Guessing transcriptions
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cnjgrr
I didn't receive this particular record; however, I noticed the comment in the discussion and sought to help. While I understand the paranoia of guessing when trying to establish fact, in these circumstances, I believe that's what we're essentially doing. The blog states that our transcriptions are gathered and analyzed as a whole to achieve fact based on consensus; however, regardless of whether we, as volunteers, agree, I've no doubt any final claims are checked by experts in the field. Therefore, so long as I make an educated guess that may potentially lead to an accurate answer, I see no harm in it.
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darryluk
Educated guesses are still guesses and valuable only in relation to the education 😉 If the entry is left blank then an 'expert' can check the specimen at the end of the process. If guesses are made the entry does not come up as a 'blank' and like you say, a consensus of guesses could be wrong!
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cnjgrr
The entire project is fundamentally based on guessing, barring the few typewritten records (which are not wholly flawless as I've come to find). That is why there is a necessity for consensus AND review by an expert authority. I'm sorry; but, until you present yourself as an affiliated authority with any of these collections, I'm going to continue making educated guesses in an effort to provide as much relevant data as possible to those experts ultimately responsible for pinning down the facts.
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