Coding qualitative data

Philip Adu

Chapter 3 in Elgar Concise Encyclopedia of Research Methods in the Social Sciences, 2026, pp 18-26 from Edward Elgar Publishing

Abstract: When qualitative data are collected, the next step is to extract relevant portions to help generate codes and themes that meet the purpose of the study. Choosing an appropriate coding strategy to conduct data reduction tasks helps extract rich information from the data, generate data-driven codes, and develop themes that best address the research question(s). In this chapter, I provide a clear path to determining the right coding strategy that promotes transparency of the coding process and the credibility of the findings. In addition, the philosophical assumptions that inform the actions taken in the analysis process have been discussed extensively. Finally, I review three methods of conducting qualitative coding: manual, software-aided, and AI-aided coding. At the end, readers will understand how qualitative coding is done in a systematic, transparent, and ethical way.

Keywords: Qualitative coding; Qualitative analysis; Manual coding; Software-aided coding; AI-aided coding (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026
ISBN: 9781803921297
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