5 Reasons a Researcher Should Use Transcription Services

Tackling research whether qualitative or quantitative shares a common obstacle – being pressed for time and quality. More often than not, many researchers struggle to find balance between efficiently producing work filled with fact-based actionable information versus the pressing matter of deadlines. Listening to a multitude of interviews, focus group discussions, conference calls and other forms of primary research to glean something from respondents is not only time consuming, but also exhausting. It can be challenging to waddle through an hour of audio to find a certain quote, anecdote, or perhaps a series of questions and answers that would reinforce the study substantially in the completed report.

Primarily, researchers can transcribe recordings of their interviews or discussions for better analysis. But since research transcription can be a cumbersome, tedious process for a researcher, how can you supplement a study with compelling data without getting pressed for deadlines? One solution is the use of transcription services for different types of research. Many research firms use services of research transcription companies to efficiently put their studies ahead of the market. Some students in research also use transcription services to aid them in dissertation work.

To look at the advantage of using transcriptions further, here are five reasons people should use research transcription services:

1. It saves time:  Time is money in research, and some circumstances can put pressure on researchers to finish a study as soon as possible. A transcription service remedies this by producing timely results with accuracy that helps customers focus more on the study. With a transcription service, a researcher can have peace of mind leaving their recordings to professional transcribers and editors to handle for easier and more substantial data gathering. TranscriptionWing, for instance, uses an innovative solution called ListenLink where researchers can simply click on a link, and they can then review the specific segment of the audio corresponding to the transcript with ease instead of laboriously searching for a specific part or word heard in the recording that may be unclear to them, the transcriber, or the editor.
2. It offers flexibility:  The trade-off of saving a few bucks versus the time-consuming process of transcribing raw audio may not be worth it. In conjunction with saving time, transcription services offer flexibility by offering per-minute charges. Most transcription services only charge according to the number of minutes of transcribed audio. Additionally, researchers can opt for timely delivery options where they can get their transcripts back whenever they need it most, which aids in the manageability of their schedule.
3. It lightens the researcher’s workload: Gathering data and generating reports for research are both undeniably hefty responsibilities. Recordings involving hour-long interviews with ten respondents may constitute twenty pages of the transcript on average for each, resulting in around two hundred pages of transcript. Needless to say, this is a huge volume of workload even for a research assistant or an intern, which could demand time that would be better spent on more meaningful tasks. A good transcription provider can deal with such a hefty workload in only a few days. Better yet, their expertise in research transcriptions allows them to produce more accurate transcripts in a shorter length of time. Research transcriptions can also be made according to a researcher’s specified format or template where the transcriptionists can identify and label speakers depending on the researcher’s need.
4. It ensures the quality of the data: Listening to a recording and analyzing data gathered from a number of respondents is not only time consuming but can also be overwhelming due to a multitude of ideas. Transcription services help researchers by creating a quality transcript of the audio from beginning to end and can even include timestamps to help lead the researcher to the most substantial parts for analysis. Instead of pushing the playback button over and over again, transcription professionals can help researchers overcome their deadlines and more importantly, build their study or dissertation with better structure and organization.
5. It exercises strict confidentiality: Transcription services help protect the privacy and confidentiality of the research by safeguarding the researcher’s data in a step-by-step process, from receipt to delivery, to ensure data security. Afterwards, research transcripts are often contained and deleted in a secure manner with the supervision of a chief confidentiality officer.

We at TranscriptionWing value and understand the immense responsibility of engaging in research. With the help of our accurate and flexible research transcription services, we aim to unburden your workload so you can instead focus on more meaningful tasks on your checklist.