The DOI matches its Crossref record; 34 of the 34 references it cites were found in a registry or an index; 3 of the 25 sources its claims cite were checked for support.
Toward good practice in thematic analysis: Avoiding common problems and be(com)ing a knowing researcher
Open accessAbstract
This article discusses good practice in thematic analysis and common problems researchers should avoid when conducting and reporting thematic analysis.
Overview
AI snapshot
Written from the paper’s full text.
TL;DR
This commentary reviews 20 thematic analysis (TA) papers published in the *International Journal of Transgender Health* that cite the authors' own TA work, and distils guidance for producing methodologically coherent TA. It argues that good TA practice requires researchers to understand which approach within the TA "family" they are using, to align procedures with underlying research values, and to treat themes as meaning-based interpretive stories rather than topic summaries.
Key findings
- The reviewed papers mostly reported qualitative studies (the remainder mixed methods), typically using interviews, focus groups or qualitative surveys, and mostly took an experiential orientation focused on transgender people's lived experience, underpinned by realist or critical realist ontology; a minority used TA within a critical orientation.
- Three recurring problems are identified: unacknowledged diversity within TA (some papers referred to a "standardised TA"), confusion between themes-as-meaning-unified-interpretive-stories and themes-as-topic-summaries, and incomplete ownership of the researcher's perspective.
- Methodological "mash-ups" were common — e.g. combining reflexive TA with consensus coding, intercoder agreement, codebook development, or positivist notions of researcher bias alongside Big Q reflexivity — usually without justification.
- Two papers are singled out as good practice examples: Fraser et al. (2021), which reported two meaning-based themes ("proving gender" and "the trans narrative"), and Frohard-Dourlent et al. (2020), which reported three themes and seven sub-themes on surgical readiness assessments and gave a clear thematic structure table plus an account of the analytic process.
Methods
- Commentary based on the authors' critical review of 20 papers published in IJTH that cite their work, most commonly Braun and Clarke (2006), with most authors claiming to have "followed" their approach and a minority citing it while using other approaches.
- The authors situate TA as a family of methods, using a typology of coding reliability, codebook, reflexive TA and thematic coding, and drawing on the small q/Big Q qualitative distinction (Kidder & Fine, 1987; Finlay, 2021) to analyse coherence between procedures and research values.
- The commentary closes with ten recommendations for researchers and reviewers rather than presenting new empirical data.
Limitations
- The authors state they deliberately do not list the reviewed papers, to avoid "naming and shaming," and reference examples of poor practice only in general terms (Note 1).
- The authors note that they do identify by name two papers exemplifying good practice, so the review is illustrative rather than a systematic or exhaustive sample.
- Evident from the text: the review covers only 20 papers from a single journal, and the authors are commenting on use of their own approach, so the snapshot is field- and method-specific rather than generalisable.
Model-written summary. Check it against the paper before relying on it.
Integrity signals
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Cites
Statistics
Verification
Claims the paper makes
15 No full text of the sources · 12 Own interpretation · 7 Own result · 7 No basis given · 2 Sources not found · 2 Not checked yet · 1 Supported · 1 Supported so far · 1 Couldn’t confirm · accuracy not yet measured
The sources with a verdict support this claim; the rest weren’t checked yet, have no full text we could read, or their verdicts aren’t rated yet.
In the paper
“Codebook approaches to TA-such as framework (Gale et al., 2013) or template (King & Brooks, 2018) analysis-combine some of the more structured procedures of coding reliability TA 3 with some of the qualitative research values of reflexive TA.”
What the sources say
- Supportedcites Gale et al., 2013 source
Gale et al. describe the Framework Method as combining structured coding with flexibility and reflexive qualitative analysis. Stages 3–5 describe independent coding, an agreed set of codes, and systematic application of the framework; the Background calls for critical reflection and reflexive notes. The citation supports framework analysis as the example in the sentence. (LLM, conf=0.90)
- Not checked — no full text of the sourcecites King & Brooks, 2018 source
plaincorrelational- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: unclear — It is unclear whether the paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
- Supported
A result the paper reports from its own data — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“Most exemplified an experiential orientation to qualitative research, with a focus on the lived experience and perspectives of transgender folx (and some interest in the views of others, such of parents of transgender adolescents), or the factors that influence and contextualize certain behaviors and choices, underpinned by a realist or critical realist ontology.”
plain- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: unclear — It is unclear whether the paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
- Rests on an assumption: The 20 papers reviewed are a sufficient and valid basis for identifying common problems in TA research published in IJTH.
A result the paper reports from its own data — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“We were heartened that some researchers in the field of transgender health are also using TA to interrogate the social construction of meaning within a critical orientation to qualitative research”
plain- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: unclear — It is unclear whether the paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
- Rests on an assumption: The 20 papers reviewed are a sufficient and valid basis for identifying common problems in TA research published in IJTH.
A result the paper reports from its own data — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“There were several examples in the papers we reviewed of researchers using Big Q reflexive TA approach and procedures, with conceptually incoherent additions, such as small q consensus coding and measuring intercoder agreement, or adding a codebook development/recoding the data phase, or referencing both positivist notions of researcher bias and Big Q notions of reflexivity, or expressing concern”
plain- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
- Rests on an assumption: The 20 papers reviewed are a sufficient and valid basis for identifying common problems in TA research published in IJTH.
In the paper
“However, reflexivity rarely extended beyond this more personal framing (Wilkinson, 1988).”
§ Toward good practice in thematic analysis: Avoiding common problems and be(com)ing a knowing > (Not) owning one's perspective
What the sources say
- Not checked — no full text of the sourcecites Wilkinson, 1988 source
plain- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
- Rests on an assumption: The 20 papers reviewed are a sufficient and valid basis for identifying common problems in TA research published in IJTH.
The paper states this without a source or data behind it here, so there is nothing to check it against. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“But these conceptualisations often don't map onto what happens in practice.”
§ Toward good practice in thematic analysis: Avoiding common problems and be(com)ing a knowing > Telling meaning-united stories or summarizing topics?
plain- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
- Rests on an assumption: The 20 papers reviewed are a sufficient and valid basis for identifying common problems in TA research published in IJTH.
In the paper
“Big Q researchers typically conceptualize mind-dependent truths, rather than a mind-independent truth (Tebes, 2005).”
What the sources say
- Not checked — no full text of the sourcecites Tebes, 2005 source
plain- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: unclear — It is unclear whether the paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
A conclusion the paper draws from its own results — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“we don't think it fulfils all of the requirements of a methodology because it doesn't inherently provide researchers with a theoretically-informed framework for research.”
§ Toward good practice in thematic analysis: Avoiding common problems and be(com)ing a knowing > Notes
plaindirect- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
In the paper
“Unlike methodologies such as grounded theory or discourse analysis, TA offers few directives around philosophical and theoretical positioning, appropriate research questions, data collection methods, or the size or constitution of the participant group/dataset (see Braun & Clarke, 2022a).”
