Scoping Vs Editing in Transcription: What’s the Real Difference?

When scanning transcripts after completing the transcribing process, you may have come across the term scoping and wondered what it is and how it differs from editing in transcription.

One may conclude that scoping and editing in transcription are the same.

Indeed, this is not true. Hence, it’s good to understand the statement in question to clear all these disparities.

This article found it necessary to describe what scoping means and how the process occurs and present the key differences between scoping and editing in transcription.

What’s Scoping in Transcription?

Sometimes, oral content fails to correspond with written text after transcription.

These odds may make the transcribed data differ in meaning from its original version.

When this results, the transcription process can be termed ineffective.

So, to overcome these challenges, data scoping is crucial to ensure the information spoken is within its context and retains its original meaning.

Scoping is a type of editing that entails synthesizing the written text from a broader perspective.

It assists in identifying crucial concepts such as the context of data, data gaps, and the kind of information gathered.

The scoping process systematically scrutinizes the oral and written data to identify their characteristics, the kind of data spoken, the concepts addressed, and the prevalent data gaps between the two files.

Unlike the editing process in transcription, scoping is exploratory and is often used to assess the evidence of the data transcribed on the written version.

It involves comprehensive data extraction and inclusion but does not typically include personal opinions.

It only delves into the study and the production of transcript quality to enhance the clarification of the spoken key data concepts.

What’s Editing in Transcription?

Editing in transcription is refining a transcript to improve its readability.

It’s a process where all mistakes in a transcript are corrected.

Some of the errors corrected include grammar mistakes, removing unnecessary words, punctuation, capitalization of words, or rephrasing sentences.

How Does Transcription Scoping Take Place?

Even before considering transcription scoping, it is important to consider how well the transcription team performs the work.

Scoping is not done by a single individual; it is done by a team.

You should include personnel with scoping expertise and knowledge of the transcription content.

Individuals conducting scoping should be experienced and knowledgeable.

Thoughtful team planning ensures the successful completion of a scoping process.

In addition, the data findings make a notable contribution to the transcribed content.

Identifying the right team is extremely helpful.

Here is how the scoping process takes course.

1) Identifying the Data Gap

Sometimes, you may encounter broad transcription data; other times, you may get narrow files.

Large data files may exhibit inefficient data depth.

So, searching and identifying the data gap assists in determining the breadth and depth of the transcripts.

Here is when you integrate the expertise of a transcript librarian.

The librarian of transcripts may confirm insufficient data, which should warrant a scoping process.

2) Identifying Relevant and Similar Transcript Data

In this second stage, the scoping personnel consult with each other to build a strategy for searching for data.

This step is crucial in the field of medical transcription.

For example, you may find too many medical transcripts with irrelevant recorded data.

Thus, you need to identify the relevant and similar data you need to use.

Then, the data inclusion and exclusion criteria will be employed to ensure the content perspectives align well with the oral content.

3) Selection of Data Evidence, Extraction, and Inclusion

The third step involves selecting the data evidence and extracting and including the important transcripts sections.

Here, the team uses various tools and sometimes tech software to ensure that the data extracted resembles the others.

It’s a step that includes selecting several transcripts for independent screening by each scope.

However, if the personnel do not reach a high level of agreement, the team discusses their points of disagreement and reviews the data inclusion criteria.

Afterward, data is reselected for the second calibration exercise to test the modified inclusion criteria.

Scopists say scrutinizing data by title alone is insufficient as the transcript's content may differ from the original data version.

Actually, this step includes reading the data and understanding the title, speakers, and the full depth of the content.

4) Collating and Summarizing the Scoping Results

This fifth step involves conducting the thematic and numerical analysis of the data. It entails presenting the scoping findings.

Numerical findings are presented in the form of tables or charts, while thematic results are provided in text format.

The thematic analysis delves more into asking and answering how an exact section of data relates to the subject content in the transcripts.

The team then creates a codebook to modify all this as it analyzes the data.

However, once the codes are generated, the team refines them through discussions and opinions.

As they do this, the team names the codes, puts them together, and develops the data themes later.

5) Obtaining Scoping Feedback

Obtaining data feedback is the last but most important scoping process. It’s a stage for transcripts consultancy.

For example, you may consult the data stakeholders and gather input for their sources of information.

It helps shed light on the data findings and pinpoint the gaps not explored.

Even though this step is the last one, you can incorporate it throughout the scoping process.

It can be carried out in groups or on an individual basis, where data interviews or surveys can be conducted.

How Editing in Transcription is Performed?

Editing in transcription is the stage where transcript editors apply their knowledge.

Here, the editors listen to the recordings carefully and use the right transcription style.

They can either pick a clean or a verbatim process.

They then label the speaker carefully and apply timestamps for more straightforward navigation of the recordings.

Thereafter, they edit the transcript for clarity and proofread the written content.

So, what are the main disparities between scoping and editing in transcription?

What's the Difference between Scoping and Editing in Transcription?

1) Data Scrutiny

Scoping involves identifying key data components such as data gaps, concepts, and characteristics.

Editing in transcription deals with identifying the logical arrangement of content and grammatical errors such as spelling, punctuation, paraphrasing, and page numbering.

2) Data Synthesis

Scoping focuses on data synthesis. It locates data gaps that are not evident in the content.

It applies data identification methodologies and implements systematic reviews to ensure that excluded data is well captured and organized.

Transcription editing focuses on detecting data accuracy, coherence, and arrangement in its correct form.

3) Team Expertise

Scoping must involve a team of experts who can identify different data formats and their evidence.

It’s a crucial step that requires more knowledge and expertise in the subject matter.

In editing, you only need to possess the skills that you can learn quickly and refine as you work.

4) Presentation of Data

Finally, the evidence and results of the analyzed data achieve presentation for easier reading and communication.

They can be numerical or thematic presentations either of numbers, charts, and well-defined content subjects.

Unlike scoping, editing doesn’t delve deep into data analysis. Editing in transcription involves no presentation of data.

It only deals with data revision and proofreading to correct the identified data mistakes or corrections.  

Conclusion

Scoping and editing are essential in the transcription process, whether for medical, academic, legal, or media transcription services.

When the transcripts are carefully edited and reviewed until the data concepts and key differences are well identified, organized, and included, the transcription process is termed successful.

Verbalscripts transcription services include this careful transcribing process.

The company produces scoping evidence for the transcripts that are closer to what you want to see in your transcribed data.

The Verbalscripts team ensures quality data assessments, a process the team does with ease. Indeed, Verbalscripts personnel have vast knowledge and possible recommendations for your data needs.