How can we capture the words, gestures and conduct of study participants? How do we transcribe what happens in social interactions in analytically useful ways? How could systematic and detailed transcription practices benefit research?

This book demonstrates how best to represent talk and interaction in a manageable and academically credible way that enables analysis. It describes and assesses key methodological and epistemological debates about the status of transcription research while also setting out best practice for handling different types of data and forms of social interaction.

Featuring transcribing basics as well as important recent developments, this book guides you through:

• Time and sequencing


• Speech delivery and patterns


• Non-vocal conduct


• Emotive displays like laughter, tears, or pain


• Talk in non-English languages


• Helpful technological resources

As the first book-length exposition of the Jeffersonian transcription conventions, this well-crafted balance of theory and practice is a must-have resource for any social scientist looking to produce high quality transcripts.