Study guide
3.1 Professional Behavior: Impartiality, the Accurate Record & Service
AAERT Certified Electronic Transcriber CET
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1 Chapter 1: CET Exam Orientation
1.1 The CET Credential, Exam Format & Eligibility 1.2 The Practical Exam Workflow & a Blueprint-Based Study Plan
2 Chapter 2: Ethics, Conflicts of Interest & Confidentiality
2.1 Ethical Obligations & Avoiding the Appearance of Impropriety 2.2 Conflicts of Interest: Recognizing and Handling Them 2.3 Confidentiality, NDAs, File Security & HIPAA
3 Chapter 3: Professional Behavior, Multi-Channel Audio & Equipment
3.1 Professional Behavior: Impartiality, the Accurate Record & Service 3.2 Multi-Channel Recording & How to Play Channels 3.3 Troubleshooting, Technical Escalation & Equipment Maintenance
4 Chapter 4: Proofreading, Spelling, Capitalization & Numbers
4.1 Proofreading vs. Literary Editing & Why Spelling Matters 4.2 Capitalization in a Transcript 4.3 Numbers in a Transcript
5 Chapter 5: [sic], Abbreviations, Clauses & Commas
5.1 [sic] and Abbreviations 5.2 Clauses & the Core Comma Rules 5.3 Commas in Testimony: Address, Introductory Words, Appositives, Series & Tags
6 Chapter 6: End Punctuation, Colons, Semicolons & Quotation Marks
6.1 Periods, Question Marks & Exclamation Points 6.2 Colons & Semicolons 6.3 Quotation Marks in a Transcript
7 Chapter 7: Apostrophes, Dashes, Hyphens, Ellipses, Slashes & Parentheses
7.1 Apostrophes: Possessives, Contractions & Plurals 7.2 Dashes & Hyphens: Interruptions, Breaks and Compounds 7.3 Ellipses, Slashes & Parentheses
8 Chapter 8: Federal Format, Title Page & Index Page
8.1 Federal District Court Format & Page Specifications 8.2 The Title Page 8.3 The Index Page
9 Chapter 9: Proceedings Page, Headers, Certificate & Colloquy
9.1 The Proceedings Page, Calls to Order & Page Headers 9.2 The Transcriber's Certificate 9.3 Colloquy, Question-and-Answer Format & Paragraphing
10 Chapter 10: Oaths, Parentheticals, Exhibits & Special Procedures
10.1 Swearing Witnesses, Parenthetical Notations & Exhibits 10.2 Quoted Material, Words Spelled on the Record & Italics for Non-English Words 10.3 Strikes, Playbacks, Recordings Played, Asides & Sidebars
11 Chapter 11: Special Designations, Interpreters, Remote Jobs & Verbatim Rules
11.1 Certified Questions, Redactions & Confidential Designations 11.2 Interpreters, Videographers & Remote Proceedings 11.3 Verbatim Transcription: Tics, Substantive Words & Chopped-Down Speech
12 Chapter 12: Interruptions, Indiscernible Speech & Transcriber Judgment Calls
12.1 Interruptions, Indiscernible Speech & Nonverbal Responses 12.2 Log Notes, Case Information, the Court Reporter & Judgment Calls on Names and Speakers
13 Chapter 13: Page Estimates, Originals & Copies, Drafts & Research
13.1 Page Estimates, Original vs. Copy & Rough and Expedited Transcripts 13.2 References, Internet Research & Understanding the Case
14 Chapter 14: Proceedings, Case Types & the Life Cycle of a Case
14.1 Types of Proceedings & Federal Read and Sign 14.2 Types of Cases & the Order of Court and Non-Court Proceedings 14.3 The Life Cycle of a Case
15 Chapter 15: Parties, Legal Documents, Jurisdiction & Venue
15.1 Parties, Participants & Types of Witnesses 15.2 Reading Legal Documents & Using the Docket 15.3 Jurisdiction, Venue & Civil vs. Criminal Proceedings
16 Chapter 16: Case Law, Citations & Jury Selection
16.1 Case Law & the Elements of a Case Citation 16.2 Jury Selection (Voir Dire) & Bench vs. Jury Trials
17 Chapter 17: Legal & Latin Terminology
17.1 Legal Terminology I: Pleadings, Motions, Orders & Procedure 17.2 Legal Terminology II: Evidence, Objections, Rulings & Trial Terms 17.3 Latin Terminology I: Procedure, Courts & Parties 17.4 Latin Terminology II: Doctrine, Evidence & Criminal Law
18 Chapter 18: Medical Terminology
18.1 Medical Terminology I: Word Parts, Directions & Anatomy 18.2 Medical Terminology II: Conditions, Procedures, Medications & Sound-Alikes
3.1 Professional Behavior: Impartiality, the Accurate Record & Service
Key Takeaways Explain This Topic AI
Under 28 U.S.C. § 753(b), a transcript certified by the reporter or other designated individual is deemed prima facie a correct statement of the testimony and proceedings.