§ Toward good practice in thematic analysis: Avoiding common problems and be(com)ing a knowing > Notes
What the sources say
- Not checked — no full text of the sourcecites Braun & Clarke, 2022a source
plain- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
In the paper
“whether saturation is a meaningful concept for reflexive TA (TL; DR no it isn't!; Braun & Clarke, 2021b)”
§ Toward good practice in thematic analysis: Avoiding common problems and be(com)ing a knowing > Everything changes…
What the sources say
- Not matchedcites Braun & Clarke, 2021b
Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.
plain- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: unclear — It is unclear whether the paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
- Not matched
- Probably not a substantial claim. 33
- It may state two separate claims as one. 15
Every source the paper cites for this claim was checked and supports it.
In the paper
“Frohard-Dourlent et al. (2020) explored experiences of surgical readiness assessments in Canada and reported three themes and seven sub-themes”
§ Toward good practice in thematic analysis: Avoiding common problems and be(com)ing a knowing > Telling meaning-united stories or summarizing topics?
What the sources say
- Supportedcites Frohard-Dourlent et al., 2020 source
The Abstract and Results report a thematic analysis of interviews about surgical readiness assessments in British Columbia, Canada, and identify three main themes. The Results organize the discussion under seven sub-themes: three concerning gatekeeping, two concerning barriers to care, and two concerning assessments as useful. (LLM, conf=0.90)
plain- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: fails — The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
Probably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
- Rests on an assumption: The 20 papers reviewed are a sufficient and valid basis for identifying common problems in TA research published in IJTH.
- Supported
The cited sources that could be checked couldn’t confirm or dispute this claim.
In the paper
“Researchers cannot coherently be both a descriptive scientist and an interpretative artist (Finlay, 2021).”
What the sources say
- Could not verifycites Finlay, 2021 sourceExperimental — accuracy not yet measured
The indexed copy’s Abstract says thematic analysis can be systematic or intuitive and lists both rigour and resonance as evaluation criteria. It does not address whether a researcher can coherently be both a descriptive scientist and an interpretative artist; searches for that phrase and for scientific–artistic incompatibility found no decisive passage. (LLM, conf=0.70)
plain- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: fails — It may be too vague to check against evidence.
- Load-bearing: fails — The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
Probably not a substantial claim. It may be too vague to check against evidence. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
- Could not verify
A result the paper reports from its own data — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“Most papers reported qualitative studies-with the rest mixed-method designs-typically based on interview, focus group or qualitative survey data.”
plain- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: fails — The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
Probably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it. It may state two separate claims as one.
- Rests on an assumption: The 20 papers reviewed are a sufficient and valid basis for identifying common problems in TA research published in IJTH.
In the paper
“Frohard-Dourlent et al. also provide an example of a clear overview of the thematic structure (in the form of a table), and a brief but effective account of the authors' analytic process and engagement with reflexive TA, both important elements of a high-quality TA report (Braun & Clarke, 2022b).”
§ Toward good practice in thematic analysis: Avoiding common problems and be(com)ing a knowing > Telling meaning-united stories or summarizing topics?
What the sources say
- Not checked — no full text of the sourcecites Braun & Clarke, 2022b source
boosted- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: fails — It may be too vague to check against evidence.
- Load-bearing: fails — The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
Probably not a substantial claim. It may be too vague to check against evidence. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it. It may state two separate claims as one.
- Rests on an assumption: The 20 papers reviewed are a sufficient and valid basis for identifying common problems in TA research published in IJTH.
The paper states this without a source or data behind it here, so there is nothing to check it against. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“The papers we reviewed exemplified both good and bad practice with regard to researchers striving to own their perspective.”
§ Toward good practice in thematic analysis: Avoiding common problems and be(com)ing a knowing > (Not) owning one's perspective
plain- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
Probably not a substantial claim.
- Rests on an assumption: The 20 papers reviewed are a sufficient and valid basis for identifying common problems in TA research published in IJTH.
A result the paper reports from its own data — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“Both problems-positivism creep, and the use of topic summary themes in reflexive TA-were evident in the papers we reviewed.”
§ Toward good practice in thematic analysis: Avoiding common problems and be(com)ing a knowing > Telling meaning-united stories or summarizing topics?
plain- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
It may state two separate claims as one.
- Rests on an assumption: The 20 papers reviewed are a sufficient and valid basis for identifying common problems in TA research published in IJTH.
A result the paper reports from its own data — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“All included some kind of statement of the researchers' personal positioning and/or professional experience with regard to gender identity, which is particularly important when researching socially minoritized groups and when researchers may be more socially powerful and privileged outsiders.”
§ Toward good practice in thematic analysis: Avoiding common problems and be(com)ing a knowing > (Not) owning one's perspective
plain- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: fails — The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
Probably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
- Rests on an assumption: The 20 papers reviewed are a sufficient and valid basis for identifying common problems in TA research published in IJTH.
In the paper
“One paper justified the use of grounded theory coding techniques to do TA on the grounds that Braun and Clarke (2006) don't provide a plan for doing TA.”
§ Toward good practice in thematic analysis: Avoiding common problems and be(com)ing a knowing > Notes
What the sources say
- Not checked — no full text of the sourcecites Braun & Clarke, 2006 source
plaindirectSingle case- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: fails — The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
Probably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
- Rests on an assumption: The 20 papers reviewed are a sufficient and valid basis for identifying common problems in TA research published in IJTH.
A result the paper reports from its own data — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“Two of the reviewed papers provided clear examples of themes as meaning-based interpretative stories.”
§ Toward good practice in thematic analysis: Avoiding common problems and be(com)ing a knowing > Telling meaning-united stories or summarizing topics?
boosted- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: fails — The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
Probably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
- Rests on an assumption: The 20 papers reviewed are a sufficient and valid basis for identifying common problems in TA research published in IJTH.
The paper states this without a source or data behind it here, so there is nothing to check it against. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“Assessment were also conversely experienced as positive by some, with participants feeling supported by the assessor and prepared for the next steps.”
§ Toward good practice in thematic analysis: Avoiding common problems and be(com)ing a knowing > Telling meaning-united stories or summarizing topics?
plain- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: fails — The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
Probably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it. It may state two separate claims as one.
- Rests on an assumption: The 20 papers reviewed are a sufficient and valid basis for identifying common problems in TA research published in IJTH.
None of the sources cited for this claim have been checked yet.
In the paper
“Similar to experiences reported by Fraser et al., participants often experienced the assessment process as aversive gatekeeping, with health professionals having the power to deny access to care, and compel conformity to an archetypal and outdated binary trans narrative.”
§ Toward good practice in thematic analysis: Avoiding common problems and be(com)ing a knowing > Telling meaning-united stories or summarizing topics?
plaindirect- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: fails — The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
Probably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it. It may state two separate claims as one.
- Rests on an assumption: The 20 papers reviewed are a sufficient and valid basis for identifying common problems in TA research published in IJTH.
The paper states this without a source or data behind it here, so there is nothing to check it against. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“TA was occasionally described as a methodology in the papers reviewed”
§ Toward good practice in thematic analysis: Avoiding common problems and be(com)ing a knowing > Notes
plain- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: fails — The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
Probably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
- Rests on an assumption: The 20 papers reviewed are a sufficient and valid basis for identifying common problems in TA research published in IJTH.
