NCC Style Guide
Purpose
The NCC Style Guide outlines the in-house style and standards that Transcribers and Editors should use
for transcription services.
Responsibilities
Transcribers and Editors produce transcripts that are accurate, grammatically correct, and readable. These
transcripts adhere to the NCC Style Guide and are formatted to client specifications.
Transcribers are responsible for providing verbatim and grammatically correct transcripts from the audio
files provided. Transcribers should immediately notify NCC if there are any issues with the audio or
transcript. Transcribers are expected to respond to feedback provided by the Editors.
Editors review the completed transcripts, editing them in reference to the corresponding audio. Editors are
responsible for formatting the documents appropriately, and for providing feedback to transcribers.
Definitions
The NCC Style Guide is organized by the five elements that make a successful transcript: Accuracy, NCC
Style Guidelines, Readability, Grammar, and Formatting. Definitions and examples of transcribing and
editing priorities are included in each section.
The following standards should take precedence unless directed otherwise. Use AP Style as a secondary
source, or for editorial standards not covered within this style guide.
Exceptions
Clients that prefer their own template over NCC standard style include:
 Army Directorate of Equal Employment Opportunity
 Department of the Treasury (SIGTARP)
 Executive Office of the President
 Library of Congress
 Securities and Exchange Commission
 United States Marshals Service
 Woodrow Wilson Center
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Contents
Page
Accuracy
i.
Description of “verbatim” v. “grammatically correct”
ii.
Expressions of speech (e.g. “you know”)
iii.
Contraction style
iv. Slang
v.
Nonsense words (e.g. uh, um, mm)
vi. Interruptive speech v. partial speech (i.e. double dash usage)
vii.
Unintelligible v. Inaudible
viii. Spelled phonetically
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NCC Style Guidelines
i.
Speaker IDs
ii.
Titles (e.g. political, military)
iii.
Spellings in-text
iv. Action words (e.g. laughter, applause)
v.
Acronyms
vi. Foreign languages
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Readability
i.
Paragraph formatting
ii.
Interruptive or Unintelligible speech?
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Grammar
i.
End punctuation
ii.
Oxford comma
iii.
Direct quotations
iv. Dates
v.
Numbers (i.e. numerals versus spellings)
vi. Currency symbols
vii.
Time format
viii. Technical terminology
ix. Titles (e.g. books, poems)
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Formatting
i.
Document titles
ii.
Sentence spacing
iii.
Line spacing
iv. Finishing a transcript
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Accuracy
The accuracy of a transcript reflects how well the written transcript corresponds to the spoken audio.
i.
Transcripts should be verbatim with best judgment applied to grammar and punctuation.
Transcripts should reflect what the speaker says, not how he or she says it. Accordingly, commas
are not indicators of a speaker’s pauses, nor is emphasis indicated with the use of italics.
ii.
Include all expressions of speech, such as "you know" and "like."
Female Speaker:
I had to, you know, get out of there fast.
Male Speaker:
I didn't want to like go in there.
iii.
Contractions should be written as spoken. Examples: won’t vs. will not, I’ve vs. I have, she’s vs.
she is.
iv.
When a speaker uses slang, such as “‘cause”, “gonna,” “ain’t,” “kinda,” or “wanna,” they should be
transcribed as “because,” “going to,” “isn’t,” “kind of,” and “want to.” Write out words such as “all
right,” “et cetera,” and “okay” (not, alright, etc., and ok/OK).
v.
Nonsense words should be omitted from the transcript (e.g. Uh, Um, Mmm). Use [affirmative] for
sounds of agreement (e.g. “Mm-hmm” or "Uh-huh"). Use [negative] for sounds of disagreement
(e.g. “Uh-uh” or “Nuh-uh” or “Mm-mm”).
vi.
The double dash (--) should be used when speakers are interrupted by another speaker, or if the
speaker switches thought entirely.
Male Speaker:
That movie was horrible -Female Speaker:
Well, yeah.
Male Speaker:
-- because it had no plot.
Female Speaker:
I agree but it was pretty -- who was the actor who played the lead?
a. If a speaker says only part of a word and then corrects himself or herself, do not transcribe the
partial word. Instead continue the sentence as if there were no pause, unless the speaker
switches thought entirely.
CORRECT:
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Female Speaker:
Clinically speaking, we are close to finding a solution to this problem.
INCORRECT:
Female Speaker:
Clinically speaking, we are close to solv -- finding a solution to this
problem.
vii.
