Guidelines
AlabamaMosaic Project

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• Create files to correspond with the Access Images for each of the items. For example, if one letter was six pages long and we created 6 files for that letter, then we’ll create 6 transcription files. The file names will also correspond. The only difference will be the file type: ALM00000001.jpg for Access Image and ALM00000001.txt for the transcription.
• Look at the original letter when doing the transcription—it’s easier to figure out when working from the original
• Key in the text exactly as it appears. For example: if the date is on the right side of the page on the original, put it in the same area on your transcription
• Key in the text to correspond with the original, line by line, ending each line with the same words. For example: if the first line of the body reads, “I received your last letter,” then we’ll type that even if there’s room for more.
• Do not correct misspellings or grammatical errors.
• When the author abbreviates something like Samuel as “Saml” or Thomas as “Thos” we’ll type it as it appears and follow it with the full text in square brackets. Example: Saml [Samuel] or Thos [Thomas].
• Do not expand common abbreviations such as “Capt” or “NY.”
• If you can’t read the handwriting, include what you can read and place ellipses in square brackets to indicate that the rest is illegible. For example: if the letter includes a word that starts with “st,” but the rest of the word is illegible, key in “st [. . .]” to indicate that we couldn’t read all of the word.
• If you can’t read something, ask someone else. Sometimes a fresh pair of eyes is all it takes to decipher a letter.
• Use a magnifying glass and any other type of magnifying process to look more closely at illegible words
• As you work complete a transcription log indicating what files you completed and the date