Under FRAP 10(a), the federal record on appeal consists of the original papers and exhibits, the transcript of proceedings (if any) and a certified copy of the docket entries.
The Judicial Conference transcript categories run from ordinary (30 days) through 14-day, expedited (7 days), 3-day, daily and hourly (2 hours).
A transcriber is an impartial non-party who gives no advice or opinions and offers comparable service to every party.
Last updated: September 2026
The transcript is often the only lasting account of what happened in a courtroom or deposition room. Blueprint knowledge area 10300 asks you to describe the transcriber's role as an impartial non-party, the importance of an accurate verbatim record, punctuality, customer service and concentration.
The impartial non-party
A party is a person or entity with a stake in the case: plaintiff, defendant, petitioner, the government. Attorneys, witnesses and jurors are participants. The transcriber is none of these. The transcriber is a non-party whose only job is to preserve the words.
Impartiality shows up in concrete behavior:
Equal treatment. Offer the same products, deadlines and prices to every party who orders.
No advice, no opinions. AAERT Code I.I: "Do not offer counsel, advice, or personal opinions." That includes opinions on whether a witness was credible.
No commentary in the record. Parentheticals describe events neutrally, such as "(Indicating.)". They never characterize them, as in "(Witness smirks.)" or "(Obviously lying.)".
No substantive communication. Do not discuss the case with witnesses, jurors, family members or reporters (Code II.C).
Consistent judgment calls. Resolve unclear audio the same way whichever side benefits.
Why an accurate verbatim record matters
It is presumed correct. Under 28 U.S.C. § 753(b), "the transcript in any case certified by the reporter or other individual designated to produce the record shall be deemed prima facie a correct statement of the testimony taken and proceedings had." Judges, lawyers and appellate courts rely on it without hearing the audio.
Appeals are decided on the record. Appellate courts do not hear witnesses again. Under Federal Rule of Appellate Procedure (FRAP) 10(a), the record on appeal is the original papers and exhibits filed in the district court, the transcript of proceedings (if any), and a certified copy of the docket entries. A missed "not," a dropped objection or a misattributed statement can change the outcome of an appeal.
Rulings depend on exact words. Whether an objection was specific enough, whether a plea colloquy covered every required warning, whether a jury instruction was correct: each question is answered by reading the transcript.
Testimony is compared later. Deposition transcripts are used to impeach witnesses at trial. Prior testimony can be the basis of a perjury charge. A transcriber who "cleans up" testimony changes the evidence.
Punctuality
Deadlines are part of the order. AAERT Code I.H: "Meet promised delivery dates. Make timely delivery of transcripts when no date is specified, and provide immediate notification of delays, and truthful assessment to clients of reasons why."
Federal courts use Judicial Conference delivery categories ( Guide to Judiciary Policy , § 510.17):
- Category Delivery
- Ordinary within 30 calendar days of the order
- 14-Day within 14 calendar days
- Expedited within 7 calendar days
- 3-Day within 3 calendar days
- Daily the next calendar day, before the clerk's office opens
- Hourly within 2 hours
- Realtime a draft delivered electronically during the proceeding or right after it
A 30-day transcript delivered on day 31 is late. Late transcripts delay appeals, sentencing and motion deadlines. Plan backward from the due date and leave time for proofreading.
Customer service
The transcriber's customers are agencies, courts, attorneys and pro se litigants. Good service means:
Clarifying the order at the start: format, deadline, delivery method, number of copies, and any special handling such as confidential designations or a rough draft.
Responding promptly and professionally to questions, using the client's approved channel.
Staying calm under pressure. Attorneys on deadline can be abrupt. AAERT offers continuing education on de-escalation and customer service for this reason.
Keeping service inside the ethical lines. "Excellent service" never means changing testimony or favoring one party.
Concentration and attentiveness
Listening accurately for hours is a trained skill. Blueprint topic 10305 asks how to actively maintain it:
Work in a quiet room with closed-back or well-sealed headphones. Remove notifications, phone and email.
Work in focused blocks (for example, 45 to 50 minutes, then a short break). Listening fatigue causes skipped words and guessed endings.
Know the case before you start. Read the case information and log notes first. A listener who knows the names and issues hears them correctly.
Separate drafting from proofreading. Proof with fresh ears, ideally after a break.
Mark doubts instead of guessing. Put a searchable flag such as ** at an uncertain spot and come back to it; never keep typing past a word you did not hear.
Protect your hearing. Keep headphone volume moderate and use per-channel balance rather than maximum volume (Section 3.2).
Scenarios
Situation Professional response
A juror's relative emails you asking when the transcript will be "public" Do not discuss the case; refer the person to the clerk's office
An attorney is rude about a delay you warned about last week Stay calm, restate the new date and the reason, and document the exchange
You finish early on a 14-day order Deliver when ready; early delivery is good service, but do not skip the proofreading pass to do it
You are asked to "just tell me what the judge said about the motion" before the transcript is done Do not give an oral summary of the substance (AAERT Code II.C); offer an expedited transcript instead
After six hours of work, you notice you are typing words ahead of the audio Take a break; listening fatigue produces guessed words