Indexing Guide
Get Involved
To Get Started
Open a Project: Navigate to the Utah State Archives and Records Service dashboard on FromThePage, and select a collection to work on. Then open a page within the collection to begin transcribing.
Indexing: Once you have opened a page, you can enter the transcription tab. Field-based transcription, or indexing, provides a tabular interface for entering or more entries from a record.
Indexing Conventions
Spelling: Use original spelling and abbreviations if possible. However, all initials in names should include periods.
Blanks: Some columns or spaces may be blank. DO NOT transcribe in blank areas in the spreadsheet that correspond to blank areas in the image. All text should fit in the appropriate cell as cells will expand as you type.
Columns: The number of columns will be set for each project, leave a Page Note if there are not enough columns for the record. Some pages may have more columns than needed. Columns expand as you type.
Dashes: Ignore filler dashes and lines, do not transcribe.
Dittos & Repeats: If text is repeated in multiple cells, transcribe that text as it appears. Do not use dittos or hashmarks in place of text. If “Ditto” or “ “ [quotation marks] are in the record indicating repetition, do not transcribe the ditto or marks, instead transcribe the term or phrase that is being repeated.
Free Floating Text: If there is text that is not part of the chart, transcribe the text in the spreadsheet. Use your best judgment where you place the text in the spreadsheet, typically in the same area where it appears on the image, and how you split it among the cells. If there’s any questions leave a Page Note.
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