This is a step by step guide to the use of the JISC funded Synote service as a research tool with a short description of what you can do with Synote at the end.

1. Step by Step to Synote
Easy guide to working with your
research media and annotations

2. Step 1 Step 2 Step 3 Step 4 Step 5

3. Step 1
• Login using your university username and
password or
• Search for a recording you have made or for
someone else’s recording by title, tag or
keywords.
• Refine your search by choosing your resources
or group.

4. Step 2
• Just want to listen or annotate a recording?
Select the ‘Recordings’ button to view a list of
public recordings available or those you have
created.
• Selected the chosen recording title to view or
• To make your own recording - select ‘Create’
then
• Provide details related to the recording and
use the PowerPoint uploader if required.

5. Step 3
• If you are viewing and listening to a recording you may be
able to annotate or change the transcript – use the edit
buttons if available.
• If you are creating a new recording, think about who can
use your data. Set Permissions…
• PRIVATE if you don't want other's to be able to play your
recording
• READ if you want others to be able to replay your recording
and read the transcript and Synmarks (notes) but not add
Synmarks
• ANNOTATE to allow others to add Synmarks (notes) to your
recording or
• WRITE to allow others to change everything.
• Group permissions to restrict access to a particular
group of users.

6. Step 4
• Make a transcript for a recording by typing or
uploading your text or by selecting the
automatic speech recognition transcription if
available (this will take a while). You can
correct errors in the automatically created
transcript .
• View your recording by returning to the
‘Recordings’ menu button

7. Step 5
• Check your transcript and slides are in place.
• Add synchronised annotations or notes
(synmarks) at selected points in the recording
by selecting the ‘create’ button in the Synmark
panel. You can edit and delete your synmarks.
• Make sure you fill in all the details and
required coding conventions.
• Use the ‘title tags’ to aid coding and searches.

8. What can you do with Synote?
• Synote allows you to listen to lectures or recordings
whilst viewing the transcript and slides and making
notes. It synchronises these notes so key points can be
stored for revision or use later.
• Synote can be used for research with the ability to
code interviews, add annotations that are synchronised
with a discussion and highlight important behaviours.
• Synote can be linked to Twitter comments that appear
as notes synchronised with a discussion,
• Synote transcripts can be automatically uploaded via
speech recognition if linked to this type of service.