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Cited by 3,068Reliability and Agreement in MeasurementNews Media Framing and Political CommunicationComputational and Text Analysis Methods

The DOI matches its Crossref record; 42 of the 42 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.

Content Analysis in Mass Communication: Assessment and Reporting of Intercoder Reliability

Lombard, Matthew, Snyder-Duch, Jennifer, Bracken, Cheryl Campanella·2002·Human Communication Research
DOI 10.1111/j.1468-2958.2002.tb00826.x
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Abstract

As a method specifically intended for the study of messages, content analysis is fundamental to mass communication research. Intercoder reliability, more specifically termed intercoder agreement, is a measure of the extent to which independent judges make the same coding decisions in evaluating the characteristics of messages, and is at the heart of this method. Yet there are few standard and accessible guidelines available regarding the appropriate procedures to use to assess and report intercoder reliability, or software tools to calculate it. As a result, it seems likely that there is little consistency in how this critical element of content analysis is assessed and reported in published mass communication studies. Following a review of relevant concepts, indices, and tools, a content analysis of 200 studies utilizing content analysis published in the communication literature between 1994 and 1998 is used to characterize practices in the field. The results demonstrate that mass communication researchers often fail to assess (or at least report) intercoder reliability and often rely on percent agreement, an overly liberal index. Based on the review and these results, concrete guidelines are offered regarding procedures for assessment and reporting of this important aspect of content analysis.

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Research works printed but not linked: 2

  1. Lacy S., 1996, Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly, 73, 969
  2. Perreault W. D., 1989, Journal of Marketing Research, 26, 135, 10.1177/002224378902600201 · DOI · Paper page

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Metadata

Authors
Lombard, M., Snyder-Duch, J., & Bracken, C. C.
Affiliations
  • Temple University (US)
  • Cleveland State University (US)
Venue
Human Communication Research
Publisher
Oxford University Press (OUP)
Published
2002-10
Volume
28
Issue
4
Pages
587-604
ISSN
  • 0360-3989 (ISSN-L)
  • 1468-2958
DOI
10.1111/j.1468-2958.2002.tb00826.x
OpenAlex
W2160375265
Cited by
3,068
References
42
Citations by year
2026: 234 · 2025: 173 · 2024: 136 · 2023: 143 · 2022: 212 · 2021: 238 · 2020: 206 · 2019: 206 · 2018: 174 · 2017: 168 · 2016: 174 · 2015: 153 · 2014: 168 · 2013: 158 · 2012: 117
FWCI
19.75
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Licence
doi.wiley.com/10.1002/tdm_license_1.1 (tdm, 4718 d)
Locations
  • Human Communication Research (publishedVersion)
  • EngagedScholarship @ Cleveland State University (Cleveland State University) (submittedVersion)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Decision Sciences › Statistics, Probability and Uncertainty › Reliability and Agreement in Measurement
  • Social Sciences › Communication › News Media Framing and Political Communication
  • Social Sciences › General Social Sciences › Computational and Text Analysis Methods
Keywords
intercoder reliability, inter-coder agreement, content analysis, mass communication research, reporting practices, percent agreement, reliability index, coding procedures, research guidelines

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