---
title: "The State of Scoping and Transcript Review in 2026: Drafts, Audio, AI, and Who Decides"
description: "Where transcript review stands in 2026: scopists, rough drafts, audio sync, NCRA's new AI guidance, digital reporting rules, and who certifies the record."
url: "https://depostack.com/blog/state-of-transcript-review-2026/"
published: "2026-10-11"
updated: "2026-10-15"
author: "Andrew Mayes"
topic: "Transcripts"
---

# The State of Scoping and Transcript Review in 2026: Drafts, Audio, AI, and Who Decides

Where transcript review stands in 2026: scopists, rough drafts, audio sync, NCRA's new AI guidance, digital reporting rules, and who certifies the record.

Published October 11, 2026 · Updated October 15, 2026 · By Andrew Mayes · Topic: Transcripts

Canonical URL: https://depostack.com/blog/state-of-transcript-review-2026/

## Key takeaways

- Review has always involved more than one person; the officer who certifies the transcript is the one who answers for it.
- Realtime text, rough drafts, and certified transcripts are different products, and rules and guidelines keep them apart.
- Audio-synced editing is ordinary in CAT software; the questions in 2026 are about who controls the audio and where it goes.
- NCRA's 2026 guidance limits AI to an assistive role for stenographic reporters, while court rules on recording methods vary by jurisdiction.

Every transcript that leaves a reporting firm has been read by more than one set of eyes. The reporter
writes it and edits it. A scopist may work through it against the steno notes. A proofreader may read the
finished pages. The witness may read it and sign. Then one person signs the certificate, and that person
answers for every line.

In 2026, the tools around that chain are changing faster than the chain itself. Audio sync is ordinary in
CAT software, automatic speech recognition is in the room whether or not anyone invited it, and the
profession's associations and courts have spent this year saying where the lines are. This note covers who
does what in review, the difference between draft and certified text, where audio fits, and what the
current guidance on AI actually says.

## The people in the review chain

NCRA describes the scopist plainly: "A scopist is a professional transcript editor for court reporters."[1]
What sets the scopist apart from an editor or a proofreader, in NCRA's account, is the ability to compare
the reporter's shorthand to the transcript, so that "mistranslate errors can be identified, thereby helping
the court reporter preserve an accurate record."[1] Stenograph's description of its scopist edition of
CATalyst lists the work in more detail: correcting formatting, punctuation, grammar, and typos; making sure
names and terms are spelled correctly; and flagging questionable areas for the reporter.[2]

The flag matters. A scopist who is unsure does not decide; they flag the spot for the reporter. That habit
is the core of good review.

At the end of the chain is the certificate. Under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 30(f)(1), "the officer
must certify in writing that the witness was duly sworn and that the deposition accurately records the
witness's testimony."[3] California's Code of Civil Procedure section 2025.540(a) asks the same of the
deposition officer.[4] Between the reporter's edit and that certificate sits the witness's own review: under
Rule 30(e), a deponent who asks before the deposition ends has 30 days to review the transcript and sign a
statement listing changes in form or substance and the reasons for them, and the officer notes in the
certificate whether review was requested and attaches the changes.[3] For a printable sheet
that lists a witness's changes by page and line, there is a free [errata sheet template](https://depostack.com/tools/errata-sheet/).

Scopists, proofreaders, the witness, and now software can all suggest. The certificate has one author.

> **Figure.** The review chain on one transcript: reporter, scopist, proofreader, and witness each read or suggest; one officer signs the certificate. Drawing: One transcript passing down a centre line from the reporter, to a scopist’s flag, a proofreader’s pencil, the witness’s 30-day review, and the certificate the officer signs.

## Realtime, rough draft, and certified are three different things

Much of the confusion about review comes from treating three products as stages of one.

| Text | What it is | What it is not |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Realtime | Text streamed during the proceeding; the federal program describes it as "a draft unedited transcript produced by a certified realtime reporter as a byproduct of realtime"[5] | Edited, reviewed, or certified |
| Rough draft | An uncertified draft delivered after the proceeding, before final editing | Something to file, quote as the record, or use to contradict the certified transcript |
| Certified transcript | The edited transcript with the officer's certificate | Rewritten by later suggestions; a witness's Rule 30(e) changes are listed and attached[3] |

The guidance on rough drafts is specific. NCRA's COPE Guidelines for Professional Practice, Section III,
say an uncertified draft "may contain errors, some of which could change the accuracy or meaning of the
testimony," may not be filed with the court, and may only be distributed to ordering parties. Each page
should carry a header or footer stating "uncertified draft transcript only," the draft should not include a
completed title page, appearance page, or certificate page, and a disclaimer should go with it as a cover
sheet.[6] California puts the same idea in statute: under section 2025.540(b), a rough draft deposition
transcript "may not be certified and may not be used, cited, or transcribed as the certified transcript,"
and may not be used to rebut or contradict the certified transcript.[4]

Any review tool that touches a rough draft inherits those rules. Its output is still a rough draft until the
reporter finishes the work and signs.

