TalkBank

Ground Rules

The mission of TalkBank is to provide maximally open access to shared transcribed recordings of naturalistic spoken language interactions, often linked to media. TalkBank seeks to comply and implement both the FAIR Data Principles (Wilkinson, M. D., et al. 2016, DOI: 10.1038/sdata.2016.18) that specify that data be Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable, as well as the TRUST Principles (Lin, Dawei et al. 2020, DOI: 10.1038/s41597-020-0486-7) which specify that the repository should commit to Transparency, Responsibility, User community, Sustainability, and Technology.

Preservation and continued access to the data is an explicit role of the repository. The CMU Library has made a commitment to long-term global web access to the transcript and media data in TalkBank, as documented at https://talkbank.org/info/CMU_Support.pdf

By fulfilling this mission, TalkBank serves to advance our understanding of the many complex features of human communication, as well as the ways in which it is learned, processed, and changed over time.

TalkBank also provides resources for researchers and clinicians seeking to understand and evaluate language disorders. These goals are supported by both the wider scientific community and funding agencies. This mission statement has been included in requests for funding across a period of 28 years and has been repeatedly supported by both NIH and NSF.

TalkBank depends on a high level of commitment from its component research communities. For child language, aphasia, bilingualism, and CA (Conversation Analysis), this involves maintenance of mailing lists, help centers, presentations at conferences, publications of results in special issues, and summer workshops.

Further explanation of TalkBank principles is provided in (MacWhinney, 2018, DOI: 10.3758/s13428-018-1174-9)