Thematic analysisP · Also used in the viewer

Participant

A person who took part in a study and whose words or responses form part of the dataset, identified in analysis by a pseudonym or code.

See it in the live demo
On this page
  1. In more detail
  2. In Themescape
  3. A short example
  4. Where to read more

In more detail

In qualitative research the dataset is made of participants' accounts. During analysis each participant is identified by a pseudonym or a participant code, so that quotes can be traced to a person without naming them.

Seeing which participants speak to a theme helps with review. A theme supported by one or two people may still matter, but it reads differently from a pattern shared across many accounts, and the write up should say which it is.

In Themescape

The participant column of the Data tab holds each quote's pseudonym. The reader lists the participants behind a selected theme or code, and clicking a name shows only that person's quotes. Participant names are not searched.

Boundaries andOverworkBlurredhoursNo offswitchEmail atnightWeekendworkBoundaries and Overwork
The viewer with a theme selected, its codes around it and its definition in the panel. Sample data.

A short example

From the Working Well dataset

Flexibility and Life Admin

Working definition: The everyday benefits of flexibility and the arrangements that protect it.

Fitting in ErrandsCaregiving BalanceReclaimed CommuteBoundary Negotiation

The Working Well sample uses participant codes P01 to P12 in place of names. Made up data, nothing from a real study.

Where to read more

Definitions and quotes on selection ›

Article: What to tell an ethics committee about software that reads data in the browser ›

Related terms

The words that sit closest to this one.

Back to the A to Z
Thematic analysisPseudonymA made up name or code used in place of a participant's real name, so quotes can be reported without identifying the person.Read the entryThematic analysisVerbatim quoteAn extract from the data exactly as the participant said or wrote it, kept word for word as the record of the evidence.Read the entryThematic 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 entryThemescapeBuild modeA Parent mode, in beta, for turning a figure style into a finished figure, reshaping it and exporting it.Read the entryThematic analysisCandidate themeA provisional theme generated in phase 3, held loosely while the researcher reviews whether it works against the coded data and the whole dataset.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 entry

See your own themes come to life

Try the live demo or start a 7 day free trial. Your data is read in your browser and never leaves your computer.

Try the live demoStart 7 day free trial