Sample Sizes for 10 Types of Qualitative Data Analysis: An Integrative Review, Empirical Guidance, and Next Steps
Open accessAbstract
There has been a recent explosion of articles on minimum sample sizes needed for analyzing qualitative data. The purpose of this integrated review is to examine this literature for 10 types of qualitative data analysis (5 types of saturation and 5 common methods). Building on established reviews and expanding to new methods, our findings extract the following sample size guidelines: theme saturation (9 interviews; 4 focus groups), meaning saturation (24 interviews; 8 focus groups), theoretical saturation (20–30+ interviews), metatheme saturation (20–40 interviews per site), and saturation in salience (10 exhaustive free lists); two methods where power analysis determines sample size: classical content analysis (statistical power analysis) and qualitative content analysis (information power); and three methods with little or no sample size guidance: reflexive thematic analysis, schema analysis, and ethnography (current guidance indicates 50–81 data documents or 20–30 interviews may be adequate). Our review highlights areas in which the extant literature does not provide sufficient sample size guidance—not because it is epistemologically flawed, but because it is not yet comprehensive and nuanced enough. To address this, we conclude by proposing ways researchers can navigate and contribute to the complex literature on sample size estimates.
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Sample size for the qualitative analysis was based on the richness of data captured and the analytic abilities of the research team, rather than relying on thematic saturation.
“In alignment with Patton’s approach, we based our sample size for the qualitative analysis on the richness of data captured and the analytic abilities of the research team, rather than relying on the principles of thematic saturation [34].”
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“Braun and Clarke (2022a) argue it is impossible to estimate sample size a priori for re fl exive thematic analysis, but that an upper and lower limit for a sample range should be determined pragmatically based on the research goals and the time and resources available for the research.”
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- Authors
- Wutich, A., Beresford, M., & Bernard, H. R.
- Affiliations
- Arizona State University (US)
- San Jose State University (US)
- Corresponding author
- Beresford, Melissa
- Venue
- International Journal of Qualitative Methods
- Publisher
- SAGE Publications
- Published
- 2024-01
- Volume
- 23
- ISSN
- 1609-4069 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W4403755554
- Cited by
- 416
- References
- 23
- Citations by year
- 2026: 282 · 2025: 130 · 2024: 4
- FWCI
- 265.21
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- gold
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- International Journal of Qualitative Methods (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc)
- San Jose State University Scholar Works (San Jose State University) (submittedVersion, cc-by-nc)
- DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
- Funders
- National Science Foundation (BCS-2143766, SBE-2017491)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Education › Qualitative Research Methods and Applications
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Focus Groups and Qualitative Methods
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Qualitative Research Methods and Ethics
- Keywords
- sample size, qualitative data analysis, saturation, theoretical saturation, power analysis, information power, content analysis, reflexive thematic analysis, schema analysis, ethnography, free list, focus groups
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