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In:Digital and Internet-Based Research Methods in Applied Linguistics
Edited by Matt Kessler
[Research Methods in Applied Linguistics 15] 2026
► pp. 412–432

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Chapter 19
Transcription tools

 | The Hong Kong Polytechnic University
Published online: 5 January 2026
DOI logo with link
https://doi.org/10.1075/rmal.15.19ho
Abstract
Applied linguistics researchers are increasingly working with a wider range of data, including audio-recording data, and video-recording data collected in online and internet-based contexts. Transcription of such multimodal data with digital affordances is an important part of the research process. Moreover, the emergence of transcription tools that make use of generative artificial intelligence technologies has made available a variety of web-based transcription tools and apps to choose from, such as Otter.ai and Happy Scribe. This chapter will introduce readers to different types of transcription and transcription tools, specifically in the context of multimodal transcription. In addition, several example studies which adopt such tools will be described, along with ethical considerations related to the use of transcription tools. Finally, directions for future research will be discussed.
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Frequently asked research questions
  • 3.Implementation
    • Manual transcription
    • Automated transcription
    • Hybrid transcription
  • 4.Example studies
    • Satar (2016)
    • Helm and Dooly (2017)
    • Sindoni (2021)
    • Meredith (2016)
    • Palomeque and Pujolà (2018)
    • Recktenwald (2017)
  • 5.Ethics and research integrity considerations
  • 6.Challenges and issues
  • 7.Future research directions
  • Notes
  • References
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