Searle, Howard C. “Authorship of the History of Joseph Smith: A Review Essay.” BYU Studies 21.1 (1981): 101-122.
“It is clear from the prophet’s diaries as well as the journals of the scribes that he often dictated to his assistants but it is equally clear that the scribes and clerks often composed and recorded information on their own… it is apparent that the scribes did much more than passively take dictation; they took an active role in the actual composition of the history….”