Transcript Search (Q&A and Keyword)

Storybuilder's Transcript Search lets you search across multiple deposition transcripts in one place. You can run keyword searches across transcript content or, if Everlaw AI's Transcript Q&A search is enabled in your project, ask natural-language questions about the testimony.

This experience is designed to help you review transcript hits directly on a single page, without opening each transcript individually just to see where your search terms or cited testimony appear.

This article covers both keyword and native language (Transcript Q&A) searches.

Requirements

• All users with access to the Story can perform keyword searches across all transcripts they have permission to access
• To use Transcript Q&A Search:
  • Transcript Q&A Search must be enabled on your project
  • You must belong to a user group with Ask or View and ask permission for Transcript Q&A search

Q&A search vs. keyword search

The table below compares Q&A search vs keyword search:

Search across transcripts

To search across transcripts:

1. Go to Storybuilder > Depositions.
   

2. Select Search Transcripts from either the side navigation panel or the page header.
   

3. Enter your search in the search box at the top of the page, taking one of the following approaches:

   • For a keyword search: Enter a content query using the same syntax available on the Depositions page. You can include operators like AND, OR, and proximity search.

   • If Transcript Q&A search is enabled: You can also ask a natural-language question.

     Tip

     For search tips for either search type, select the page's Search tips button.

4. [Optional] If needed, change the type of search after it runs by selecting Run as keyword search or Ask as question.
   

5. [Optional] Apply filters to narrow which depositions are included in the results, such as by deponent. These filters also apply to exports.
   

6. Select Search.
   

   Search results appear on the page. 
   

Review keyword search hits in context

When you run a keyword search, the results area shows transcript hits grouped by deposition.

Each hit row includes:

• The deposition citation for the hit (e.g.  “Gates Dep. 15:5–7”)
  
• The lines of transcript that contain the hit, with the keyword(s) highlighted
  
• Surrounding context lines above and below the hit so the snippet can be understood in isolation

Note: You can choose how many lines to show for each result using the show surrounding hits button.

Within each deposition group:

• Hits are ordered from the start to the end of the transcript, so you can read results in narrative order for a single deponent.
• Where the context windows for two hits would overlap, the system merges them into a single excerpt. No transcript line appears more than once in the results, and all hits within the merged range remain visibly marked.

From any hit row, you can:

• Open the transcript at that location: Follow the citation link to open the underlying transcript with the hit selected, using the same highlighting and navigation behavior as existing in‑transcript search.
  
• Copy text with citation: Use the copy button to send the displayed text and its citation (covering the visible line range) to your clipboard.

Review Transcript Q&A search results

When you ask a question and transcripts Q&A search is enabled on the project, transcript answers appear in a unified layout:

• A narrative answer to your question appears at the top of the results area, with inline citations to supporting testimony
• Below the answer, a single table of excerpts lists the transcript snippets relevant to your question. Sections specifically cited in the narrative answer are highlighted in the table of relevant excerpts below. 

For these excerpts:

• Each row includes the deposition citation, deponent, and a text excerpt from the transcript. Long excerpts start in a collapsed state with an overflow control so the table stays scannable; expanding a row reveals the full excerpt.
• Excerpts that contain citations used directly in the narrative answer are flagged, and the cited portions of the text are highlighted.

You can also view all past natural language questions and answers on the All past questions tab.

Copy a Q&A search response

To use the response in a Draft/Deposition, or to copy it outside of Everlaw, select the Copy to clipboard button.

Then, you can paste the response where you are drafting.

Export transcript hits

From the Transcript Q&A search page, you can export transcript hits. The export respects any deposition or deponent filters you have applied.

To export search results:

1. Select the Export transcript button at the top of the search hits list. 
   
   This opens the Export transcript search as file dialog. 
   
2. Select a file type:
   • CSV
   • PDF
   • Word
3. Select Next.
4. [PDF/Word only] Select whether or not to include any generated response and testimony text in the report (both included by default).
5. Select Export.

Search tips

When making native language Q&A searches, we recommend you:

• Ask one question at a time
• Avoid complex logic
• It may help to start with question words like who, what, where, when, why, or how
• Be specific in your wording: use proper nouns and precise terms
• Avoid asking for a response in a specific format (e.g. table)