A synopsis describes and summarises key topics/themes discussed in the recording to allow users to locate relevant interviews (and portions of interviews) quickly and accurately. A synopsis should be concise and reflect accurately the order/sequence as well as contents of an interview to facilitate search. Each line in the synopsis should weave in sufficient details to facilitate text searches. For every 60 minutes of recorded audio track the synopsis is usually about 100 – 250 words. Please avoid writing overly brief or lengthy synopses. 

Synopses should include:

• Names
• Places
• Events
• Concepts/Terms
• Subjects/Topics

For Example:

“Interviewee’s meetings with Dr Goh Keng Swee to draft what became the 1979 Goh Report.”

“Interviewee explained why he frequented the Botanic Gardens”

“Recollections on SARS and how it compared with Covid-19”

Full names of acronyms should be spelt out and bracketed even where the interviewee chose to refer to the acronyms. 
Example, “Interviewee spoke of her career at NAS (National Archives of Singapore)”

Use abbreviated sentences to keep the information concise, making it easier to identify the required information. 
Refer to Annex A (below) for a sample of a synopsis. 

The synopsis writer must be careful to record accurately and objectively to avoid misrepresenting the interviewee in the synopsis.

To be aware of potential sensitivities when drafting synopses, and to avoid potentially offensive, discriminatory or derogatory labels. For instance, a synopsis sentence phrased as "Great-grandfather came to Singapore as a prisoner; why he was deported from India and later released" can be insensitive, given the negative connotations in the word "prisoner".  The sentence could be rewritten as "Great-grandfather was deported to Singapore by the British administration in India” which summarizes the content while removing the labelling element.

Please insert Timecodes selectively at key moments/topics in the interview where applicable to bring these to researcher’s attention and to aid navigation: 
(See Annex 1 for samples)

• The time code shown in hours: minutes: seconds format, in square brackets [HH:MM:SS format, for e.g. [01:12:52].
• The timecode is placed at the start of discussion on the key topic. Typically, where a key question is asked or where the interviewee begins to share something important.
• As a ballpark, a 60 min recording would usually be tagged with 0-6 timecodes  which are tied to the synopsis description of a key moment/topic. 

Annex 1: Sample Synopsis, Interview with David Marshall

Each sample synopsis here is for a 30-60 minute audio recording; 
the samples here have optional timecodes inserted

Synopsis 1

Personal background. Origin of anglicized family name. His childhood experiences. Mother's strict observance of Jewish rituals. Why he continued to celebrate Yom Kippur and Bar Mitzvah and gave up other Jewish rites. [hh:mm:ss] Influence of the Bible on him. Description of Jewish wedding rites. [hh:mm:ss] Effect of religion on him. Extent of his involvement with Jewish community.

Synopsis 2

Family's poverty.His interest in learning. His fascination for human behaviour and early ambition. How his participation in politics had hurt him. Comments on his own leadership qualities. His recollection of prominent members of Jewish community. How he became involved with trade unions and Labour Front. [hh:mm:ss] Circumstances precipitating his entry into politics. Where he learnt humility.

Synopsis 3

[hh:mm:ss] How his experiences as prisoner of war affected him. Joined local Singapore volunteer militia when Second World War broke out in Europe. Protested about difference in allowance given to European and Asian Volunteers. Evacuated family from Singapore when Japanese invaded Malaya. [hh:mm:ss] Reaction to fall of Singapore. Courage of the Chinese volunteer militia touched him. [hh:mm:ss] His disdain for British concepts of racial superiority. Why he did not join Malayan Democratic Union (MDU). [hh:mm:ss] His impression of Philip Hoalim, Gerald de Cruz, John Eber, Lim Kean Chye. MDU infiltrated by Communists.