Garbled speech, which is anything that is audible, but cannot be understood, is transcribed as
[unintelligible]. Speech that is too soft to be heard or is obscured by another sound, such as a
sneeze or cough, should be transcribed as [inaudible]. Note: When a speaker is acknowledged
and cannot be attributed to a Male or Female Speaker, [inaudible commentary] should be used on
its own line with no punctuation.
a. All stutter phrases should be acknowledged except for one-word stutters. Example: "I-I-Ithought" should be "I thought."
viii.
If a word is audible, but you cannot confirm its correct spelling, type the word as you hear it and put
[spelled phonetically] after the first instance. Subsequent instances of that word do not need this
notation after them, though they should be spelled the same way throughout the transcript.
NCC Style Guidelines
Transcripts should be produced in accordance with the in-house style and standards.
i.
Speaker IDs should be formatted as Firstname Lastname, followed by a colon. Unless otherwise
specified, start text on new line. If the full name is not provided, use Male Speaker or Female
Speaker.
CORRECT:
Susan Brown:
So that’s my trip to Egypt in a nutshell.
ACCEPTABLE (only if missing first or last name):
Female Speaker:
So that’s my trip to Egypt in a nutshell.
INCORRECT:
Susan:
So that’s my trip to Egypt in a nutshell.
a. If several people speak in chorus, use the Speaker ID “Multiple Speakers.”
ii.
Political and Military Titles: Capitalize and abbreviate military or political titles when used as a
formal title before an individual's name. Spell out and lowercase a title when it is substituted for a
name.
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Mike Jones:
Gen. John Allen is the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan. The general
endorsed the idea.
Barbara Boxer:
Sen. Kerry explained his position very thoroughly, though no one
understood anything he said; many of the senators came out confused.
iii.
When a speaker spells out a word or name use all caps, separating each letter with a single dash.
When two or more words are spelled out, separate with a comma.
Harold Bradley:
Please spell your name for the record.
Patsy Cline:
Patsy, P-A-T-S-Y, Cline, C-L-I-N-E. P-A-T-S-Y, C-L-I-N-E.
iv.
Actions or sounds such as [laughs], [applause], and [music playing] should be placed in brackets,
not parentheses, in the transcript with any punctuation following. If a bracketed term is by itself, it
should be on its own line and no punctuation is necessary. If it precedes speech, the bracketed
term should then be followed by a single space and the sentence.
Male Speaker:
[laughs] [unintelligible]
Male Speaker:
[laughs] I don't get it.
Female Speaker:
I still don't get it [laughs].
a. Actions such as [coughs], [sneezes], and [phone ringing] are not necessary. However, if a
speaker acknowledges these actions, it should be included in the transcript. While [applause],
[music playing], and [talking simultaneously] may not be acknowledged by speakers, these
actions are always transcribed.
CORRECT:
William Faulkner:
As I was saying -Virginia Woolf:
[coughs]
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William Faulkner:
Bless you.
Virginia Woolf:
Thank you.
INCORRECT:
William Faulkner:
As I was saying -Virginia Woolf:
[coughs]
William Faulkner:
-- I'm so glad to be here.
b. If one person laughs, it should be indicated as [laughs] and does not need to be on a separate
line. When more than one person laughs, it should be indicated by [laughter] on a separate
line with the text continuing on a new line.
v.
Add periods for acronyms of organizations and places, excluding state abbreviations, of two letters.
Examples: U.S., U.N., D.C., U.K. Acronyms of three or more letters do not use periods.
Examples: USA, NRC, EPA, NIH
CORRECT:
There are still numerous CFRs to consider in this case.
The EPA's mission is to protect the public from harm.
The V.A. is notoriously inefficient.
INCORRECT:
M.S. is such an unfortunate disease.
I’m a citizen of the U.S.A.
vi.
When a transcript includes words spoken in a foreign language, and if what is said can be
discerned, transcribe the word with the correct accent marks.
And the motto is “Por mi raza hablará el espíritu” -- “For my race, the
spirit will talk.”
a. If you are unsure of what is being said, insert a bracketed term containing the language being
spoken. If you are unsure of the language being spoken, use [foreign language] in brackets.
Ines Azar:
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Don Quixote is a mad man, and further [speaks Spanish]. Who knows
what that means?
Richard Camacho:
[foreign language] is what that means.
Note: If the foreign language spoken in the transcript is frequent (more than five times per paragraph) and
long in duration (whole paragraphs throughout the transcript), inform the editing team. NOTE: Editors
should notify their team lead and seek further instruction.
Readability
The readability of a transcript corresponds to how easy the transcript is to read and refers to how
successfully Transcribers and Editors break up the speech into sentences and paragraphs.
i.
