Thematic analysisC · Also used in the viewer

Candidate theme

A provisional theme generated in phase 3, held loosely while the researcher reviews whether it works against the coded data and the whole dataset.

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  1. In more detail
  2. In Themescape
  3. Where to read more

In more detail

When codes are first clustered in phase 3, the themes that result are candidates. Some will hold up in review, some will be merged, split or set aside, and some will turn out to be topics rather than themes.

Treating early themes as candidates keeps the analysis open. It reminds the researcher that the structure is still being developed, which is the point of phase 4.

In Themescape

The template has a candidate_theme column for a quote whose final theme is not yet decided. It is used when the theme column is blank, and the viewer shows the quote under that working theme. Quotes with neither a theme nor a candidate theme are grouped under Uncategorised.

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The viewer with a theme selected, its codes around it and its definition in the panel. Sample data.

Where to read more

The Themescape spreadsheet template ›

See your coding as a file tree ›

Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2022). Thematic analysis: A practical guide. SAGE.

Related terms

The words that sit closest to this one.

Back to the A to Z
Thematic analysisThemeA pattern of shared meaning across a dataset, organised around a central idea, which the researcher develops from their codes and gives a name and a working definition.Read the entryThematic analysisCodeA short label the researcher gives to a segment of data to capture something meaningful about it. Codes are the building blocks themes are developed from.Read the entryThemescapeFile tree viewA compact indented outline of every theme, code and sub-code with a quote count on each row, read like the contents page of an analysis.Read the entryThemescapeBuild modeA Parent mode, in beta, for turning a figure style into a finished figure, reshaping it and exporting it.Read the entryThematic analysisCodebookA structured list of codes with definitions, used in codebook approaches to thematic analysis to apply codes consistently, often across several coders.Read the entryThemescapeCoding templateThe Themescape spreadsheet, a Google Sheet or Excel workbook with one row per coded quote, that the viewer reads to draw your map.Read the entry

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