Student or educator? Sign up with your school email and get 6 months of Pro free.
CoChat
Sign Up
Cited by 53Qualitative Research Methods and ApplicationsQualitative Comparative Analysis ResearchComputational and Text Analysis Methods

The DOI matches its Crossref record; its reference list is not available.

Qualitative content analysis–framing the analytical process of inductive content analysis to develop a sound study design

Open access
Lyhne, Cecilie Nørby, Thisted, Jens, Bjerrum, Merete·2025·Quality & Quantity
DOI 10.1007/s11135-025-02220-9
Open this paper in CoChat — free accountOpen PDF

Abstract

Qualitative content analysis (QCA) is often used in social and health sciences. However, as there are different approaches to using QCA, it can be challenging to understand and use the method. Recent articles have described what QCA is, and how it differs from other qualitative methods, such as thematic analysis and grounded theory. This article contributes to the methodological literature by framing the analytical process of QCA within the hermeneutic paradigm, specifically, it is based on the theoretical premises of philosophical hermeneutics. Thus, the aim is to describe how to conduct an inductive QCA clarifying how the analysis is based on preunderstanding and how meaning is grounded in the context. Further, to show how results can be developed and serve as reliable explanations to the problem under study. Hence, this presentation of the method seeks to bring clarity to the methodological and philosophical premises and the use of terminology.

Overview

The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.

Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.

A few free checks a day · papers already verified open instantly · results are public

Integrity signals

Registry

Crossref · 10.1007/s11135-025-02220-9

Cites

Statistics

Verification

Claims the paper makes

The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.

Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.

A few free checks a day · papers already verified open instantly · results are public

Self-check

Percentages, sums and reported differences re-computed from the paper’s own numbers.

The self-check needs the paper’s full text.

Citations

No citation lists for this paper

No citation lists for this paper yet — checked again daily.

References 36 · Cited by 53

Research works printed but not linked: 35

  1. ALLEA. (2023). The European Code of Conduct for Research Integrity – Revised Edition 2023. https://doi.org/10.26356/ECOC · DOI
  2. Berelson, B.: Content analysis in communication research. Free. Press. (1952). https://doi.org/10.1177/000271625228300135 · DOI
  3. Bondas, T., Hall, E.O.C.: Challenges in approaching metasynthesis research. Qual. Health Res. 17(1), 113–121 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1177/1049732306295879 · DOI
  4. Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2022). Thematic analysis: a practical guide. SAGE Publications Ltd. · DOI · Paper page
  5. Dahlberg, H., Dahlberg, K.: The question of meaning—a momentous issue for qualitative research. Int. J. Qual. Stud. Health Well-Being (2019). https://doi.org/10.1080/17482631.2019.1598723 · DOI
  6. Dey, I.: Qualitative data analysis. A user-friendly guide for social scientists. Routledge (1993). https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203412497 · DOI
  7. DiCicco-Bloom, B., Crabtree, B.F.: The qualitative research interview. Med. Educ. 40(4), 314–321 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2929.2006.02418.x · DOI · Paper page
  8. Erlingsson, C., Brysiewicz, P.: A hands-on guide to doing content analysis. African J. Emerg. Med. 7(3), 93–99 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.afjem.2017.08.001 · DOI
  9. Fiske, J. (2011). Introduction to Communication Studies (3. ed.). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203837382 · DOI
  10. Flick, U. (2023). Doing Interviews. In An Introduction to Qualitative Research (7. ed., pp. 203–236). SAGE Publications.
  11. Gadamer, H. G. (1976). Philosophical Hermeneutics (D. E. Linge, Ed.). University of California Press.
  12. Gadamer, H. G. (2007). Text and interpretation. In R. E. Palmer (Ed.), The Gadamer Reader - A Bouquet of the Later Writings. Northwestern University Press.
  13. Graneheim, U.H., Lundman, B.: Qualitative content analysis in nursing research: Concepts, procedures and measures to achieve trustworthiness. Nurse Educ. Today 24(2), 105–112 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nedt.2003.10.001 · DOI · Paper page
  14. Graneheim, U.H., Lindgren, B.M., Lundman, B.: Methodological challenges in qualitative content analysis: A discussion paper. Nurse Educ. Today 56(June), 29–34 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nedt.2017.06.002 · DOI
  15. Grondin, J.: Introduction to Philosophical Hermeneutics. Yale University Press (1994)
  16. Hammersley, M. (1992). By what criteria should ethnograpic research be judged? In (pp. 57–82). Routledge.
  17. Hammersley, M. (1998). Making an assessment: Validity. In (2. ed., pp. 78–110). Longman. · DOI
  18. Høyer, K. (2008). What is theory, and how does theory relate to method? In S. Vallgårda & L. Koch (Eds.), Research Methods in Public Health (Vol. 1., pp. 17–42). Gyldendal.
  19. Hsieh, H.-F., Shannon, S.E.: Three approaches to qualitative content analysis. Qual. Health Res. 15(9), 1277–1288 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1177/1049732305276687 · DOI · Paper page
  20. Krippendorff, K. (2019). Content Analysis: An Introduction to Its Methodology (Fourth Edition ed.) https://doi.org/10.4135/9781071878781 · DOI · Paper page
  21. Kuckartz, U., & Rädiker, S. (2023). Qualitative content analysis. Methods, Practice and Software (2. ed.). SAGE Publications. · DOI
  22. Lindgren, B.M., Lundman, B., Graneheim, U.H.: Abstraction and interpretation during the qualitative content analysis process. Int. J. Nurs. Stud. (2020). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijnurstu.2020.103632 · DOI
  23. Lyhne, C.N., Bjerrum, M.B.: Kvalitativ indholdsanalyse – En hands-on introduktion [Qualitative content analysis - A hands-on introduction]. Klin. Sygepleje 4, 304–322 (2021). https://doi.org/10.18261/issn.1903-2285-2021-04-04 · DOI
  24. Lyhne, C.N., Pedersen, P., Nielsen, C.V., Bjerrum, M.B.: Needs for occupational assistance among young adults with ADHD to deal with executive impairments and promote occupational participation – a qualitative study. Nord. J. Psychiatry (2020). https://doi.org/10.1080/08039488.2020.1862911 · DOI
  25. Marvasti, A.B.: Qualitative Content Analysis: A Novice’s Perspective. Qual. Soc. Res. (2019). https://doi.org/10.17169/fqs-20.3.3387 · DOI
  26. Mayring, P. (2014). Qualitative content analysis. Theoretical foundation, basic procedures and software solution. · DOI
  27. Miles, M. B., & Huberman, A. M. (1994). Early Steps in Analysis. In Qualitative Data Analysis: An Expanded Sourcebook (2 ed., pp. 50–89). Sage.
  28. Miles, M. B., Huberman, A. M., & Saldana, J. (2020). Drawing and Verifying Conclusions. In Qualitative Data Analysis. A Methods Sourcebook. (4 ed., pp. 273–314). SAGE
  29. Moravcsik, A.: Transparency: The Revolution in Qualitative Research. PS: Political Sci. Politics 47(01), 48–53 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1017/s1049096513001789 · DOI
  30. Morgan, D.L.: Qualitative content Analysis: A Guide to Paths Not Taken. Qual. Health Res. 3(1), 112–121 (1993). https://doi.org/10.1177/07399863870092005 · DOI · Paper page
  31. Palmer, R. E. (1969). Hermeneutics: Interpretation Theory in Schleiermacher, Dilthey, Heidegger, and Gadamer. . Northwestern University Press.
  32. Rorty, R.: Philosophy and the Mirror of Nature. Princeton University Press (1979)
  33. Rorty, R.: Consequences of Pragmatism. University of Minnesota Press (1982)
  34. Schreier, M. (2014). Qualitative Content Analysis. In The SAGE Handbook of Qualitative Data Analysis (pp. 170–183). https://doi.org/10.4135/9781446282243.n12 · DOI
  35. Strauss, A., & Corbin, J. (1990). Basics of qualitative research: grounded theory procedures and techniques. Sage Publications.