> **Figure.** Three texts, not three stages of one: realtime streamed as a draft, a rough draft labeled uncertified with no certificate page, and the certified transcript. Drawing: A realtime viewer streaming text, a rough draft with an uncertified header and footer and no certificate page, and a certified transcript signed and sealed.

## Audio sync is ordinary; control of the audio is the question

Reading the draft against the audio is not new. Advantage Software's Eclipse page says "all versions of Total
Eclipse feature synchronized audio recording and playback at no extra charge," and that its MediaLink
feature "has been part of Eclipse since 1996."[7] Stenograph describes its Case AudioSync Playback as providing
"realtime synchronization of audio with text as a transcription aid," with variable playback speed for
faint or garbled speakers.[2] Click a word, hear the moment it was spoken: both vendors include it in the
editing products they sell to reporters and scopists.

The harder questions are about the audio itself. NCRA's COPE Section IV on backup audio media says the use
of a backup recording does not change the reporter's duties toward the record. It treats a recording the
reporter makes at their own discretion, not ordered preserved by law, as the reporter's work product, says a
firm cannot require the reporter to produce it unless a court orders it, and tells reporters to check the
applicable laws and rules before creating a backup recording at all.[6] Before audio goes into any review
workflow, the reporter should know whose audio it is, who will hear it, and where it will be stored.

## What the 2026 guidance on AI says

NCRA's Board of Directors adopted a new position statement on AI and automatic speech recognition on
February 24, 2026. As reported in the Journal of Court Reporting, NCRA's stated rationale for it acknowledges these
technologies' "capabilities to be helpful as supplemental tools," and holds that they cannot "create and preserve the
record to the extent that a trained, certified human court reporter or captioner can."[8]

On July 17, 2026, NCRA published COPE guidance for stenographic reporters and captioners on their own use
of AI.[9] Its main points:

- **AI may assist, not create.** "AI may be used only to support the stenographic reporter's work and not to
  generate the record." Permissible uses "could include technical research and/or clarification of spelling
  and vocabulary," and AI "may not be used to create transcripts or captions in place of stenographic
  capture."[10]
- **Quality control, under the reporter.** The guidance's policy statement limits AI to "a limited assistive
  tool for the stenographic reporter's sole use in quality control."[10]
- **Disclosure.** Reporters should be truthful about their own use of AI, and disclosure "should affirm that
  the stenographic reporter created, reviewed, and certified the record."[10]
- **Confidentiality.** "There must be no unauthorized transcript uploading, data sharing, storage, or reuse of
  proceeding content."[10]
- **Skill.** Reporters "must maintain stenographic proficiency independent of AI tools."[10]

A companion document on AI notetakers gives reporters on-the-record language for when a participant's bot is
in the room, including the statement that the certified transcript prepared by the reporter "is the only
certified official record."[11]

That guidance speaks for stenographic reporters. It is not the whole landscape. The rules on how the record
is made vary by jurisdiction. Rule 30(b)(3)(A) allows deposition testimony to be recorded "by audio,
audiovisual, or stenographic means" unless the court orders otherwise.[3] The federal court reporting program
notes that by law, federal court proceedings are recorded by "shorthand, stenotype, stenomask, or electronic
sound recording equipment," at the district judge's choice.[5] Florida's Eighteenth Judicial Circuit, in an
administrative order dated January 8, 2026, makes the digital recording the official record except when
a court reporter paid with state funds is present, and requires stenographic reporting for capital trials.[12] And some case orders choose
steno outright: the Depo-Provera MDL protocol requires a certified court reporter to record depositions
stenographically.[13] For digital reporting, AAERT offers the Certified Electronic Reporter, Certified Electronic
Transcriber, and Certified Deposition Reporter credentials.[14]

What every method shares is that a person answers for the transcript, and that the hardest words are the
ones that need a listener. The profession's answers are preparation, interrupting to clarify on the record
when testimony is unintelligible, and review against the audio by someone accountable for the result.

