Stage 1 · Getting startedTutorial 1 of 21 · 10 minutes · Written

Load your first file

Make a copy of the template, code a few rows, and open them in the viewer to see your first map.

Open the live demoDownload the template
  • What you needThe spreadsheet template and a few coded quotes, or the filled in example. Nothing to install; your file stays on your computer.
  • How longAbout ten minutes the first time.
  • At the endYour first map on screen, with one theme open in the reader.

Step by step

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

Steps
  1. Make your own copy of the template
  2. Code a few rows in the Data tab
  3. Download the tab as a CSV file
  4. Open it in the viewer
  5. Select a theme

Make your own copy of the template

Open the Spreadsheet template page and choose Make a copy, or download the Excel version. Your copy belongs to you and stays in your own account or on your own computer.

Code a few rows in the Data tab

Add one row per coded quote: a quote_id such as P01-018, the participant's pseudonym, the verbatim quote and its theme. Add a code, and a sub-code if the quote sits beneath one.

Tip: Spell each theme and code the same way on every row. Names are matched as plain text, so a theme spelt two ways becomes two themes.

Download the tab as a CSV file

Download each tab you have used as a CSV file. For now the Data tab is enough; Framework, Connections and Settings can wait.

Open it in the viewer

Open Themescape and, on the Start a project screen, add the file to its slot. File names decide which slot each file fills, and anything without framework, connection or setting in its name is read as the Data file. Your browser reads the file on your own computer.

Select a theme

Your themes and codes appear as a node network. Select a theme and the reader beside the map shows the quotes coded to it.

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

Your data stays with you

Themescape reads your data in the browser. The host never receives it.

  • Read locally

    Transcripts and quotes are read locally and never leave the machine.

  • Nothing to submit

    No file submission or permanent storage is required.

  • Quotes untouched

    Verbatim quotes are never altered, with a separate refined column for presentation wording.

  • Sheets is opt in

    The Google Sheets mode is opt in, for non-sensitive data only.

Read about privacy and data
Your file. Your browser. Your screen. Nothing travels to Themescape.

Common questions

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

See all questions

What file types can I load?

CSV files saved from the spreadsheet template, one for each tab you have used, and the layout file Themescape saves when you arrange or build anything. A project exported in the REFI-QDA format from NVivo, MAXQDA or ATLAS.ti comes in through Import from your coding software. A Google Sheet can also be opened from its link: The Google Sheets mode is opt in, for non-sensitive data only.

Can I use my own spreadsheet layout?

Partly. The viewer reads the template's column names, matched without regard to case, so each row needs at least a quote and a theme under those names, and usually a code. Columns it does not use are ignored and blank rows are skipped, so your own working columns can sit beside the template's.

What is in the spreadsheet template?

Seven tabs. Instructions explains the workbook, and Data holds one row per coded quote and is the only tab the viewer needs. Framework holds working definitions, theme order and colours, Connections records links between themes, codes, sub-codes and strands, and Settings holds your project title, name, subtitle and version. Model elements and Model relationships describe a published model, for Model mode only.

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.

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