Stage 5 · Guided analysisTutorial 20 of 21 · 10 minutes · Written

Generate and review themes in guided analysis

Phase 3 sorts your codes into piles of candidate themes. Phase 4 reviews each candidate against its quotes and the whole dataset.

Open the live demoDownload the template
  • What you needA project open in guided analysis.
  • How longAbout ten minutes.
  • At the endCandidate themes you have reviewed quote by quote, split, merged or set aside where they needed it.

Step by step

The same steps as the video, written out so you can follow at your own pace.

Steps
  1. Phase 3: sort codes into piles
  2. Give each pile a central idea
  3. Phase 4: review each candidate
  4. Split, merge, set aside or compare
  5. Review against the whole dataset

Phase 3: sort codes into piles

Every code starts in Unsorted, in the left panel. Drag it onto a pile, or onto the dashed box to start a new one. Each pile is a candidate theme and keeps its colour for the life of the project.

Give each pile a central idea

Give each pile a working title and a one line central idea: what unites its codes. Open any code to read its quotes exactly as written. Miscellaneous holds codes that do not yet belong anywhere; nothing is deleted.

Tip: If the central idea is hard to write, the pile may be a topic rather than a theme.

Phase 4: review each candidate

Select a candidate. In the reader, read its quotes one at a time and mark each as fitting or not, or move a quote to another code. The judgement is yours, and the quote never changes.

Split, merge, set aside or compare

Split moves some codes to a new candidate, Merge joins one candidate into another, which keeps its colour, and Set aside keeps the codes visible as a finding. Compare puts two candidates side by side to check their boundaries.

Review against the whole dataset

The participants a candidate draws on, and the quotes outside any candidate, support the second level of review. Counts are information only; Themescape never scores a theme.

Your path

Every tutorial in order. This one is marked, and the ones you finish fill in.

  1. Getting started

    From the template or an NVivo project to your first map, and saving it as files you keep.

    0 of 3 done
    1. Load your first fileMake a copy of the template, code a few rows, and open them in the viewer to see your first map.Getting started10 minutesOpen the tutorial
    2. Save your progress and carry on laterThemescape keeps no copy of your project. Save your work as files on your computer and load them next time.Getting started5 minutesOpen the tutorial
    3. Import a project from NVivo, MAXQDA or ATLAS.tiExport your NVivo, MAXQDA or ATLAS.ti project in the REFI-QDA format and import it, so your coding opens as a map without retyping.Getting started8 minutesOpen the tutorial

  2. Exploring

    Reading the map in its three views, opening themes in the reader and searching your project.

    0 of 3 done
    1. Move between the three viewsThe node network, the hierarchy and the file tree show the same coding. Learn what each one shows and when to reach for it.Exploring6 minutesOpen the tutorial
    2. Read a theme's definition and quotesSelect any theme or code to read its working definition, the participants behind it and its quotes, without leaving the map.Exploring5 minutesOpen the tutorial
    3. Search across codes, themes and quotesFind the theme, code or line of quote text you remember, and go straight to it on the map.Exploring4 minutesOpen the tutorial

  3. Refining

    Definitions, favourite quotes and connections in Work mode, and restructuring themes in the spreadsheet.

    0 of 7 done
    1. Edit definitions and favourite quotes in Work modeRewrite working definitions beside the quotes they account for, star your strongest evidence, and save the changes as files.Refining8 minutesOpen the tutorial
    2. Record connections between themesDraw the links you see between themes, codes and sub-codes, each marked Empirical or Theoretical, with a note on why.Refining7 minutesOpen the tutorial
    3. Merge, split and rename themesRestructure your analysis in the spreadsheet, where the coding lives, then load the files again to see the new shape.Refining8 minutesOpen the tutorial
    4. Arrange the map with Custom placementPut themes and codes where they make sense to you, in each view, and keep the arrangement in your layout file.Refining5 minutesOpen the tutorial
    5. Load a published model and check the mappingMap your coded data into a published model or framework, and check how it maps before you open the model.Refining8 minutesOpen the tutorial
    6. Change relationships and keep a reflexive logIn Model mode's Work mode, add relationships found in your data, adjust the published ones, and record why in the reflexive log.Refining8 minutesOpen the tutorial
    7. Try arrangements of a modelMove a model's top level parts to new rows and columns, save the arrangement under a name, and compare it with others.Refining5 minutesOpen the tutorial

  4. Presenting

    Present mode, figures from Build mode and taking your changes back to the spreadsheet.

    0 of 5 done
    1. Present to a supervisor or a panelHide the tools and walk through your themes, bringing your favourite quotes forward as you talk.Presenting5 minutesOpen the tutorial
    2. Make a figure in Build modeTurn a figure style into a finished figure, set its colours and export it for a thesis, article or poster. Build mode is in beta.Presenting10 minutesOpen the tutorial
    3. Bring your changes back into your spreadsheetTake the definitions, favourites and connections you refined in Themescape back into your coding workbook, in the same format.Presenting6 minutesOpen the tutorial
    4. Choose a starting layout and arrange a figureStart a Build mode figure from one of the figure styles, then move, shape, align and group its parts. Build mode is in beta.Presenting8 minutesOpen the tutorial
    5. Undo, Reset, Fit and Show hidden in Build modeHide what a figure does not need, undo a step, start again from the starting layout, and fit the figure to the screen.Presenting5 minutesOpen the tutorial

  5. Guided analysis

    For Student plans: working through Braun and Clarke's Phases 3 to 5 in Themescape for students.

    0 of 3 done
    1. Start guided analysis, and come backOn a Student plan, take your project into guided analysis in Themescape for students, save your progress, and return to the main viewer.Guided analysis5 minutesOpen the tutorial
    2. Generate and review themes in guided analysisPhase 3 sorts your codes into piles of candidate themes. Phase 4 reviews each candidate against its quotes and the whole dataset.Guided analysis10 minutesOpen the tutorial
    3. Refine, define and name themes in guided analysisPhase 5 gives each theme a name, a central organising concept and a definition, sets the order of your write up and confirms each theme.Guided analysis8 minutesOpen the tutorial

Common questions

Short answers to what researchers ask most. The FAQ page has the rest.

See all questions

Can I merge, split or rename themes?

Yes, in your spreadsheet. Themes come from the theme column of the Data tab, so renaming a theme, moving codes into another theme or splitting a theme in two is done by changing the names on those rows, then loading the files again. Update the matching rows in Framework and Connections too, since names are matched as plain text.

How do I choose which quotes show first?

Star them as favourites. Favourite quotes, starred in Work mode or marked in the preferred column, come first, then the rest by their illustrativeness score from 5 down to 1. Present mode features up to three favourites for each code.

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