Edit transcript into paragraphs. Two line breaks between paragraphs with one blank line
separating paragraphs, and no indentation of new paragraphs.
ii.
Speakers speaking over each other is not the same as interruptive speech. Continually alternating
speaker IDs makes both speakers difficult to understand, and impedes the flow of the transcript.
Grammar
Transcripts should make use of punctuation, conjunctions, and capitalization that is grammatically correct.
i.
Separate sentences with two spaces, not one.
ii.
End punctuation goes inside quotations, when applicable. Example: She said, “I don’t want to do
that.”
iii.
Use the Oxford commaError! Bookmark not defined. or serial comma for lists including a
conjunction. Example: Harry, Bob, Sally, and Joe went to the game.
iv.
Use quotation marks to denote the direct speech of a speaker or writer when reported in a
transcript:
He said something like “I have no intention of staying.”
“I do not object,” I said, “to the tenor of the report.”
And then he said, “A penny saved is a penny earned.”
And she was like “this is too conservative for inflationary times.”
v.
Dates should be transcribed as spoken, and without superscript:
May 5th, 2010
May the 5th 2010
It was on the 5th of last month.
His birthday is 11/6/1980.
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On May 5, we will invade the beaches.
vi.
For numbers, spell out nine and below, including zero. Use numerals for 10 and up, unless
beginning a sentence with the number.
a. For numbers in the millions and above, use the numeral and spell out millions, billions, and so
on. Use numerals for millions when followed by thousands or hundreds.
To be more precise, there are 3,800,000 people living in the U.S.
We are looking at over 3 million in Los Angeles alone.
b. Use numerals for numbers that contain decimal points, percentages, and ages.
I believe the correct number is 3.14.
I have 30 percent of my paycheck left.
If I were a 2-year-old boy, I would be rich.
c. When a non-specific number is referenced, spell out the number. Example: There are
hundreds of thousands of babies born every day.
d. For ratios use figures and hyphens. Example: The ratio was 2-to-1, a ratio of 2-to-1, a 2-to-1
ratio. For fractions, spell out the word. Example: Two thirds of a pie
e. Spell out numbers at the beginning of a sentence.
Exceptions:
CALENDAR YEARS: 2003 had more applicants than any other year.
HEIGHT: 5'4" is my height, at least the last time I checked.
MONETARY VALUES: $46,000 was our goal last month.
PHONE NUMBERS: 555-555-5555 is my phone number.
ADDRESSES: 412 Elm Street is where I lived last.
REGULATIONS: 24-49.78 states that your car is not up to specs.
vii.
Use the dollar sign ($), pound sign (£), and other monetary symbols. Spell out the word ‘cents’
(lower case), using numerals for amounts less than $1. Use the dollar sign and decimal system for
larger amounts.
The cost was $2.50 and I got 5 cents back.
The T.V. was priced at $43.
We are valued at over £3 billion today.
$43 is too much to pay.
viii.
Times should be transcribed with a colon to separate hours from minutes, and include a.m. and
p.m. Do not use “o'clock.” Example: 11:00 a.m.
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ix.
Technical terms should be written as they would appear on the page, not as spoken, i.e. email
addresses, websites, webcasts, and World Wide Web. Use lower case "web" when someone
refers to "the web." Examples: www.google.com; johnadams@yahoo.com.
x.
Titles should be placed in quotes (e.g. books, computer games, movies, poems, songs, radio and
television programs, articles, lectures, and works of art).
a. Titles of newspapers and magazines should only be capitalized. They do not take quotes or
italics. Capitalize “the” in a newspaper or magazine’s name if that is the way the publication is
known. Example: The New York Times
b. Exceptions: Do not use quotes for the Bible, almanacs, directories, dictionaries,
encyclopedias, gazetteers, handbooks, and similar reference publications.
Jane Doe:
My name is Jane Doe, and I’m an editor for The Washington Post’s Book
World section. I recently wrote an article entitled “Why Reading is Fun”
in which I explained the joys of reading.
Formatting
Completed transcripts should adhere to the NCC template and/or to client specifications. Transcribers are
responsible for producing the text document that is then copied and formatted according to NCC or clientspecific specifications.
i.
Title the document with the project name centered, underlined, and at the top of the page.
ii.
There should be two spaces between sentences.
iii.
The document should be single spaced with a single line separating paragraphs. Paragraphs are
not indented. Do not include a space before or after paragraphs.
iv.
Use [end of transcript] to indicate the end of the transcript.
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