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“Jefferson Notations is a set of symbols developed by Gail Jefferson which are used for transcribing talk. The system is widely accepted and used for [[Conversation Analysis]]. Conversational Analysts study naturally-occurring talk and show that spoken interaction is systematically orderly in all its facets (cf. Sacks in Atkinson and Heritage 1984: 21-27). The data collected for conversational analysis is in the form of video or audio recorded conversations. The data is collected without researchers' involvement, often simply by adding a video camera to the room where the conversation takes place (e.g. medical doctors consultation with a patient). From the audio or video recording the researchers construct a detailed transcription.

There are other available systems of transcription. Another well known system used in some discourse analytic and ethnographic work was developed by John Du Bois. However, the Jeffersonian system has become increasingly standard in the research literature (it is a requirement, for instance, in articles published in Research in Language and Social Interaction). Note that it is not ideal for all kinds of analytic tasks. For example, it does not encode the sort of features of speech delivery that a full phonetic transcription does, so would not be suitable for studies of speech therapy or the sorts of classic sociolinguistic research on accent variation.

According to Hutchby and Wooffitt (1998), a conversation analysis transcript “embodies in its format and in the phenomena it marks out the analytic concerns” that drive the work of conversation analysts (p.76). Transcript notation encompasses two types of concerns; the dynamics of turn-taking and the characteristics of speech delivery (p. 76). Jefferson notation encompasses symbols to represent aspects of each. As well, researchers might develop additional symbols where examination of a certain phenomenon requires it (2001; ten Have, 2007) but employ similar ways of presenting transcripts in the reporting of studies (Psathas, 1995)(DAVIDSON, 2009)

Jeffersonian Transcription is a term used for a scheme for annotating traces; speech, performance, acts, texts, even observed enacted events which comprise vocal utterances, movement, interaction between actors, content and context. These annotated traces give researchers valuable information surrounding a particular concern, at a particular time and place. In the article Independent Writing in current approaches to writing instruction: What have we overlooked? by Christina Davidson, the focus for analysis in the study arose from the orientation of students to others during independent writing; numerous students sought information and help from others. A transcript was developed of the lessons using Jeffersonian Notation (Atkinson & Heritage,1999) and detailed analysis of sequences of interaction conducted using conversational analysis. These sequences were analysed on a turn-by turn basis in order to detail the methods students employed to accomplish their everyday activity during the lesson.

Jefferson Notation is ideal for recordings when it is crucial to transcribe using a method that best captures a live conversation on paper, along with exclamations and other manners of speech and when the transcript itself will be used for conducting further analysis into understanding the manner in which participants interact with each other. Often non verbal expessions such as sighs and a sharp intake of breath can have different interpretations as well.