OCR stands for "optical character recognition" or "optical character reader". OCR software converts images of text (including typed, handwritten, and printed documents) into machine-encoded text; i.e., something that a machine can read for you. This is really helped for global and area studies scholars who need to scan and convert photographs or archival documents, handwritten documents, or even things like posters, television screenshots, and magazine or newspaper articles. Using OCR software, you can scan and convert the text from a photo into an easier format (such as a PDF or a Word document), and then edit, search, and read it more easily. OCR tools can be an amazing way to streamline your research and reading processes when working with other languages, less legible historical documents, and non-Roman scripts. They can do a lot of work to your benefit, or make your work easier and faster to complete.