Code

In more detail

Coding is phase 2 of reflexive thematic analysis. The researcher works through the dataset and attaches codes to segments that seem relevant to the research question. A code can stay close to what a participant said, or capture a meaning the researcher reads beneath the surface.

In reflexive thematic analysis codes are not fixed in advance and are not checked for agreement between coders. They evolve as the researcher reads: codes are renamed, merged and split as understanding deepens. Later, related codes are clustered to generate initial themes.

A single segment can carry more than one code, and a code can turn out to be a theme in its own right, or to belong under a theme the researcher had not first expected.

In Themescape

Codes come from the code column of the Data tab. Each one sits around its theme on the node network, beneath it in the hierarchy and indented under it in the file tree, with a quote count on each row. Selecting a code opens its quotes in the reader.

A short example

Where to read more

The Themescape spreadsheet template ›

Tutorial: Load your first file ›

Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3(2), 77–101.

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