Verbatim
A sentence quoted exactly as a participant said it, word for word, without correcting or summarizing it.
Why does it matter for a brand?
A verbatim is the most direct evidence a qualitative study has: it lets the people deciding hear the consumer in their own words, without the analyst's interpretation. If a quote is corrected, summarized or merged with another, it stops being evidence and becomes the report's opinion. For a brand, the difference shows when someone on the board asks who said that.
How does WAV handle it?
Every quote in our reports is a verbatim. It is checked word for word against the transcript of the speaker's turn, produced on our own computers, and a person confirms it by listening to the recording. It carries the speaker's profile and the exact minute, so anyone can go and hear it.
What should you ask before a study?
- Are the quotes in the report word for word or summarized?
- Can I hear each quote in the recording, at the minute it was said?
- Who checks that the transcript matches what was said?
This term is part of the qualitative research glossary, which defines the fifteen terms that come up in any study; it is most closely related to verified quote, insight and findings report. To see it applied, browse the sample report, built from a fictional study: it is the same format a client receives.