How do I code my qualitative data?
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A first-cycle to second-cycle coding workflow with worksheets, an analytic memo log, and a saturation tracker. We’ll email you the download link.
Coding, by approach
“Coding” means different things in different traditions — the steps, the goal, and what counts as rigor all shift with your approach. Match your method to your research question and epistemology, then code consistently and document as you go:
- Thematic analysis — flexible, theme-driven; great default for applied research.
- Grounded theory — builds theory from data via open → axial → selective coding and constant comparison.
- Content analysis — systematic categorisation, often with frequencies and intercoder agreement.
- Framework analysis — a matrix-based approach favoured in applied/policy research.
- IPA — detailed, idiographic analysis of lived experience.
A codebook and an audit trail support rigor whatever you choose. Whether you report intercoder agreement or foreground reflexivity depends on your approach — be explicit about which and why.
Frequently asked questions
What are the steps of thematic analysis?
Braun & Clarke’s six phases: familiarize, generate codes, search for themes, review, define & name, write up — recursively.
What goes in a codebook?
Each code’s name, definition, inclusion/exclusion criteria, and an example quote — to keep coding consistent.
When have I reached saturation?
When new data stop producing new codes/themes (in approaches that use it). Document where; define how you judge it.
Do I need intercoder reliability?
Depends on approach: content analysis often reports kappa; interpretivist approaches value reflexivity + audit trail over agreement. Justify your choice.
Does it store anything?
No. The plan is generated entirely in your browser; nothing is uploaded or saved.
The Qualitative Coding Workbook
Are you staring at hundreds of pages of interview transcripts, wondering how to turn raw words into defensible findings? You are not alone.
45 fill-in templates. Paperback $35.99 on Amazon
See inside the workbookJust want the templates? The Qualitative Coding Kit: every template as a fillable PDF, $19.