The paper states this without a source or data behind it here, so there is nothing to check it against. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“Assessments were experienced as difficult to access because of opaqueness, bureaucracy and a lack of socio-economic privilege.”
§ Toward good practice in thematic analysis: Avoiding common problems and be(com)ing a knowing > Telling meaning-united stories or summarizing topics?
plaindirect- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: fails — The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
Probably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
- Rests on an assumption: The 20 papers reviewed are a sufficient and valid basis for identifying common problems in TA research published in IJTH.
In the paper
“Our approach, which we now call reflexive TA to acknowledge the plurality of TA and better distinguish it from other approaches (see Braun & Clarke, 2019), is an example of a Big Q or non-positivist qualitative approach”
What the sources say
- Not checked — no full text of the sourcecites Braun & Clarke, 2019 source
plain- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
Probably not a substantial claim.
In the paper
“we have developed a typology of similar approaches, which we designate coding reliability, codebook and reflexive TA, and thematic coding”
What the sources say
- Not checked — no full text of the sourcecites Braun & Clarke, 2022b source
plain- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
Probably not a substantial claim.
None of the sources cited for this claim could be matched to a paper in Crossref, so there is nothing to check it against.
In the paper
“it was more common before TA was widely recognized as a distinct method.”
What the sources say
- Not matchedcites Flick, 2018
Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.
- Not matchedcites Rivas, 2018
Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.
plaincorrelational- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
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Probably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
- Not matched
The paper states this without a source or data behind it here, so there is nothing to check it against. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“Finally, thematic coding involves the use of grounding theory coding procedures to develop themes from data.”
plaindirect- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
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Probably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it. The paper may give no reason why it holds.
In the paper
“Reflexive TA approaches embrace researcher subjectivity as a resource for research (rejecting positivist notions of researcher bias, see Varpio et al., 2021), view the practice of TA as inherently subjective, emphasize researcher reflexivity, and reject the notion that coding can ever be accurate-as it is an inherently interpretative practice, and meaning is not fixed within data.”
What the sources say
- Not checked — no full text of the sourcecites Varpio et al., 2021 source
plain- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
Probably not a substantial claim. It may state two separate claims as one.
In the paper
“Our thinking around TA has evolved since 2006, including now using the specific name reflexive TA (Braun & Clarke, 2019).”
§ Toward good practice in thematic analysis: Avoiding common problems and be(com)ing a knowing > Everything changes…
What the sources say
- Not checked — no full text of the sourcecites Braun & Clarke, 2019 source
plain- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: fails — The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
Probably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it. It may state two separate claims as one.
The paper states this without a source or data behind it here, so there is nothing to check it against. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“Topic summaries as themes are common in coding reliability and some codebook TA, and thematic coding; themes in reflexive, and some codebook, TA are conceptualized as meaning-based, interpretative stories.”
§ Toward good practice in thematic analysis: Avoiding common problems and be(com)ing a knowing > Telling meaning-united stories or summarizing topics?
plain- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
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- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
Probably not a substantial claim. It may state two separate claims as one.
A conclusion the paper draws from its own results — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“The key to selecting methodologically coherent quality standards and tools is knowing practice-reasoning through the assumptions embedded in particular concepts and practices.”
§ Toward good practice in thematic analysis: Avoiding common problems and be(com)ing a knowing > (Not) owning one's perspective
plaindirect- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: fails — It may be too vague to check against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
Probably not a substantial claim. It may be too vague to check against evidence.
A conclusion the paper draws from its own results — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“The practice requires depth of engagement, thinking creatively and reflexively about the data, an intensive and organic coding process designed to parse out different facets of data meaning, and to help the researcher move beyond the most obvious or superficial meanings in the data.”
§ Toward good practice in thematic analysis: Avoiding common problems and be(com)ing a knowing > Telling meaning-united stories or summarizing topics?
plaindirect- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: fails — It may be too vague to check against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
Probably not a substantial claim. It may be too vague to check against evidence. It may state two separate claims as one.
In the paper
“We originally stated that reflexive TA could be underpinned by (simple) realism (Braun & Clarke, 2006), but we now think the Big Q research values of reflexive TA make a simple or naive realist reflexive TA a tricky proposition.”
§ Toward good practice in thematic analysis: Avoiding common problems and be(com)ing a knowing > (Not) owning one's perspective
What the sources say
- Not checked — no full text of the sourcecites Braun & Clarke, 2006 source
hedgeddirect- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: fails — It may be too vague to check against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
Probably not a substantial claim. It may be too vague to check against evidence.
In the paper
“Tracy (2010) highlighted the concept of member reflections as a Big Q alternative to member checking, which is not about verification, or accessing truth or reality.”
§ Toward good practice in thematic analysis: Avoiding common problems and be(com)ing a knowing > (Not) owning one's perspective
What the sources say
- Not checked — no full text of the sourcecites Tracy, 2010 source
plain- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
Probably not a substantial claim. It may state two separate claims as one.
A conclusion the paper draws from its own results — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“By contrast, themes as interpretative stories built around uniting meaning cannot be developed in advance of analysis.”
§ Toward good practice in thematic analysis: Avoiding common problems and be(com)ing a knowing > Telling meaning-united stories or summarizing topics?
plain- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: fails — It may be too vague to check against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
Probably not a substantial claim. It may be too vague to check against evidence.
A conclusion the paper draws from its own results — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“The procedures we and other TA methodologists have developed are thought-through manifestations of underlying research values”
plaindirect- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: fails — It may be too vague to check against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
Probably not a substantial claim. It may be too vague to check against evidence.
A conclusion the paper draws from its own results — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“We say closer to because the procedures and conceptualisations of key concepts associated with different iterations of TA reflect particular underlying paradigmatic assumptions or research values.”
§ Toward good practice in thematic analysis: Avoiding common problems and be(com)ing a knowing > Notes
plaincorrelational- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: fails — It may be too vague to check against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: fails — The paper may give no reason why it holds.
Probably not a substantial claim. It may be too vague to check against evidence. The paper may give no reason why it holds.
None of the sources cited for this claim have been checked yet.
In the paper
“Luckily, qualitative methodologists have already done a lot of the heavy lifting here (e.g., Braun & Clarke, 2021b;Smith & McGannon, 2018;Varpio et al., 2017Varpio et al., , 2021)), presenting thoughtful considerations of what's assumed and at stake in various supposedly universal criteria.”
§ Toward good practice in thematic analysis: Avoiding common problems and be(com)ing a knowing > (Not) owning one's perspective
What the sources say
boosted- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: fails — The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
Probably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
A conclusion the paper draws from its own results — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“Reflexive TA is premised on the researcher always shaping their research; it will always be infused with their subjectivity, and they are never a neutral conduit, simply conveying a directly-accessed truth of participants' experience.”
§ Toward good practice in thematic analysis: Avoiding common problems and be(com)ing a knowing > (Not) owning one's perspective
plaindirect- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
Probably not a substantial claim. It may state two separate claims as one.
