Text correct newspapers in Trove

The National Library and all of the State and Territory libraries across Australia have been digitising newspapers and making them accessible on Trove. There are now 10 million newspaper pages available online. The digitised newspapers are transcribed electronically, however this process isn't 100% accurate due to the quality of the original newspapers or small text size. There's nothing as accurate as the human eye, so we need your help to correct them. By helping to fix the text of the newspaper, it's easier to search and a better resource for everyone!

You don't need to create an account to get started, but it's much easier if you do. Create an account or login to Trove. It's easy and only takes a minute.

Tips and tricks:
There are lots of excellent tips for text correcting newspapers on Trove that will help you out.

Get text correcting:
Choose one of the assignments below to get text correcting in Trove - all 1915 issues of The Queenslander newspaper or correcting a newspaper article published on your birthday.

The Queenslander newspaper 1915

Beginning in 2014, nations across the world will be remembering the lives of those who lived, fought and died in the First World War. Help State Library of Queensland and discover more about the lives of Queenslanders a century ago by text correcting articles in The Queenslander newspaper from 1915. Text correcting is easy and it helps researchers, family members and anyone interested in history to locate and tell stories from that time.

Light Horse Regiments

Australian Light Horsemen were mounted troops with characteristics of both cavalry and mounted infantry.  They served in the 2nd Boer War and World War I. These articles mention Australian Light horse regiments in particular the 2nd/14th Light Horse Regiment who originated from Queensland.

Read and text correct the articles here: Light Horse Regiments
Difficulty: Beginner

Indigenous Soldiers

When war broke out in 1914 many Indigenous Australians tried to enlist themselves as soldiers but were rejected on the grounds of race. It wasn't until 1917 when the laws were relaxed that Indigenous people were allowed to 'officially' become part of the war effort.

Start here: Discover the stories written at the time in this list of articles featuring Indigenous soldiers.
Difficulty: Beginner

Women and their experiences

We've found ten articles that reflect the experience of women during 1915 for Pitch In! volunteers to correct. They are a fascinating look into women's lives at the time - at home and at work.

Start here: Scroll through this list of articles in Trove and choose articles you'd like to correct.
Difficulty: Beginner

Stories on the home front

These articles show various aspects of life in Australia during 1915; the cost of living, indigenous military training and war precautions.

Start here: Scroll through the list and choose articles you'd like to correct.
Difficulty: Beginner

Stories from the front line

Text-correct these articles about life in the trenches, Egypt, caring for the wounded in London and a 19 year old soldier - all from The Queenslander 1915.

Start here: Scroll through the list and choose articles you'd like to correct.

Difficulty: Beginner

War Horses

Many horses were sold and shipped off with soldiers to support the war efforts. Sadly, the majority perished and never returned home. Read some of the local stories about our Queensland war horses.

Start here: Scroll through the list and choose articles you'd like to correct.
Difficulty: Beginner

The conscription debate 1915-1918

Conscription became a contentious issue during WW1. These articles span the the various debates for and against the compulsory drafting of soldiers.

Start here: Scroll through the list and choose articles you'd like to correct.
Difficulty: Beginner

The Week at a Glance

The Queenslander newspaper had a regular weekly article showcasing local and general news highlights. Find out more 'Stories from the Homefront' during WW1 here: The Week at a Glance
Difficulty: Beginner

Text correct an interesting article for each day of World War One

For those who have been text-correcting for a while and are comfortable searching in Trove, this project gives you the freedom of choosing your own article to text-correct and the excitement of helping to shape the research in the lead up to the WW1 Centenary.

Step 1: Go to the Queensland newspapers section in Trove.

Step 2: Select a newspaper you'd like to search (this could be from your home town)

Step 3: Find an issue from this day (today) but during 1914, 1915, 1916, 1917, 1918 or 1919. Use the drop down menu and click on the corresponding month and day to get to the right newspaper.

Step 4: Once you're at the right newspaper find an interesting article and text-correct it.

Step 5: Once you've finished, email us the link: discovery@slq.qld.gov.au

Difficulty: More experienced

Tell us what you've been working on

We'd like to hear all about your discoveries and hard work. We want to celebrate with you!

• Email us at discovery@slq.qld.gov.au
• Share on SLQ's Facebook page
• Start a conversation on Twitter by using this hashtag: #pitchinslq
• Trove also has a text corrector hall of fame. Join the team! http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/hallOfFame