Information, not advice. This guide describes common practice for litigation staff. It is not legal advice. Rules differ by jurisdiction, court and judge, and orders in your case can change them. Check what governs your matter and ask your supervising attorney.
Why transcript search misses things
A transcript is spoken language set in numbered lines. Witnesses say “the agreement”, “that contract” and “Exhibit 1” for the same document. Reporters spell unfamiliar names as they heard them. Numbers appear as digits in one place and words in another: this site's invented sample transcript has “thirty-four and thirty-eight degrees” and “ninety days”.
Line breaks cut phrases in two. In the sample, “Northgate” ends line 2:13 and “Freight, LLC” begins line 2:14, so a search for “Northgate Freight” in line-by-line text finds nothing. A phrase can be split across a page break too. Search for a distinctive single word, then read around the hit.
How to search
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Make the text searchable
A PDF with a text layer can be searched. A scan needs optical character recognition first, and misread names and numbers are likely. Keep the line numbers with the text so that a hit carries its cite.
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List the terms and their variants
Names, nicknames and roles, such as “compliance lead”; document titles and exhibit numbers; numbers as digits and as words; dates in the forms a witness might use.
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Search testimony first, then colloquy
Lines that begin A. are the witness's answers, and a continuation may be labelled THE WITNESS:. Lines that begin with a name, such as MR. BAKER:, belong to counsel or others. Search each group on its own. See objections in transcripts.
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Search for exhibits by their marking language
Try “marked”, “Exhibit”, “Ex.” and the number. Reporters often record a marking in a parenthetical line. Building an exhibit index takes this further.
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Record each hit as page:line, then read around it
Write the cite as you go, because hits become entries in a summary. Read several lines on each side: the next answer may qualify the last.
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Search again with the opposite term
After “approved”, search “rejected” and “did not approve”. Negatives and hedges, such as “not that I recall”, are easy to miss.
What to search for
| Looking for | Try | Watch for |
|---|---|---|
| A person | Surname, first name, initials, title, role | Phonetic spellings; “he” or “she” instead of a name |
| A document | Its title, “the agreement”, the exhibit number | Several names for one document; exhibits renumbered between depositions |
| A date | “June 3”, “6/3”, “2022”, “last spring” | Witnesses often give approximate dates |
| A number | Digits and words: 38, thirty-eight | A figure split by a line break |
| An objection | “Objection”, “form”, “foundation”, “instruct” | Abbreviated or stacked objections |
| Counsel's statements | The speaker label, such as MR. BAKER: | Several attorneys for one side |
| A topic with no fixed words | Synonyms, and the questions that introduce the topic | Zero hits is not proof that nothing was said |
What goes wrong
- Searching the PDF viewer for a phrase. Margin numbers and page headers mix with the text, and a phrase split across lines or pages will not match.
- One spelling. The same person can appear under two spellings. Search both and check the list of appearances.
- Treating zero hits as absence. A search finds words, not testimony. No hit means only that those words were not used.
- Reading one line. A quoted line can mean something else once the next answer is read. Take the question, the full answer and the lines after it.
- Losing the hits. Hits not recorded as page:line get searched for again, and the cites drift between searches.
- Searching the wrong version. A rough draft, or one volume of several, gives different results. Note which version you searched.
How DepoScript helps
DepoScript puts the page and line on the front of every line, so a hit in any text editor already carries its cite. Q and A lines, named speakers such as MR. BAKER: and the reporter's parentheticals are separate turns, and the Turns tab has a filter box that matches the cite, the speaker and the text shown. Long turns are shortened in that table, so for an exhaustive search use your editor on the Markdown. It does not search across several transcripts. Try the converter. Free: 1 file per day, up to 10 pages, no account. See pricing.
Questions
Why doesn't my PDF search find a phrase I can see?
The phrase may be split across two lines or pages, spaced differently, or part of a scan with no text layer. Search for one distinctive word and read around it.
How do I search only what the witness said?
Look at lines that begin A. or THE WITNESS:, and if your tool allows it limit the search to them. A line with a name label, such as MR. BAKER:, belongs to counsel or another participant.
Should I search a rough draft?
It can help you find things early, but its pages and lines may move in the certified transcript. Repeat the search there and record the cites again.
How do I find where an exhibit was discussed?
Search for the exhibit number in the forms the transcript uses, such as Exhibit 12 and Ex. 12, then for the document's title and the phrases used to mark it. Record the first and later mentions.
Can I search several transcripts at once?
Only if they are in the same searchable form. Text with the page and line on every line lets one search return cites from each transcript, but add the witness name to each hit so you can tell them apart.
What about numbers written as words?
Search both, for example 38 and thirty-eight. Reporters follow house style and witnesses say numbers either way.
How do I know I have found everything?
A search cannot tell you. Combine it with a read-through of the passages most likely to matter and, where the transcript has one, the reporter's word index.
Keep reading
- Objections in transcriptsHow form and substance objections and instructions not to answer appear on the page.
- Deposition exhibit indexList each exhibit with where it was marked and discussed, using page:line.
- Deposition summary formatsPage-line, topical and narrative summaries, and which reader needs which.
- All twelve guides