## What good review looks like

Whatever tools sit in the chain, these questions sort helpful review from risky review:

1. **Who decides each change?** Every suggestion, from a scopist or from software, should be visible,
   reversible, and accepted or rejected by the reporter. Nothing should change silently.
2. **Is uncertainty shown, or hidden?** A list of flagged words helps only if the reviewer remembers that an
   unflagged word is not a verified word. A clean queue is not a finished transcript.
3. **Is the draft still labeled a draft?** Output from any review pass should carry the uncertified labels
   COPE describes until the reporter certifies.
4. **Where does the audio go?** Ask where audio and text are processed, who can access them, how long they are
   kept, and whether they are used for anything else. Compare the answers with your rules and with NCRA's
   confidentiality guidance if you follow it.
5. **Can you work without it?** If the tool is unavailable on deadline day, the transcript still has to be
   produced. NCRA's guidance asks stenographic reporters to keep that ability.

## How DepoStack is approaching this

Transcript by DepoStack is Planned. The idea is to help you check a rough draft against its audio,
with AI flagging uncertain words for you to review. You would decide every change and remain responsible
for the text. Before testing, we will explain which files you can use and how they are handled. You decide
whether the app fits your professional guidance and local rules. The reporter certifies. The software never
does. Follow the plans on the [Transcript by DepoStack page](https://depostack.com/transcript/).

## Sources

Reviewed October 11, 2026.

1. [NCRA, Scopists](https://www.ncra.org/home/the-profession/Court-Reporting/Scopists) (ncra.org)
2. [Stenograph, CATalyst Edit for scopists and proofreaders](https://www.stenograph.com/catalyst-scopists-edit) (stenograph.com)
3. [Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, Rule 30 (Legal Information Institute)](https://www.law.cornell.edu/rules/frcp/rule_30) (law.cornell.edu; Rule 30(b)(3)(A), 30(e), and 30(f)(1))
4. [California Code of Civil Procedure section 2025.540](https://rulesofcivilprocedure.com/ca/section-2025.540/) (rulesofcivilprocedure.com)
5. [Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, Federal court reporting program](https://www.uscourts.gov/court-programs/federal-court-reporting-program) (uscourts.gov)
6. [NCRA, COPE Guidelines for Professional Practice](https://www.ncra.org/home/the-profession/NCRA-Code-of-Professional-Ethics/cope---guidelines-for-professional-practice) (ncra.org; Section III, uncertified draft transcripts; Section IV, backup audio media)
7. [Advantage Software, Audio (Eclipse)](https://eclipsecat.com/node/572) (eclipsecat.com)
8. [Journal of Court Reporting (NCRA), NCRA Board adopts new AI position statement](https://www.thejcr.com/2026/03/02/ncra-bod-adopts-new-ai-position-statement/) (thejcr.com; adopted February 24, 2026)
9. [Journal of Court Reporting (NCRA), NCRA COPE AI best practices and guidelines](https://www.thejcr.com/2026/07/17/ncra-cope-ai-best-practices-and-guidelines/) (thejcr.com; July 17, 2026; lists both COPE AI documents with that date)
10. [NCRA/COPE Guidance, Use of Artificial Intelligence by Stenographic Court Reporters and Captioners](https://www.ncra.org/docs/default-source/uploadedfiles/operations/ncra-notices/ncra-cope-guidance-july-2026.pdf?sfvrsn=f140e508_7) (ncra.org; July 17, 2026)
11. [NCRA COPE, AI Notetakers and Summation Bots: Guidance for Stenographic Court Reporters and Captioners](https://www.ncra.org/docs/default-source/uploadedfiles/operations/ncra-notices/ncra-cope-ai-notetakers-july-2026.pdf?sfvrsn=8ee36f41_7) (ncra.org; July 17, 2026)
12. [Eighteenth Judicial Circuit of Florida, Administrative Order 26-04](https://flcourts18.org/document/26-04/) (flcourts18.org; January 8, 2026)
13. [In re Depo-Provera Products Liability Litigation, MDL No. 3140 (N.D. Fla.), Pretrial Order No. 16, Deposition Protocol](https://www.flnd.uscourts.gov/sites/flnd/files/mdl/2025.03.14%20-%20325md3140%20-%20PTO%2016%20-%20%20Deposition%20Protocol.pdf) (flnd.uscourts.gov; filed March 14, 2025; paragraph 20)
14. [AAERT, Certification](https://aaert.org/become-certified/certification-program/) (aaert.org)

Professional guidance, court rules, and administrative orders change and vary by jurisdiction. The rules that govern your proceeding, and your certifying body's guidance, control.

## Related Field Notes

- [Realtime Court Reporting: Equipment, Setup & Getting Started in 2026](https://depostack.com/blog/realtime-court-reporting/)
- [What Is CAT Software? A Guide for New Court Reporters](https://depostack.com/blog/what-is-cat-software/)