Metadata

Authors
Lyhne, C. N., Thisted, J., & Bjerrum, M.
Affiliations
Aarhus University (DK)
Corresponding author
Lyhne, Cecilie Nørby
ORCID
Venue
Quality & Quantity
Publisher
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Published
2025-06-14
Volume
59
Issue
6
Pages
5329-5349
ISSN
  • 0033-5177 (ISSN-L)
  • 1573-7845
DOI
10.1007/s11135-025-02220-9
OpenAlex
W4411310609
Cited by
53
References
36
Citations by year
2026: 48 · 2025: 5
FWCI
162.81
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • Quality & Quantity (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • VBN Forskningsportal (Aalborg Universitet) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
Funders
Aarhus Universitet
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Education › Qualitative Research Methods and Applications
  • Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Qualitative Comparative Analysis Research
  • Social Sciences › General Social Sciences › Computational and Text Analysis Methods
Keywords
qualitative content analysis, hermeneutics, philosophical hermeneutics, pre-understanding, research design

About these checks

Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.

Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.

Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.

What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›

Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review

How to cite

Cite CoChat for the checks on this page, and the paper for its own findings.

This page
CoChat. (2026). Citation check: Qualitative content analysis–framing the analytical process of inductive content analysis to develop a sound study design. https://app.cochat.ai/papers/10.1007/s11135-025-02220-9
The paper
Lyhne, C. N., Thisted, J., & Bjerrum, M. (2025). Qualitative content analysis–framing the analytical process of inductive content analysis to develop a sound study design. Quality & Quantity. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11135-025-02220-9

Data sources

Bibliographic data: Semantic Scholar, OpenAlex, Crossref.

Contains information from the Semantic Scholar Academic Graph Datasets, made available under the ODC Attribution License (ODC-BY 1.0).

Semantic Scholar’s data is described in: Kinney, R., et al. (2023). The Semantic Scholar Open Data Platform. arXiv:2301.10140.