13 Research methods, statistics, critical review and evidence-based practice13.7 Qualitative research
13.7.4.1 Thematic analysis
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Written by Resident Doctor Committee · Published
New in the 2027 syllabus
The College added this topic for exams from January 2027.
What it is
Thematic analysis is a way of finding patterns of meaning across qualitative data, in relation to a research question.
It has two building blocks:
A code is a label for a relevant feature of a single extract.
A theme brings related meanings together around one central, organising idea.
A theme is more than a topic summary. A topic summary lists what people talked about. An interpretive theme explains a pattern in how they understand or experience it.
Braun and Clarke's process
Phase | What the researcher does |
|---|---|
Familiarisation | Reads the data closely, checks recordings where relevant and notes first observations |
Coding | Labels relevant features across the whole dataset |
Generating themes | Develops possible patterns from the codes and extracts |
Reviewing themes | Checks these patterns against the extracts and the whole dataset |
Defining themes | Refines what each theme covers, what it means and what it is called |
Writing | Links the interpretation to supporting extracts and to the research question |
The phases are not a rigid, one-way checklist. The process is recursive: the researcher moves back and forth between phases as their understanding develops.
Ways of approaching the data
Inductive analysis builds codes from working with the data itself. Deductive analysis starts from an existing theoretical focus. Both still involve interpretation.
Semantic analysis looks at the explicit meaning of what people say. Latent analysis looks at the assumptions or ideas that lie underneath.
Appraising a thematic analysis
Reflexive thematic analysis treats the researcher's interpretation as part of the analysis. So independent coders reaching agreement (consensus coding) is not a universal test of quality for this approach.
Coherence means the research question, the theoretical assumptions and the analytic approach fit together.
Extracts should illustrate and support the interpretation. Good reports show variation and accounts that challenge the pattern, not just vivid quotations that confirm it.
Frequency does not automatically decide importance. A less common account may answer the research question directly.
An audit trail records how codes and themes changed over time. It makes the interpretive process visible. It does not claim that another researcher would have to produce identical themes.