Survey on forensic transcription practices

In this article we present the results of a survey about expert transcription practices, which received responses from 28 forensic practitioners from Europe and North America. We found a number of areas of convergence in transcription methods, such as the production of multiple drafts and widespread awareness of priming and cognitive bias. Responses also revealed some areas with less agreement among practitioners, particularly concerning drafting methods and how and when contextual information is consulted by transcribers. We discussed these issues at a workshop with practitioners and have explored some of their comments within this article. This study has highlighted the need for more empirical research to be carried out about forensic transcription methods, and so we have suggested some potential research questions which arise from the survey results and the discussions with practitioners.