Skip to content
DepoStack
Join the waitlist

Research and flags.

Where to check a word, in order, and why a hidden note beats a guess.

Practice only4 drills in this lesson.Format and hard cases

Read first.

Linda M. Lee’s standard is to “Perform online research of even the most mundane words since we can’t assume anything,” and she adds that “even spellings given to the scopist by the reporter sometimes contain errors.”

Source: JCR, what does a scopist do? (Linda M. Lee).

The baker’s dozen tips advise choosing “a reputable primary dictionary to follow (Merriam-Webster, American Heritage, Oxford)” and to “be wary of accepting the first word that pops up in a Google search that seems to fit your phonetic.”

Source: JCR, proofreading tips: a baker’s dozen.

Where to check a word, in order.

  1. The record itself: a spelling given on the record, or the same word later in the job.
  2. The exhibits and case documents.
  3. The case word list, from the reporter or counsel.
  4. Specialist references for the field: medical, technical, or legal.
  5. The open web, last, and only when the result ties back to the record.

DepoStack’s recommended order: no source states it in this form; it follows from Lee’s caution and Michigan’s advice.

When the trail runs out, the word gets a hidden note, not a guess. Lee’s practice is to “Leave hidden notes for the reporter to check.” A hidden note is visible to the reporter, never printed in the transcript, and never a guess presented as fact.

Sources: JCR, what does a scopist do? (Linda M. Lee); The guide: The hand-off to the scopist.

On AI, NCRA’s July 2026 guidance allows “technical research and/or clarification of spelling and vocabulary,” and says AI may be used “only to support the stenographic reporter’s work and not to generate the record.” It does not address scopists. Our conservative reading: research help, yes; writing or rewriting transcript text, no.

Sources: NCRA/COPE AI guidance, July 2026, § I.3; The guide: Responsibility, confidentiality, and AI.

Read more in the guide: Pass 2: finish the research before the read; The hand-off to the scopist; Responsibility, confidentiality, and AI.

Drills.

Format and hard cases: choose the line or the action; the feedback names whose rule applies.

The drills answer back with JavaScript on. Without it, every sample is here, and each drill’s answers and reasons are in its key.

Your progress stays in this browser only. There is no account, and nothing you tap is sent anywhere.

Drill 1: The first place to look

Format and hard cases

A product name that sounds like “Velnor” comes up twice on page 12 of the sample job. You don’t know how it is spelled. Where do you look first?

Answers, with the reasons

  1. The open web

    The web comes last, and only when the result ties back to the record. The first hit that fits your phonetic may be wrong.

    Sources: JCR, proofreading tips: a baker’s dozen; The guide: Pass 2: finish the research before the read.

  2. The record itself (the answer)

    Start with the record: a spelling given on the record, or the same word later in the job. That is the first step of DepoStack’s recommended order, which follows from Lee’s caution that even the reporter’s spellings can be wrong.

    Sources: The guide: Pass 2: finish the research before the read; JCR, what does a scopist do? (Linda M. Lee).

  3. The case word list

    The word list comes third, after the record and the exhibits. Lee notes that “even spellings given to the scopist by the reporter sometimes contain errors.”

    Source: JCR, what does a scopist do? (Linda M. Lee).

  4. Ask the reporter now

    Questions go back as hidden notes once the trail runs out, so the reporter can answer them together. Try the record first.

    Source: The guide: The hand-off to the scopist.

Drill 2: When the sources disagree

Format and hard cases

The reporter’s word list spells it “Velnar.” Later on the record, the witness spells it out: “V-E-L-N-O-R.” Exhibit 2’s letterhead agrees with the witness. What goes on the page?

Answers, with the reasons

  1. “Velnar,” because the reporter supplied it

    Lee warns that “even spellings given to the scopist by the reporter sometimes contain errors.” Here the record and the exhibit agree against the list.

    Source: JCR, what does a scopist do? (Linda M. Lee).

  2. “Velnor,” with a hidden note that the word list differs (the answer)

    The record comes first in the order, and the exhibit confirms it. The hidden note tells the reporter the word list disagrees, so the decision stays visible.

    Sources: The guide: Pass 2: finish the research before the read; JCR, what does a scopist do? (Linda M. Lee).

  3. Both spellings, one in brackets

    Brackets would print the question in the transcript. A question for the reporter belongs in a hidden note, never on the page.

    Sources: JCR, what does a scopist do? (Linda M. Lee); The guide: The hand-off to the scopist.

Drill 3: When the trail runs out

Format and hard cases

On page 30 the witness names a part that sounds like “Quarren valve.” It is not on the record, in the exhibits, on the word list, or in a specialist reference. A web search finds one plausible spelling. What do you do?

Answers, with the reasons

  1. Use the web’s spelling

    The web comes last, and only when the result ties back to the record. This one does not.

    Sources: JCR, proofreading tips: a baker’s dozen; The guide: Pass 2: finish the research before the read.

  2. Write it phonetically and move on

    A phonetic spelling with no note is a guess presented as fact. The reporter would never know to check it.

    Source: The guide: Pass 2: finish the research before the read.

  3. Keep your best spelling, with a hidden note for the reporter (the answer)

    When the trail runs out, the word gets a hidden note, not a guess. Lee leaves “hidden notes for the reporter to check”; the reporter, who heard the room, decides.

    Sources: JCR, what does a scopist do? (Linda M. Lee); The guide: Pass 2: finish the research before the read.

  4. Mark it “(inaudible)”

    The word was audible; it just can’t be verified. California’s Court Reporters Board advises live reporters never to use “(inaudible)” at all, as guidance rather than regulation.

    Sources: Court Reporters Board of California, Pointer No. 1; The guide: The hard cases at a glance.

Drill 4: An AI tool and a garbled answer

Format and hard cases

A garbled answer on page 52 is hard to follow. Can you paste it into an AI tool and use its cleaner rewrite?

Answers, with the reasons

  1. Yes, if the reporter checks the result

    NCRA’s 2026 guidance says AI may be used “only to support the stenographic reporter’s work and not to generate the record.” A rewrite of the testimony generates it.

    Source: NCRA/COPE AI guidance, July 2026, § I.3.

  2. No: AI may help research spellings and terms, but not write transcript text (the answer)

    The guidance permits “technical research and/or clarification of spelling and vocabulary,” bars AI from generating the record, and allows “no unauthorized transcript uploading.” It does not address scopists; applying it to them is DepoStack’s conservative reading.

    Sources: NCRA/COPE AI guidance, July 2026, §§ I.3, I.5; The guide: Responsibility, confidentiality, and AI.

  3. Yes, for a rough draft only

    Rough or final, the words are the reporter’s record. And uploading the text without authorization raises its own problem under the same guidance.

    Source: NCRA/COPE AI guidance, July 2026, § I.5.

Recap.

  • Finish research before the read, so the read keeps its flow.
  • Check a word in order: the record, the exhibits, the word list, specialist references, the open web last (DepoStack’s recommended order).
  • When the trail runs out, leave a hidden note. Never print a guess, and never print the question.
  • AI may help with spelling and term research; it does not write or rewrite the record.

Free practice, not a credential. No certificate or credential: this course awards none, and we found no recognized credential for steno scopists.