Transcription Guidelines

Below are general guidelines for transcribing documents from the archive:

  1. Transcribe the document as it appears in the window. What you type gets transferred to the main document record as transcription, so don't add anything like a transcriber's signature or notes.
  2. Preserve the spelling of the document, even if words are misspelled.
  3. If you cannot make out a word, include "undecipherable" in [brackets].
  4. Preserve punctuation of the document, even if it seems wrong to you.
  5. Do not use the tab button; it causes formatting problems. To indicate a paragraph, use two hard returns to leave a line between the paragraphs in the editing window.
  6. If you have additional information about the document or wish to explain any of your transcription decisions, leave a note for the editors.

Important:  After you "Sign up to Transcribe," you will receive an email from MyWiki. Follow the link to change your password.  While you are on MyWiki, select "preferences" and "verify my password."  This will insure your transcriptions save correctly.