A conclusion the paper draws from its own results — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“Simply put, topic summaries make no conceptual sense in reflexive TA, and the procedures have been designed to support the development of deep understanding and the telling of interpretative stories about meanings (sometimes obvious, sometimes subtle) that cut across a dataset and capture an important aspect of whatever you are trying to understand!”
§ Toward good practice in thematic analysis: Avoiding common problems and be(com)ing a knowing > Telling meaning-united stories or summarizing topics?
plain- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: fails — It may be too vague to check against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
Probably not a substantial claim. It may be too vague to check against evidence. It may state two separate claims as one.
In the paper
“This practice in theory controls for or corrects any subjective bias-misinterpretation, misemphasis-of the researcher (Smith & McGannon, 2018).”
§ Toward good practice in thematic analysis: Avoiding common problems and be(com)ing a knowing > (Not) owning one's perspective
What the sources say
- Not checked — no full text of the sourcecites Smith & McGannon, 2018 source
plaindirect- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
Probably not a substantial claim.
A conclusion the paper draws from its own results — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“Because TA is better understood as closer to a method than a methodology, and because of its theoretical flexibility, it's vital that researchers locate their use of TA theoretically”
§ Toward good practice in thematic analysis: Avoiding common problems and be(com)ing a knowing > (Not) owning one's perspective
plain- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: fails — It may be too vague to check against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
Probably not a substantial claim. It may be too vague to check against evidence.
In the paper
“Given that the purpose of our 2006 paper was precisely to do that, and it was the first place we outlined a clear six-phase approach to reflexive TA-and critiqued the use of grounded theory techniques to do TA”
§ Toward good practice in thematic analysis: Avoiding common problems and be(com)ing a knowing > Notes
What the sources say
- Not checked — no full text of the sourcecites Braun & Clarke, 2006 source
boosted- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
It may state two separate claims as one.
In the paper
“However, the use of member checking is infused with assumptions about reality and knowledge production that sit (conceptually) uncomfortably with reflexive TA-including that there is a truth of participants' experiences that we can access if we can keep the potentially distorting effects of researcher influence in check (see Smith & McGannon, 2018).”
§ Toward good practice in thematic analysis: Avoiding common problems and be(com)ing a knowing > (Not) owning one's perspective
What the sources say
- Not checked — no full text of the sourcecites Smith & McGannon, 2018 source
plaincorrelational- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
It may state two separate claims as one.
A conclusion the paper draws from its own results — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“TA cannot be conducted in a theoretical vacuum-researchers inescapably bring in assumptions about the nature of reality, about what constitutes meaningful knowledge and knowledge production, and what their data represent or give them access to, even if these are not discussed.”
§ Toward good practice in thematic analysis: Avoiding common problems and be(com)ing a knowing > (Not) owning one's perspective
plain- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: fails — It may be too vague to check against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
Probably not a substantial claim. It may be too vague to check against evidence.
A conclusion the paper draws from its own results — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“They contain diversity, but they have a central idea that unifies the diversity”
§ Toward good practice in thematic analysis: Avoiding common problems and be(com)ing a knowing > Telling meaning-united stories or summarizing topics?
plain- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: fails — It may be too vague to check against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
Probably not a substantial claim. It may be too vague to check against evidence. It may state two separate claims as one.
The paper relies on this without support.
The 20 papers reviewed are a sufficient and valid basis for identifying common problems in TA research published in IJTH.
“This commentary is based on a review of 20 papers published in IJTH citing our work”
Claims other papers make about this one
Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?
The source backs part of the claim, not all of it — or backs it for a different population, condition or comparison.
In the citing paper
“Unthinking compliance with the RTARG will not necessarily improve reporting quality, because knowing practice is key.”
From Supporting best practice in reflexive thematic analysis reporting in Palliative Medicine : A review of published research and introduction to the Reflexive Thematic Analysis Reporting Guidelines (RTARG) (2024) · cites this paper as [7]
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredThe cited source says what the claim attributes to it.
In the citing paper
“Coding complex domains such as personal strength or relating to others involves a degree of researcher subjectivity, as these categories are not fixed entities but are instead co-constructed through the interaction between the participant’s narrative and the researcher’s interpretive lens [53].”
From The coexistence and trajectories of posttraumatic growth and depreciation: a 36-month longitudinal qualitative narrative analysis (2026) · cites this paper as [53]
In the citing paper
“We recognize that this composition concentrated our analytic gaze and that our shared identity as health professions education scholars predisposed us to read the data through a competency and curriculum lens. We treated these orientations as interpretive resources rather than biases to be eliminated [16], discussing them explicitly during analytic meetings to question candidate themes.”
From Role-Differentiated AI Competencies and Curriculum Implications for Health Professions Education: Qualitative Study (2026) · cites this paper as [16]
In the citing paper
“Sample size was determined through iterative monitoring of analytic stabilization—sometimes termed data saturation, though we use this term cautiously given the constructivist orientation of reflexive thematic analysis [16]—rather than a prespecified target.”
From Role-Differentiated AI Competencies and Curriculum Implications for Health Professions Education: Qualitative Study (2026) · cites this paper as [16]
Citations
Cites
Using thematic analysis in psychology
Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006) · Qualitative Research in Psychology · doi:10.1191/1478088706qp063oa · Cited by 194,414
Self-citationReflecting on reflexive thematic analysis
Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2019) · Qualitative Research in Sport, Exercise and Health · doi:10.1080/2159676x.2019.1628806 · Cited by 19,677
Self-citationGale, N. K., Heath, G., Cameron, E., Rashid, S., & Redwood, S. (2013) · BMC Medical Research Methodology · doi:10.1186/1471-2288-13-117 · Cited by 10,865
One size fits all? What counts as quality practice in (reflexive) thematic analysis?
Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2021) · Qualitative Research in Psychology · doi:10.1080/14780887.2020.1769238 · Cited by 9,727
Self-citationQualitative Quality: Eight “Big-Tent” Criteria for Excellent Qualitative Research
Tracy, S. J. (2010) · Qualitative Inquiry · doi:10.1177/1077800410383121 · Cited by 7,536
Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2022) · Encyclopedia of Quality of Life and Well-Being Research · doi:10.1007/978-3-319-69909-7_3470-2 · Cited by 5,890
Self-citationThematic Analysis: A Practical Guide
Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2022) · QMiP Bulletin · doi:10.53841/bpsqmip.2022.1.33.46 · Cited by 5,438
Self-citationBraun, V., & Clarke, V. (2021) · Qualitative Research in Sport, Exercise and Health · doi:10.1080/2159676x.2019.1704846 · Cited by 4,776
Self-citationConceptual and design thinking for thematic analysis.
Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2022) · Qualitative Psychology · doi:10.1037/qup0000196 · Cited by 4,502
Self-citationBraun, V., & Clarke, V. (2021) · Counselling and Psychotherapy Research · doi:10.1002/capr.12360 · Cited by 3,198
Self-citation
Research works printed but not linked: 2
- Finlay L., 2021, European Journal for Qualitative Research in Psychotherapy,, 11, 103
- Hayes N., 2000, Doing psychological research: Gathering and analyzing data
Cited by
Sorted by citations
Items 601–700 of 2,869
Ehrmann, D., Litterbach, E., Deschênes, S. S., Forde, R., Hermanns, N., Horsselenberg, M., Jansen, M., McInerney, A. M., Morrissey, E. C., SCHMITT, A. J., et al. (2026) · Diabetic Medicine · doi:10.1111/dme.70206 · Cited by 4
“38,39 These include an underrepresentation of the voices of people who feel reluctant or not able to share experiences in face- to-face vocal research, limitations to the number of participants who can feasibly take part due to the intensity of data collection and analysis and sub-optimal reporting…”
Marlow, L. A. V., Schmeising-Barnes, N., & Waller, J. (2026) · EClinicalMedicine · doi:10.1016/j.eclinm.2025.103733 · Cited by 3
Educators’ perceptions about factors that affect blended learning adoption in higher education
Brenya, B., Owusu‐Agyeman, Y., & Tachie, S. A. (2026) · Educational Research and Evaluation · doi:10.1080/13803611.2026.2613927 · Cited by 3
“Again, the inductive technique was adopted, allowing acquired data to lead theme analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2023).”
Fowler, J. A., Buckley, L., Viskovich, S., & Dean, J. A. (2026) · Journal of Homosexuality · doi:10.1080/00918369.2025.2603459 · Cited by 3
Nilsson, E., Tjörnstrand, C., Lindqvist, D., Wetterling, J., Lexén, A., & Bejerholm, U. (2026) · Health Expectations · doi:10.1111/hex.70574 · Cited by 4
Ruitenburg, Y., Noh, H., Li, J., Amirkhani, S., Jo, H., Kleek, M. G. V., Kang, Y., Foley, S., & Lee, M. (2026) · International Journal of Human-Computer Studies · doi:10.1016/j.ijhcs.2026.103755 · Cited by 4
Allison, S., May, T., Roberts, J., Hill‐Tout, R., Hindle, S., Hickman, M., Yardley, L., Todd, R., Heath, R., & Horwood, J. (2026) · Emergency Medicine Journal · doi:10.1136/emermed-2025-215436 · Cited by 3
Dooley, J., Okobia, V., Alsaadi, N., Bate, J., Hyde, C., Prajapati, Y., Islam, M., Card, P., Thomas, F., Watkins, E. R., et al. (2026) · Higher Education Research & Development · doi:10.1080/07294360.2026.2615302 · Cited by 3
“Recognising the ‘ Big Q’ approach of reflexive thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2023), we did not seek to produce objective, positivist findings.”
Fedorowicz, S. E., Dempsey, R. C., Ellis, N., & Gidlow, C. J. (2026) · Frontiers in Psychiatry · doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2026.1744949 · Cited by 3
Wu, J., Chaisingkananont, S., & Chik, A. (2026) · Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development · doi:10.1080/01434632.2026.2631052 · Cited by 3
Kulesza, S. (2026) · International Journal of Transgender Health · doi:10.1080/26895269.2026.2642268 · Cited by 3
Nursing Outside the Lines: Identity, Policy, and the Rise of Gig Economy Nursing
Ghimire, A. (2026) · Journal of Nursing Management · doi:10.1155/jonm/4925153 · Cited by 5
Dominello, A., Lu, S., Clay‐Williams, R., & Cheek, C. (2026) · Research Involvement and Engagement · doi:10.1186/s40900-026-00910-8 · Cited by 4
Kruk, M., Todd, E., Sullivan, J. T., & Matsick, J. L. (2026) · Journal of Social Issues · doi:10.1111/josi.70062 · Cited by 3
Reynolds, A., Roche, S., & Piatkowski, T. M. (2023) · Qualitative Social Work · doi:10.1177/14733250231202045 · Cited by 3
“This approach aimed to ensure diverse interpretations and meaning-making, enhancing qualitative rigor and trustworthiness (Lietz et al., 2006) without relying on researcher consensus (Braun and Clarke, 2023).”
Consensual nonmonogamous relationships during the COVID-19 pandemic
Copulsky, D., & Hammack, P. L. (2023) · Sexualities · doi:10.1177/13634607231212809 · Cited by 3
Occupational therapists’ experiences of working with people with dementia: a qualitative study
Österholm, J., & Ranada, Å. L. (2024) · Scandinavian Journal of Occupational Therapy · doi:10.1080/11038128.2024.2305253 · Cited by 3
“These extracted sequences where first condensed and then coded [26,31] by the first author.”
Al-Otaibi, A. G., Alyousef, S. M., Alhamidi, S. A., Almoammar, D. N., & Alanazi, N. H. (2024) · Health Care For Women International · doi:10.1080/07399332.2024.2312955 · Cited by 3
Jude, C., & Maree, J. G. (2024) · South African Journal of Education · doi:10.15700/saje.v44n1a2405 · Cited by 3
En kritisk diskusjon av ‘tematisk analyse etter Braun og Clarke (2006)’ i naturfagdidaktiske studier
Remmen, K. B. (2024) · Nordic Studies in Science Education · doi:10.5617/nordina.10094 · Cited by 3
“Det er i så fall en misforståelse, da fleksibiliteten innebærer at refleksiv TA kan anvendes i empiriske (experiential) og kritisk tilnærminger til kvalitativ forskning, men at det er noe forskeren må reflektere over (Braun & Clarke, 2021b; 2022a).”
BackgroundInfluentialGoldshtein, M., Chiou, E. K., & Roscoe, R. D. (2024) · Societies · doi:10.3390/soc14070105 · Cited by 5
“Participants’ responses related to trust and disclosure behaviors were transcribed and thematically analyzed [55–57].”
MethodShirima, C. M., & Naudé, L. (2024) · Child & Youth Services · doi:10.1080/0145935x.2024.2376638 · Cited by 3
“Reflexive thematic analysis enabled the researchers to identify, interpret, and construct themes (Braun & Clarke, 2023).”
Gardener, L., Bourke‐Taylor, H. M., Desha, L. N., Gardener, M., & Turpin, M. J. (2024) · American Journal of Occupational Therapy · doi:10.5014/ajot.2024.050662 · Cited by 4
“Use of reflexive thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2022) enabled both a descriptive and interpretative analysis of adolescents ’ perspectives of responsibility-sharing through the identification of patterns of commonality in the data.”
Embedding environmentally sustainable practices in learning and teaching: A student perspective
Thompson, K., & Herriges, M. (2024) · Open Scholarship of Teaching and Learning · doi:10.56230/osotl.99 · Cited by 4
de Condé, H., Zech, E., & Willemsen, J. (2024) · Research in Psychotherapy Psychopathology Process and Outcome · doi:10.4081/ripppo.2024.791 · Cited by 5
“One problem of TA is often to summarize data without trying to extract the meaning of the data (Braun & Clarke, 2023).”
