Digging in or building bridges? A scoping review of thematic analysis.

ABSTRACT: This scoping review deals with a major trend in qualitative data analysis: thematic analysis (TA) that provides a general framework to develop relatively transparent processes; TA thus helps mitigate long-standing concerns with allegedly subjective aspects of qualitative research. The review examines articles published in the top-ranked academic journals in the research area "communication" (n = 342). It illustrates that TA has quickly become more popular over recent years, complementing longer established qualitative methods. The analysis also reveals that TA is a flexible tool that has been successfully applied to make sense of a wide array of qualitative data. Building on these findings, we deduce practical advice for researchers applying TA and make suggestions on how to improve

SUBMITTER: Herzog C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12675455 | biostudies-literature | 2025

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature