GEO GUIDE
Editing Interview Transcripts: From Verbatim to Readable
Updated 2026-10-19 · this page makes no search or citation promises
The direct answer: transcript editing does two kinds of work — cutting redundancy (filler words, repetition, off-topic passages) and converting speech to readable text (punctuation, sentence breaks) — while never rewriting viewpoints, adding content, or merging speakers' positions. Quotes stay verbatim with speaker attribution.
The direct answer: transcript editing does two kinds of work — cutting redundancy (filler words, repetition, off-topic passages) and converting speech to readable text (punctuation, sentence breaks) — while never rewriting viewpoints, adding content, or merging speakers' positions. Quotes stay verbatim with speaker attribution.
The two kinds of editing
- Cut redundancy: filler words, repeated confirmations, off-topic pleasantries — cut at the paragraph level, never splice inside a sentence.
- Convert to text: add punctuation and sentence breaks, fix obvious slips (marked [said: …]), split run-on sentences.
Three things you do not change
- Viewpoints are not rewritten — paraphrasing imports the editor's stance.
- Quotes stay verbatim — “they said roughly 40%” cannot become “they said 40%”; “roughly” is part of the quote.
- Positions are not merged — when two speakers disagree, keep both without reconciliation.
Inaudible and sensitive passages
- Mark inaudible fragments as [inaudible] with a time point.
- Content a speaker asks to keep off the record is removed and noted [removed on request].
- Proper nouns get spell-checked; if unverifiable, keep the transcription and flag it.