Budgeting for Transcription in Academic Research
Transcription costs are easy to overlook when planning a research project. Allowing for them early can help you avoid unexpected costs and make sure your budget covers the work you need. This guide explains what affects the price of transcription and how to estimate your costs.
What Affects the Cost?
PageSix pricing is based on the length of the recording and the type of service required.
The main things to consider are:
Total recording time: The number of recorded minutes across all interviews or focus groups.
Type of transcription: Fully human transcription or our Transcript Editing Service for client-generated draft transcripts.
Number of speakers: Particularly relevant for focus groups and larger group discussions.
Turnaround time: Faster delivery may cost more.
Project size: Discounts may be available for larger or ongoing projects.
We don't charge extra for challenging subject matter, sensitive research topics or participant anonymisation.
Choosing the Right Service
There are two options to consider when planning your budget.
Fully Human Transcription
Your recordings are transcribed from scratch by experienced UK-based transcribers. This is suitable for interviews, focus groups and projects where you need a complete human-produced transcript.
Transcript Editing Service
If you already have draft transcripts produced using your institution-approved tools, we can arrange for an experienced human transcriber to check and correct them against the original recordings.
The right option will depend on your research requirements and any institutional or ethics restrictions.
Planning Your Transcription Budget
A few simple steps can help you avoid underestimating the cost:
Estimate total recording time. Include pilot interviews, follow-up interviews and any additional sessions you expect to record.
Allow for every participant or group. Count the full recording length, not just the time each person spends speaking.
Choose your transcription method. Check whether fully human transcription or transcript editing is appropriate for your project.
Consider your timescale. Allow enough time for transcription and any subsequent checking or analysis.
Check your requirements early. If your project has specific confidentiality, anonymisation or data-handling requirements, discuss these before booking.
Example Project Budgets
These examples show how to estimate the transcription time needed for different types of research. Use our current rates to calculate the final cost.
Example 1:
Face-to-Face Interview Study
5 interviews, estimated 60 minutes per interview (total minutes 300)
2 speakers
Fully human transcription
1-week turnaround
300 minutes @ £1.20+vat per recorded minute
Estimated cost: £360.00+vat
Example 2:
Large Teams Interview Study
30 interviews, estimated 60 minutes per interview (total minutes 1,800)
2 speakers
Editing of the Teams draft transcript
1-week turnaround
Large volume 10% discount included
1,800 minutes @ £1.08+vat per recorded minute
Estimated cost: £1,944.00+vat
Example 3:
Focus Group Research Study
10 interviews, estimated 90 minutes per interview (total minutes 900)
5-6 speakers in each group
Fully human transcription required due to number of speakers
2-day turnaround
900 minutes @ £1.70+vat per recorded minute
Estimated cost: £1,530.00+vat
If you know roughly how many recordings you expect to have, their average length and when you need them completed, we can provide a quotation to help with your research budget.
Need a Formal Quote?