How to Transcribe

To transcribe, type exactly what you see in the document using your preferred word
processing software, such as MS Word, Google Docs, or OpenOffice.

Our goal is to create transcriptions that match the original content as closely as
possible. Type the words and paragraphs as they appear.

Include the original spelling, punctuation, and word order, even if there are mistakes. If
you encounter a misspelled word or grammatically incorrect phrase, you may add the
notation [sic] to indicate the error is in the original document. For example: Goerge
Summers[sic].

Match the format of the original sentences and paragraphs. Many archival documents
have tight margins and short lines of text—type each line as it appears, pressing "Enter"
to move to a new line as needed.

If there is an insertion in the original text (such as a word added by caret or other
symbol), include the inserted word in the transcription as you would read it aloud.

If you encounter illegible text, note it in brackets, such as [good guess?] or simply [?],
and continue with the rest of the legible text. Sometimes words are nearly impossible to
decipher, even for experienced transcribers.
If you find a symbol or special character that cannot be easily transcribed, describe it in
brackets, similar to how you note illegible text

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As an example, take the following snippet from a scan of a letter George Summers wrote to his wife Amacetta about the death of her sister aboard the Sultan.