Thematic Coding and Thematic Analysis: A Step-by-Step Guide

What is thematic coding? ¶

A code is a label for a piece of data. A theme is a claim about what the data mean.

Thematic coding is the process of assigning short labels (codes) to segments of qualitative data, such as interview transcripts, that capture something relevant to your research question. Codes are then compared, grouped and refined into broader themes. Thematic coding is the core activity of thematic analysis, a method for identifying, analyzing and reporting patterns of meaning across a dataset.

Thematic analysis was set out as a distinct method by Virginia Braun and Victoria Clarke in their 2006 paper "Using thematic analysis in psychology", one of the most cited methods papers in the social sciences. It is flexible: it is not tied to one theory, and it works with interviews, focus groups, open survey responses, diaries and documents.

Thematic analysis in qualitative research: three main approaches ¶

Braun and Clarke now emphasize that "thematic analysis" covers a family of methods with different assumptions. They distinguish three broad types:

In reflexive thematic analysis, a theme is a pattern of shared meaning underpinned by a central organizing concept. A theme is not a topic heading such as "experiences of workload" that collects everything participants said about workload. Name the approach you used in your methods section and keep your procedures consistent with it. Mixing reflexive TA with inter-rater reliability scores is a common reviewer criticism.

Braun and Clarke's six phases of thematic analysis ¶

The phases were first published in 2006 and renamed slightly in Braun and Clarke's later work, including their 2021 book Thematic Analysis: A Practical Guide. The process is recursive: you will loop back to earlier phases.

Inductive vs deductive coding ¶

Inductive coding (bottom-up) builds codes from the data themselves, without a pre-set frame. It suits exploratory questions and is the usual starting point for inductive thematic analysis. Deductive coding (top-down) applies concepts from existing theory, previous research or your interview guide. Many projects combine the two: a few theory-driven codes plus new codes from the data.

Braun and Clarke also distinguish semantic codes, which capture what participants explicitly say, from latent codes, which interpret underlying assumptions or ideas. Analysis that stays entirely semantic risks becoming description rather than interpretation.

For example, in the night-shift study below, a deductive code drawn from the job demands-resources model might be "lack of recovery time", while an inductive code from the data might be "texting my partner like a flatmate". Both can sit in the same analysis, as long as you report where each came from.

Other types of coding in qualitative research

Saldaña's The Coding Manual for Qualitative Researchers describes many coding methods. Common first-cycle methods include descriptive coding (topics), in vivo coding (participants' own words), process coding (actions, using gerunds) and values coding. Pattern coding is a common second-cycle method that groups first-cycle codes.

Codes vs themes ¶

CODEBOOK
Project: 
Approach: [reflexive TA / codebook TA / coding reliability TA]
Research question: 
Version and date: 

THEME: [name]
  Central organizing concept: [one or two sentences]
  Boundaries: [what this theme includes and excludes]

  Code 1: [short label]
    Definition: [what the code captures]
    Type: [inductive / deductive; semantic / latent]
    Include when: 
    Exclude when: 
    Example extract: "..." (P__, line __)
    Analytic memo: [ideas, links to other codes]

  Code 2: [short label]
    Definition: 
    Type: 
    Include when: 
    Exclude when: 
    Example extract: "..." (P__, line __)
    Analytic memo: 

CHANGE LOG
  [date] [code merged / split / renamed / dropped] [reason]

Note: in reflexive TA, treat this as a living record of your coding rather than a fixed instrument for measuring agreement.

Thematic analysis example: a coded excerpt ¶

Imagine an interview study with early-career nurses about working night shifts. Here is one short extract and how it might be coded.

Notice that the theme makes an interpretive claim. A topic summary such as "sleep problems" would not.

Reflexivity in thematic analysis ¶

Reflexivity means examining how your own position, assumptions and experience shape what you notice and how you interpret it. In reflexive TA, this subjectivity is part of the method rather than a source of error to remove. In practice:

• write a short positionality statement before analysis begins;
• keep a reflexive journal of reactions, hunches and decisions during coding;
• discuss codes and themes with a supervisor or colleague to deepen interpretation, not to reach numerical agreement;
• report in your methods how your perspective may have influenced the analysis.

For a full methods chapter that explains your approach clearly, our research methodology examples show how to justify qualitative choices.

Thematic coding in NVivo: practical tips ¶

NVivo, from Lumivero, is widely used qualitative coding software. Since NVivo Release 1 (2020), what used to be called "nodes" are called codes.

1. Import your data through the Import tab (Files). Transcripts with consistent speaker labels are easier to code; our transcription service can prepare them.
2. Code as you read. Select text, then drag it onto a code or right-click and choose Code. Create codes freely in phase 2; tidy them later.
3. Use memos and annotations for your reflexive notes and initial ideas, linked to the source.
4. Turn on coding stripes to see which codes sit on each passage and to check consistency.
5. Build candidate themes by grouping codes into a hierarchy, with the theme as the parent code.
6. Use cases and classifications to store participant attributes, then run a Matrix Coding Query or Crosstab to compare groups.

ATLAS.ti, MAXQDA and the free tool Taguette offer similar functions. Auto-coding features can suggest topics, but they cannot interpret meaning. If you want an experienced qualitative researcher to review your codes and themes with you, see our qualitative data analysis support.