Typed up copies of records are easier to use for a variety of reasons. It’s just important to transcribe exactly as the document is written and separate off the transcription from your commentary and analysis. My personal preference is to indicate the beginning and the end of the transcription in the following manner:
[begin transcription]
This is the document text that is being transcribed and only the document text. This is what the document said word 4[sic] word.
[end transcription]
Discussion of the text of the document should be outside of the transcription and done in such a way that it clearly does not suggest that the discussion is a part of the document. Obvious errors in the document can be noted using a sic as was done after the “4” in the “transcription” above. Names should be spelled as written. If the spelling is consistently “wrong”, make a notation in the discussion. My personal preference is to only use sic when necessary to indicate that something was wrong originally and not a transcription error or typographical error on my part.
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