BackgroundLiu, X., Zhao, X., Xiong, Y., & Lan, X. (2024) · Compare A Journal of Comparative and International Education · doi:10.1080/03057925.2024.2402986 · Cited by 7
Piano, M. E. F., Jarden, R., Hastings‐Ison, T., et al. (2024) · BMC Medical Education · doi:10.1186/s12909-024-05967-1 · Cited by 3
“Transcripts were analysed using the inductive thematic analysis approach [13].”
MethodTeacher responses to explosive student comments: Insights from Israel before and after 10/7
Gindi, S. (2024) · International Journal of Educational Research · doi:10.1016/j.ijer.2024.102469 · Cited by 3
Adolescent autistic girls navigating their diagnosis in Swedish secondary school
Josefsson, H., & Johansson, S. T. (2024) · Frontiers in Education · doi:10.3389/feduc.2024.1461054 · Cited by 5
Vaughan, E. B., Montoya-Cowan, A., Kim, C., Stephens, A., Hamilton, O., & Barbera, J. (2024) · Journal of Chemical Education · doi:10.1021/acs.jchemed.4c00569 · Cited by 3
Dissemination Versus Dialogic Science Communication: How Do the Deeply Involved Wish to Engage?
Zimmerman, I., Baram‐Tsabari, A., & Tal, T. (2024) · Science Communication · doi:10.1177/10755470241293352 · Cited by 3
Heard, E. M., Bartleet, B., Spence, J. M., Dean, K. I., Eyles, S., Martinelli, J., & McGuire, K. (2024) · Community Health Equity Research & Policy · doi:10.1177/2752535x241304084 · Cited by 6
Kwame, A., & Petrucka, P. M. (2024) · BMC Nursing · doi:10.1186/s12912-024-02469-9 · Cited by 3
Abouhala, S., Abdulle, A., Aziz, G., Hussein, A., Zanial, N., Shalabi, I., Stiffler, M. J., Kteily-Hawa, R., Tariq, M., Ady, G., et al. (2024) · Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities · doi:10.1007/s40615-024-02255-y · Cited by 3
Eekert, N. V., Bombeke, K., Buffel, V., Łotoczuk, M., de Velde, S. M. V., van Olmen, J., Royen, P. V., Vansweevelt, T., Vermijs, F., Wouters, E., et al. (2025) · International Journal of Qualitative Methods · doi:10.1177/16094069241310278 · Cited by 3
“This method provides the opportunity to fi rst code and then categorise data into themes (Braun & Clarke, 2023; Miles & Huberman, 1994).”
Kulikowski, J. D., Namisango, E., & Rosa, W. E. (2025) · Palliative & Supportive Care · doi:10.1017/s1478951524002189 · Cited by 3
“The transcripts were imported into NVivo 12 and analyzed using thematic content analysis (Braun and Clarke 2006, 2022; Krippendorff 1980), performed by 2 study team members trained in qualitative data analysis (E.N. and N.B.).”
Chitrakar, A., Darko, N., & Moss, E. L. (2025) · Gynecologic Oncology Reports · doi:10.1016/j.gore.2025.101690 · Cited by 3
Downs, J. L. (2025) · Journal of Eating Disorders · doi:10.1186/s40337-025-01189-y · Cited by 3
Willmott, E. F., Thrower, S. N., & Petróczi, A. (2025) · Qualitative Research in Sport Exercise and Health · doi:10.1080/2159676x.2025.2470211 · Cited by 3
O’Neill, C., & Mozova, K. (2025) · Journal of Criminological Research Policy and Practice · doi:10.1108/jcrpp-05-2024-0036 · Cited by 3
The Collaborative Sensemaking Play of Jubensha Games: A Deconstruction, Taxonomy, and Analysis
Liang, S., Chen, M., Dugas, P. O. T., Smith, G., & Bohrer, R. (2025) · Games Research and Practice · doi:10.1145/3721121 · Cited by 4
“We conducted a reflexive thematic analysis [16–18] (e.g., as in Reference [53]) to examine the gameplay, narrative, interfaces, communication within, and features of Jubensha games.”
Batiha, A.-M. M. (2025) · The Journal of Continuing Education in Nursing · doi:10.3928/00220124-20250217-04 · Cited by 3
Dhand, A., Mangipudi, R., Varshney, A. S., Crowe, J. R., Ford, A. L., Sweitzer, N. K., Shin, M. C., Tate, S., Haddad, H. A., Kelly, M., et al. (2025) · JMIR Formative Research · doi:10.2196/60465 · Cited by 3
Torabipour, A., Karimi, S., Rarani, M. A., & Gharacheh, L. (2025) · BMC Health Services Research · doi:10.1186/s12913-025-12222-w · Cited by 4
“Therefore, many studies have emphasized promoting public education, improving health literacy, and increasing access to health facilities [35, 49, 54, 85–87].”
“Like a rollercoaster”: carer experiences of residential treatment for eating disorders
Rankin, R. M., Conti, J., Ramjan, L. M., & Hay, P. (2025) · Journal of Eating Disorders · doi:10.1186/s40337-025-01226-w · Cited by 3
“They also contextualised findings within participants’ specific settings and used member checking to corroborate interpretations [33].”
InfluentialParés-Salomón, I., Vaqué-Crusellas, C., Coffey, A., Loef, B., Proper, K. I., Señé-Mir, A. M., Puig-Ribera, A. M., Dowd, K., & Roig, J. B. (2025) · JMIR Human Factors · doi:10.2196/59405 · Cited by 4
Managerial influence on employee learning: contextual insights from industrial companies in Sweden
Jarl, F. H. (2025) · Journal of Workplace Learning · doi:10.1108/jwl-09-2024-0215 · Cited by 4
Integrating Virtual Reality Head-Mounted Displays into Higher Education Classrooms on a Large Scale
Mäkelä, V., MacArthur, C., Lee, J., et al. (2025) · CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems · doi:10.1145/3706598.3713690 · Cited by 3
Yung, A., Shaw, T. J., Kay, J., & Janssen, A. L. (2025) · JMIR Cancer · doi:10.2196/70827 · Cited by 5
“Three researchers (AY, AJ, and TS) analyzed the qualitative data collected using the reflexive thematic analysis as a framework by Braun and Clarke [27-30].”
Li, Z., Chen, F., Zheng, X., & Bonk, C. J. (2025) · Professional Development in Education · doi:10.1080/19415257.2025.2495359 · Cited by 4
“2017, Braun and Clarke 2022).”
Anabolic steroid coaching certification in India: The role of capital in digital fitness spaces
Cox, L. T. J., Piatkowski, T. M., & Turnock, L. A. (2025) · Drugs Education Prevention and Policy · doi:10.1080/09687637.2025.2490579 · Cited by 3
“A thematic analysis was conducted (Braun & Clarke, 2021, 2022, 2023), where data collection and analysis occurred simultaneously, following a “ bottom-up ” approach in which screenshots were manually coded.”
