(Part 3 of 5 from the series: 5 Steps to Mastering Qualitative Data Analysis)

Now that you know and love your data, it’s time to begin coding.

Coding is the central process of qualitative research, where you begin giving meaning to your unstructured information. Your goal is to accurately classify data with appropriate, consistent themes.

We do this by designating certain parts of our source as a segment, and assigning one or more codes to that segment. A segment can include any length of text, but each segment should represent a coherent thought (we generally create segments 2-6 sentences long).

When reading through a particular passage, ask yourself: “What is the fundamental meaning of this section? What themes or ideas are discussed?”

Creating new segments in Qualrus

To create a new segment, highlight the text you would like to code. Then click the “Code” button on the top of the screen, or right-click the text and choose “Code”. This will bring up the Coding Form. Create a New Code by clicking the “New Code” icon in the top left corner of the Coding Form. Enter the name of your code.

Notice that your new code appears in the top right window of the Coding Form labeled “Codes in this segment”. Click OK to see your code applied to your source.

Applying existing codes

To apply a code that already exists in your project, open the Coding Form as before. All the codes available in your project are listed in the lower left window pane labeled “All codes”. Highlight a code and click (>) to add it to the segment.

Note that you can add as many codes as you would like to a segment. It’s generally a good idea to add appropriate codes to the same segment rather than creating a lot of small, overlapping segments with only one code attached each. Codes that appear together in the same segment will appear on Qualrus’ Coincidental Codes report which can give you some ideas of codes or themes that may be related.

Suggested codes

Qualrus is unique because it collects your coding patterns and begins suggesting codes for certain segments. This can make the coding process go faster and serve as a quality-control check on your work. Codes suggested by the program appear in the top left corner of the Coding Form, labeled “Suggested by the program”.

Separating content from “fluff”

People often ask us if it’s okay to leave certain sections of text uncoded. Yes! An essential function of the coding process is separating the meaningful content in your sources from the insignificant filler.

By creating a segment, you’re telling Qualrus that the selected text contains important content. Furthermore, you must specify the theme of the content by selecting a code (or many codes). Text that isn’t included in a segment will basically be ignored by the program. Discriminately marking only certain text as a segment goes a long way in making your data more manageable.

Don’t need to be perfect

Even with qualitative research software like Qualrus, coding can take a long time. Just remember that your codes don’t need to be perfect. After the coding is done we will go back and refine our coding scheme, correct errors and group codes into larger themes. For now, do your best to identify the meaningful content in your sources and assign descriptive codes.