Key points at a glance
- Explain your analytic orientation.
- Move iteratively from familiarisation and codes to themes.
- Support claims with extracts and reflect on alternative readings.
Choose and explain an approach
Say whether analysis is more data-led or theory-led and how interpretation enters the work. Braun and Clarke describe a flexible approach; their phases should inform your decisions rather than become a mechanical checklist.
Read, note and code
Read transcripts more than once and write early observations. Give relevant passages concise meaning-based codes. “Uncertainty on the first day” is more informative than “answer to question three.” Record reflective notes on your assumptions.
Develop coherent themes
Bring codes together only when they support a shared claim relevant to the question. Revisit the full dataset, including passages that challenge your initial pattern. A thematic map can help, but the written explanation must show why a theme matters.
Write findings as analysis
State the central claim for each theme and support it with selected, anonymised extracts. Explain how quotations were chosen. Count codes only when frequency serves your analytic purpose; meaning is not reducible to frequency.
Final submission context
Formal details can feel like a separate writing task, but they matter just as much for a printed submission. Anything missing, misplaced or inconsistently formatted in the document will also appear in the bound copy.
Use this guide together with your cover page, table of contents, page numbers, source notes and appendices. Prepare the final PDF for printing and binding only after the complete file has been checked.
Practical check before PDF export
- Do headings, chapter structure and page numbers match?
- Are sources, figures and tables included completely?
- Are required elements such as declarations, appendices or the cover page included where required?
- Did you open and check the final PDF after exporting it?
Checklist
- Analytic orientation explained.
- Codes and reflective notes recorded.
- Themes tested against the dataset.
- Claims supported by suitable extracts.
Common mistakes
- Using interview questions as themes unchanged.
- Treating the most frequent code as automatically most important.
- Stringing quotations together without interpretation.
Prepare the finished thesis for submission
Once the content and university requirements are checked, review your PDF and the available printing and binding options.
Review printing optionsRelated content
Explore related guidance on thesis structure, sources, formatting and final submission.
Frequently asked questions
How many themes should I have?
There is no fixed number; use what the data and question can sustain.
Must I count every code?
No. Use counts only when they fit your analytic approach.
Is this the same as qualitative content analysis?
The methods may overlap but have different traditions and choices; specify your approach.