How to Prepare Your Transcript Before Sending It to a Proofreader

Working with a proofreader is a partnership. The more prepared your transcript is when it arrives, the faster and cleaner the turnaround. Here is exactly what to do before you send.

Complete Your Own Read-Through First Before sending anything out, do one pass yourself. You'll catch the obvious errors — misspelled proper nouns, missing speaker identifications, formatting gaps. Your proofreader's job is to catch what you missed, not to do a first draft cleanup.

Confirm Speaker Identifications Are Consistent Nothing slows down a proofreading job like inconsistent speaker IDs. Make sure Q and A are used consistently, that all speakers are identified the same way throughout, and that any "THE WITNESS" or "THE COURT" designations follow the same pattern from beginning to end.

Check Your Exhibit References Are all exhibits referenced in the transcript actually listed? Are the Exhibit numbers consistent? A proofreader will flag these, but catching them yourself first means fewer corrections and a faster return.

Note Any Inaudibles or Unclear Passages If there are sections marked inaudible or passages you weren't sure about, flag them clearly before sending. Your proofreader can note them but cannot fix what wasn't captured in the room.

Fill Out a Preference Sheet If this is your first time working with a proofreader, send a preference sheet along with your transcript. This tells the proofreader which style guide you follow, how you handle specific punctuation calls, and any formatting preferences specific to your jurisdiction or firm. At Quill & Parchment, every new client completes a preference sheet before the first job — it eliminates guesswork and ensures consistency from page one.

Send as PDF PDF preserves your formatting exactly as it appears. Send the most recent version, clearly named with the case name and date. If you work in WordPerfect, that works too — just confirm the format before sending.

Prepared transcripts move faster and come back cleaner. If you're ready to work with a proofreader who knows Morson's, BGGP, and Gregg inside out, visit quillandparchment.ca/contact to get started.

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