Guide
Focus group transcription: a practical guide
Focus groups are the hardest recordings to transcribe well: many voices, people talking at once, and names you don't want on the page. A little planning makes the transcript usable for analysis.
Plan participant codes before the session
Decide how participants will appear in the transcript (P1 to P8, or codes that carry gender or site) and give the transcriber the scheme. Ask the moderator to use the codes or seat positions when inviting people to speak.
If names come up in discussion, ask for them to be replaced by role or code in the transcript. That's easier than redacting later.
Record for many voices
Use a recorder in the middle of the table, or two devices at either end. Ask participants to speak one at a time and the moderator to repeat or summarise quiet contributions.
Keep a seating plan and a note of who spoke first in each section. Send it with the recording.
What to send with the files
The discussion guide, the participant code list, a glossary of local terms and place names, and a note of any language switching. Transcribers use these to label speakers and spell terms correctly.
Plan for delivery time: at the standard rate Soundtoscript delivers in 2–3 business days, and every recording's price and audio grade are shown before you pay.
Preparing transcripts for coding
Ask for DOCX with the speaker label at the start of each turn. NVivo, ATLAS.ti and MAXQDA can then auto-code each participant's contributions.
Keep file names consistent with your study log (for example FGD-03-WomenSiteB.docx), and store transcripts as carefully as the recordings: they contain the same personal information.