Nymoen, M., Lomeland, M. S., Biringer, E., Ekstedt, M., Hetlevik, Ø., Sheaff, R., Thorsen, O., & Hartveit, M. (2025) · BMC Health Services Research · doi:10.1186/s12913-025-12851-1 · Cited by 3
“The researchers’ backgrounds and clinical experience, including both patient and healthcare professional perspectives, should have affected all steps of the research process [36] and increased the likelihood of multiple stakeholders’ perspectives being maintained [37, 38].”
Ciszek, E. L., & Lim, H. S. (2025) · Journal of Current Issues & Research in Advertising · doi:10.1080/10641734.2025.2498989 · Cited by 3
“In what follows, we present and discuss themes as “meaning-unified -interpretative-stories” (Braun and Clarke 2023, 1) informed by participants’ perceptions of the partnership.”
Musinguzi, S. P., Chisadza, B., Gwate, O., et al. (2025) · Earth · doi:10.3390/earth6020045 · Cited by 3
Dehkhoda, A., Frey, R., Carey, M., Robinson, J., Sundram, F., Hoeh, N. R., Bull, S., & Cheung, G. (2025) · BMC Palliative Care · doi:10.1186/s12904-025-01747-w · Cited by 3
Bollo, C. S., & Rollings, K. A. (2025) · Housing and Society · doi:10.1080/08882746.2025.2505837 · Cited by 3
“The systematic coding procedure (2) was “organic and evolving” (Braun & Clarke, 2022, p. 54) with iterative coding that foregrounded the researcher’s interpretation, rather than a predetermined codebook or template approach (Braun & Clarke, 2019, 2023; Braun et al., 2022; King & Brooks, 2017).”
InfluentialShame and Experiences of Psychosis: A Qualitative Inquiry
Davies, K., Isobel, S., Steel, Z., Morgan, S., & Lappin, J. (2025) · International Journal of Mental Health Nursing · doi:10.1111/inm.70070 · Cited by 4
Kenwright, M., Awty, P., Bye, C., Doherty, D. T., Leese, D., & Edwards, E. (2025) · Clinical Simulation in Nursing · doi:10.1016/j.ecns.2025.101734 · Cited by 3
Davidson, S., Thornton, A., Hersh, D., Harris, C. J., Elliott, C. M., & Valentine, J. P. (2025) · Child Care Health and Development · doi:10.1111/cch.70100 · Cited by 3
Nursing students' caring practices in caring for LGBTQIA+ patients in a hospital setting
Thawnarain, A. M., & Downing, C. (2025) · Nurse Education Today · doi:10.1016/j.nedt.2025.106792 · Cited by 3
Noe, B. B., Hoejgaard, A., Skovbjerg, F., et al. (2025) · Social Science & Medicine · doi:10.1016/j.socscimed.2025.118300 · Cited by 3
Weyers, L., Crowley, T., & Tokwe, L. (2025) · International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · doi:10.3390/ijerph22070972 · Cited by 3
“Using Braun and Clark’s (2021) six phases of reflexive thematic analysis, the researchers first familiarized themselves with the data [26,28].”
Badenhorst, M., Skilton, D., Zoellner, A., et al. (2025) · Journal of Primary Health Care · doi:10.1071/hc24190 · Cited by 3
Fierro, O., Palma‐Cando, A., Ordóñez, P. E., et al. (2025) · Journal of Chemical Education · doi:10.1021/acs.jchemed.5c00158 · Cited by 3
Delivering social and public health programmes through community arms of professional football clubs
Maclean, J., MacLean, A., Gray, C. M., Chambers, S., Donnachie, C., Jago, R., & Hunt, K. (2025) · Health Promotion International · doi:10.1093/heapro/daaf106 · Cited by 3
“Our analysis was guided by an interpretive thematic approach, involving six stages that are grounded in identifying patterns across the interview transcripts (Braun and Clarke 2023).”
How Latiné STEM Students' Identities Shaped Community Engagement: A Case Study
Alam, I., Olimpo, J. T., & Corwin, L. A. (2025) · CBE—Life Sciences Education · doi:10.1187/cbe.24-11-0268 · Cited by 6
“…emphasizes the active role of the researcher in identifying and interpreting themes within the data, making it an ideal approach for examining the intersections of social identity, community engagement, and academic experiences among Latiné students in a STEM course (Braun and Clarke, 2021; 2023).”
InfluentialLupton, D. A., & Drysdale, K. (2025) · Social Science & Medicine · doi:10.1016/j.socscimed.2025.118481 · Cited by 3
Yan, C. T., Bachour, A., Pérez, C. J., et al. (2025) · Journal of Community Practice · doi:10.1080/10705422.2025.2546296 · Cited by 3
Alanazi, A. S., Alqazlan, S., Rayan, A., & Benlaria, H. (2025) · Education and Information Technologies · doi:10.1007/s10639-025-13696-1 · Cited by 4
Parental influences on contraceptive autonomy among adolescents in the Southern USA
Katragadda, M., Broussard, K., Vinkemulder, J., Brennen, H., Kelly, E. L., & Mann, E. S. (2025) · Culture Health & Sexuality · doi:10.1080/13691058.2025.2546003 · Cited by 3
The ports' approach to achieving the United Nations sustainable development goals
Almeida, F. L., & Okon, E. (2025) · Management of Environmental Quality An International Journal · doi:10.1108/meq-01-2025-0023 · Cited by 4
Ritch, E. L., Siddiqui, N. Q., & Canning, C. (2025) · Business Strategy and the Environment · doi:10.1002/bse.70267 · Cited by 7
Alvarado, B., Kuforiji, O. A., Cofie, N., Nagy, E., Guan, H., Stoner, B. P., Dalgarno, N., Martínez-Cajas, J., & Plazas, P. C. (2025) · Journal of HIV & Social Services · doi:10.1080/15381501.2025.2572602 · Cited by 3
Layers of racism, layers of response: (re)structuring antiracism in Finnish education
Jagne-Soreau, M., Loukola, S., & Holm, G. (2025) · Routledge eBooks · doi:10.1080/01419870.2025.2583427 · Cited by 5
“All data were pseu-donymized and transcribed prior to conducting a reflexive thematic analysis (Braun and Clarke 2022).”
Brennen, H., Kelly, E. L., Katragadda, M., et al. (2025) · Contraception · doi:10.1016/j.contraception.2025.111316 · Cited by 3
Irasuegi, O. G., Santamaría, M. D., & Torrado, J. M. (2025) · Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development · doi:10.1080/01434632.2025.2579841 · Cited by 4
“An inductive–deductive categorisation approach was applied, and thematic analysis followed Braun and Clarke’s six-phase framework (Braun and Clarke 2022).”
Tholander, J., & Jönsson, M. (2026) · CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems · doi:10.1145/3772318.3791847 · Cited by 4
“In the analysis, we conducted a reflexive thematic analysis (RTA) [9, 10].”
