Frequently asked questions

We encourage all volunteers to read the User guide which will walk you through how to sign up, transcribe, review and make the most of your experience as a volunteer transcriber.

I can't find any documents to transcribe

Since the public launch on Wednesday 14th February, the response has been truly overwhelming. In just over 48 hours, more than 1 million words have been transcribed by more than 20,000 volunteer transcribers. This accomplishment stands as a testament to your contributions and the strength of community and collaboration.

As we move forward, further collections (quests) will be added weekly by the Transcribe team.

We sincerely appreciate your patience as we work to make more collection records available online for transcription.

I signed up but don’t know what to do next. Will you inform us when my account is created?

After signing up you should receive an email to confirm your account and set your password. If you can’t find it in your inbox please check your spam or junk folder.

If after 24 hours you have not received this account confirmation email, please request a password reset link.

I am trying to create/update my password but the website won’t accept it?

Your password will need to meet a required level of complexity before it is accepted. Our password policy is:

• Must be at least 12 characters in length
• Contain at least 1 uppercase letter
• Contain at least 1 lowercase letter
• Contain at least 1 number
• Contain at least one special character, such as a symbol or punctuation mark
• Must not include your username

I am trying to log in but it keeps saying my email address or password is not correct. What should I do?

You may be entering either your email address or password incorrectly. If you have forgotten your password you can request a password reset link.

If you have had 5 or more unsuccessful attempts to log in, your account will be temporarily locked as a security measure. Please wait 1 hour before trying again.

I have completed a transcription. How do I know if it has been accepted?

You can check on the status of items which you have contributed to from your user profile page.

I wanted to begin a Transcription item but it shows ‘Someone is currently editing’. Can I transcribe that letter?

Currently this item is locked for editing by another volunteer. Once the volunteer finishes up and saves their work, the transcription item will get unlocked and will become available for others to contribute.

When I go to Transcription items page, I see a number of different messages for each item like 'Open to contribution' or 'Open for review' and not sure what they mean. Can you please explain?

This label indicates the current stage of a transcription items workflow. You can find more details about statuses in our User guide.

Once I sign up, how much time do I have to volunteer?

The amount of time you dedicate to volunteering is your choice - it can be 10 minutes a day or 10 minutes a year!

What if I haven't finished and I want to leave the item?

You can leave at any time, make sure to click the Save & Unlock button at the bottom, this will open the document for other transcribers to work on it.

How can I receive updates about new items or quests?

Go into your user profile and choose Edit profile. Here you will be able to set your Email preferences, check the boxes next to which email notifications you would like to receive.

I accidentally submitted an incomplete transcription for review. How can I transcribe it again?

If the Transcription item is incomplete, our Reviewers will return the item to 'Open for contributions'.

Can I work from home while Transcribing?

Yes! You can most definitely do this from the comfort of your home or anywhere else you have access. 

What do with a Diagram or Map?

If you come across a drawn map or other drawings or lines on a map please type: 

Diagram/Map - see original document 
Hand drawn diagram/map - see original document

What should be Transcribed on a page?

• I would not transcribe pages from a printed book and a whole broad sheet newspaper. Small cuttings and excerpts may be transcribed as this adds context to the whole item. 
   

Headers/Footers 

• Pages from a diary, add typed text from the headers/footers only if it relates to the content, for example, the day and the date, don’t transcribe all the printed stuff at the front of the diary or quotes or words of wisdom at the bottom of the diary.

• Anything that the person has typed include + any date markers if they are printed

   

AI Transcribed - pages look like they have already been Transcribed 

If you open a document and it looks like it's already been transcribed, this may have been done by the AI to make it easier for you, all you need to do is go through to see if it’s correct, as the AI isn’t able to interpret some words and will substitute it for something totally wrong.

Or someone else could have started transcribing and only done one page. Please read through from the beginning to make sure it’s correct. 

Can I Transcribe if another contributor has already started?

A contributor may have started transcribing but left because they found it too hard, or they had finished for the day. If the document is open you can transcribe.

Centrelink Volunteers

At this time the Australian War Memorial does not participate in the job seekers/volunteers program.

Can you use a phone or tablet to transcribe?

Yes, you can.

How do I Transcribe a page if writing is written in the side margins vertically

If something is written vertically, please write it horizontally, then put in brackets next to it that it is on the left or right side of page vertically. Basically explaining where it is.

How to add '/\' in text to denote that one missed a word while writing

The best option is Spot^the dog and probably the way to go - It doesn’t break the line or the formatting, but still gives a clear indication that the word has been inserted. 

Transcribing Shorthand

If you know shorthand please transcribe it, but if you are not sure on any of the words or are just guessing then insert the [Shorthand] in square brackets.  

Subscript or Superscript

Do not use subscript or superscript unless for dates or battalions identified in the document.
 

Align all paragraphs/Don't use Indents 

Left align all paragraphs regardless of the layout.