Academic research transcription services

Transcribe qualitative interviews and focus groups in minutes, and spend your time on the analysis.

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  • Free to try, no credit card
  • 150+ languages
  • Rated 4.6 on G2

Trusted by 6m+ users and 41,000+ teams of all sizes

How to transcribe research interviews?

  1. Upload your recording

    Add an interview or focus group file, or import it from Google Drive or Dropbox.

  2. Pick the language

    Choose from 140+ languages and dialects.

  3. Choose AI or human

    AI is up to 98% accurate in minutes. Human transcripts are 99% accurate in 24 hours.

  4. Review speakers and timestamps

    Label each participant and fix any word while you listen.

  5. Export for analysis

    Download TXT, DOCX, PDF and more for your coding software.

Customer Reviews

4.6/5 on G2

  • When I need something transcribed from an MP3, I use this service. In my profession, transcription is needed regularly. I like this service because it is pretty much quick, accurate, and painless.
    Jonathan Orris
  • I really like this tool. From time to time, I need to convert audio to text - and get it done accurately, and HappyScribe does a great job. It's fast, easy, and accurate.
    Robyn Wright
  • I have been using HappyScribe for more than 6 years now and I love the ease of just uploading my audio and having a clean transcript.
    Rim B. G2

Frequently Asked Questions

What is transcription in qualitative research?

Transcription is the process of converting spoken words into a written document. Transcription in qualitative research involves turning audio interviews into text documents to allow for a more efficient process of coding and analysing research data.

How long does it take to transcribe a file?

On average, manually transcribing audio to text takes about four hours for every hour of audio.

How can transcription help me save time?

The process of transcription in qualitative research has made data collation and analysis a much faster process. A researcher looking for data can simply use commands like “CTRL-F” to find specific information in a transcript without having to waste time listening through long audio files. Additionally, transcribing qualitative interviews allows an easy way to cut and paste accurate verbatim comments from interviewees and focus group participants into a research report compared to having to listen, pause, and type each comment. Specialized qualitative research transcription services can also provide team accounts, allowing fellow researchers to have access to the data, enhancing teamwork.

How long of a file can I have transcribed?

HappyScribe will transcribe files of any length. There is no file size limit, meaning you don't have to trim your interviews and submit multiple files. We also accept 45+ file formats including AIFF, M4A, MP3, MP4, WAV, and WMA, making podcast audio transcription quick and easy.

How many speakers am I limited to on my audio file?

At HappyScribe, we understand that focus group transcription services and academic transcriptions services often need to transcribe multiple speakers within the same audio file. Be it one person or one hundred people, we will transcribe everything on your audio file. Additionally, our speech recognition can detect when the speaker has changed.

Ready to turn your audio into text?