Primary Content Analysis

Qualitative Content Analysis: 6 Articles on the Definition & Quality Design Considerations

QCA - 6 Articles on the Definition & Quality Design Considerations

This compilation of six articles is equally divided between brief articles pertaining to the definition of qualitative content analysis and those that address quality design considerations. These articles appeared in Research Design Review in the 2014-2022 time period. Although there are other articles in RDR relevant to “content analysis,” the articles in this compilation were chosen due to the inclusion or focus on the primary qualitative content analysis method, i.e., the analysis of content derived from existing, naturally occurring repository of information (for example corporate or historical documents, media content, and diaries).

“Qualitative Content Analysis: 6 Articles on the Definition & Quality Design Considerations” is available for download here.

Seven similar compilations of RDR articles, devoted to particular methods or techniques, are also available:

“Unique Attributes of Qualitative Research: 16 Articles on the 10 Unique Attributes of Qualitative Research” is available for download here.

“Ethnography & the Observation Method: 15 Articles on Design, Implementation, & Uses” is available for download here.

“The Focus Group Method: 18 Articles on Design & Moderating” is available for download here.

“The In-depth Interview Method: 12 Articles on Design & Implementation” is available for download here.

“Reflexivity: 10 Articles on the Role of Reflection in Qualitative Research” is available for download here.

“Qualitative Data Analysis: 16 Articles on Process & Method” is available for download here.

“Qualitative Research: Transparency & Reporting” is available for download here.

Qualitative Content Analysis: The Challenge of Inference

Back in April 2013, a post in RDR talked about the “daunting job of conducting a content analysis that reveals how people think [the “stream of consciousness”] while at the same time Criminal-Case-Crime-Scene-Living-Room-Case-5answers the research question and takes the sponsoring client to the next step.” The article outlines the basic steps in a content analysis, including the analysis and interpretation phases of the process. Making interpretations from a content analysis are tricky things, esp., when conducting a “primary content analysis” when the content being analyzed is derived from non-research-related, pre-existing sources such as newspapers, blog posts, Hollywood films, YouTube videos, television broadcasts, and the like. The issue here is the “trap” content analysts can fall into by (a) thinking there are causal relationships in the data when there are not, and/or (b) trying to build a story in the shape of their interpretations when the story (based on the data) has little merit. In this way, an overabundance of unsubstantiated subjectivity can creep into the qualitative content analysis method.

These traps, related to causality and storytelling, are fairly easy to fall into unless a systematic and conscientious approach is taken in the analysis and interpretation phases. In particular, Read Full Text