Transcribing of documents especially Baptisms

Question

My question is about transcribing of documents. In the medical world it is forbidden, because mistakes can cost a patient their life. Is it really accurate for historical research? Mainly due to language contraints, handwriting issues & confimation bias? Judging by sources I have seen, many mistakes occur. In view of how strict the spelling for LNAB is. Is it not more viable to place a copy of an image (If not copyrighted) of the document rather than transcribing? (Just shaking the tree to see what falls out)

Comments

Keep in mind that some of the records we use are contemporary copies of the originals, and that is all we have.

Answer 1

Many BDM certificates are copyrighted (either to the original records office or to Ancestry/MyHeritage/FMP etc) which is why we must transcribe!!

And also for those records that are behind paywalls, (Ancestry & My heritage) not everyone is able to access the original image - which is another reason why we should transcribe!!

Comments

FYI - FACTS are not copyrighted - so dates of birth, death and marriage are not copyrighted. Those are freely available, which is why we can transcribe.

 The formatting and layout of those facts on the certificate - THAT is what is copyrighted!! Which is why we cannot usually upload copies of the original certificates.