Kadir, N. A. A., Azzeri, A. B., Noor, M. I. M., et al. (2023) · Medicine · doi:10.1097/md.0000000000033590 · Cited by 3
Fall, M. (2023) · Societies · doi:10.3390/soc13080190 · Cited by 3
Gender influences on cannabis use among treatment-seeking adults: a qualitative study
Wright, M., Matheson, J., Watson, T. M., Sproule, B. A., Foll, B. L., & Brands, B. (2023) · Drugs Education Prevention and Policy · doi:10.1080/09687637.2023.2248356 · Cited by 3
“We used reflexive thematic analysis (TA) to explore and develop themes based on the interview transcripts, using the six-phase process outlined by Braun & Clarke (2006), as well as guidance from their newer work (Braun & Clarke, 2023).”
Mamcarz, I., Sarna‐Boś, K., Chałas, R., et al. (2023) · BMC Medical Education · doi:10.1186/s12909-023-04586-6 · Cited by 3
“The qualitative analysis was based on a Braun and Clarkes’s six phases of thematic analysis as the data analysis strategy [19, 20].”
MethodA psychological experience assessment protocol of parent caregivers in paediatric palliative care
Nogueira, A. J., & Ribeiro, M. T. (2023) · Annals of Medicine · doi:10.1080/07853890.2023.2268093 · Cited by 3
Lin, N., Ren, M., Xiang, Y., et al. (2024) · Health Expectations · doi:10.1111/hex.13969 · Cited by 3
Klingemann, H., & Lesch, M. (2024) · International Journal of Drug Policy · doi:10.1016/j.drugpo.2024.104333 · Cited by 3
Liu, W., Zhu, Y., Li, Y., et al. (2024) · Frontiers in Education · doi:10.3389/feduc.2024.1295824 · Cited by 3
Iyizoba-Ebozue, Z., Fatimilehin, A., Kayani, M., et al. (2024) · Clinical Oncology · doi:10.1016/j.clon.2024.03.021 · Cited by 3
“The iterative process was guided by Braun and Clarke [22].”
Haryono, C. G., & Hartanto, L. C. (2024) · International Journal of Gender and Entrepreneurship · doi:10.1108/ijge-12-2023-0308 · Cited by 5
Falemban, R., Wilmut, K., Hurst, H., & Purcell, C. (2024) · Frontiers in Human Neuroscience · doi:10.3389/fnhum.2024.1339043 · Cited by 3
Abdullayev, K., Gorvett, O., Sochiera, A., Laidlaw, L., Chico, T., Manktelow, M., Buckley, O. E., Condell, J. V., van Arkel, R. J., Díaz‐Zuccarini, V., et al. (2024) · BMJ Open · doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2023-080445 · Cited by 4
“37 KA used NVivo to conduct the first round of analysis, following the steps recommended by Braun and Clarke.”
MethodHaragirimana, E., Mitchell, G., & Uny, I. (2024) · The International Journal of Alcohol and Drug Research · doi:10.7895/ijadr.467 · Cited by 4
“We conducted a thematic analysis informed by the Braun and Clarke framework of analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2023).”
MethodGerlach, A., Sinha, V., Lach, L., Balfour, M., & Flett, M. E. (2024) · AlterNative An International Journal of Indigenous Peoples · doi:10.1177/11771801241255144 · Cited by 3
“Interpretation of transcripts and meeting notes was guided by a reflexive thematic analysis approach (Braun & Clarke, 2023).”
McCann, S., Entwistle, V. A., Oliver, L., Lewis‐Barned, N., Haines, R., & Cribb, A. (2024) · BMC Family Practice · doi:10.1186/s12875-024-02443-z · Cited by 3
Weerakkody, A., Godecke, E., & Singer, B. (2024) · Disability and Rehabilitation · doi:10.1080/09638288.2024.2361808 · Cited by 3
“Reflexivity in thematic analysis requires acknowledging and addressing researcher biases, assumptions, and experiences to strengthen the accuracy and reliability of findings [22, 24, 25].”
Myrtveit‐Stensrud, L., Schaller, S., Haugstad, G. K., et al. (2024) · The Journal of Sex Research · doi:10.1080/00224499.2024.2371946 · Cited by 3
“In line with Braun and Clarke, themes do not “emerge” from the data, but are developed through systematic identifications of patterns and analytical questions and discussions during the coding process (Braun & Clarke, 2023).”
‘Boy smell’: transgender and nonbinary people’s experiences of bodily smell
Easterbrook-Smith, G. (2024) · Culture Health & Sexuality · doi:10.1080/13691058.2024.2379871 · Cited by 3
The identity of clinical associates in psychology: a cross sectional, national survey
O’Driscoll, C., Azmoodeh, K., Rana, R., & Hardy, G. E. (2024) · BMC Medical Education · doi:10.1186/s12909-024-05802-7 · Cited by 3
“While we aimed to collect a ‘wide-angle lens’ on the topic [8], qualitative survey data can sometimes be slightly ‘thinner’ than methods such as interviews.”
MethodWalkowska, A., Przymuszała, P., Marciniak-Stępak, P., et al. (2024) · BMC Medical Education · doi:10.1186/s12909-024-05830-3 · Cited by 3
“…comprehension and perception of the data rather than reach a consensus, since, as it should be mentioned, the authors of the form of thematic analysis that we employed in the study bring attention to the incoherence of their research method with practices like, e.g. intercoder agreement [24].”
MethodRichard, R., Marsuki, M. A., Pamungkas, G. A., et al. (2024) · JITK (Jurnal Ilmu Pengetahuan dan Teknologi Komputer) · doi:10.33480/jitk.v10i1.5157 · Cited by 3
“The analysis was selected for its proficiency in detecting and isolating data, facilitating the interpretation and formation of patterns [12].”
BackgroundEskin, M., Karkın, A. N., Eyisoylu, E., Seker, E., Yılmaz, E., Sevin, G., Kantarcı, L., Gülsen, Y., & Ranjbar, H. A. (2024) · Death Studies · doi:10.1080/07481187.2024.2386062 · Cited by 4
“We conceptualized the themes in this study as topic summaries derived from the questions asked during data collection (Braun & Clarke, 2023).”
This is the End: The Role of Death in the Narrative Structure of Popular Movies
van Krieken, K., & Das, E. (2024) · OMEGA - Journal of Death and Dying · doi:10.1177/00302228241280311 · Cited by 5
Metadata
- Authors
- Braun, V., & Clarke, V.
- Affiliations
- University of Auckland (NZ)
- University of the West of England (GB)
- Venue
- International Journal of Transgender Health
- Publisher
- Informa UK Limited
- Published
- 2022-10-25
- Volume
- 24
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 1-6
- ISSN
- 2689-5269 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC9879167
- OpenAlex
- W4307217168
- Semantic Scholar
- e28e41b67cfbb817d70b90cfab5436d012bb58ea
- Cited by
- 2,878
- References
- 32
- Citations by year
- 2026: 1230 · 2025: 1016 · 2024: 486 · 2023: 123 · 2022: 8
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- bronze
- doi.org
- Locations
- International Journal of Transgender Health (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- PubMed Central (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Public Administration › Evaluation and Performance Assessment
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Qualitative Research Methods and Ethics
- Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › Language and Linguistics › Language, Discourse, Communication Strategies
- Keywords
- thematic analysis, best practices, qualitative research methodology, mixed methods, research quality
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.
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