The DOI matches its Crossref record; 34 of the 37 references it cites were found in a registry or an index; none of the 17 sources its claims cite is checked for support yet.
A Guide to Abductive Thematic Analysis
Open accessAbstract
Thematic analysis is an increasingly popular method for analysing qualitative data within the social sciences. Current guides for conducting thematic analysis promote the method’s broad flexibility across research designs, which has resulted in criticism that the method lacks the rigour and structure necessary for credible academic research. Recognizing the challenges faced by qualitative scholars, I developed and present an 8-step prescriptive approach specific to abductive methodologies incorporating many concepts from seminal works in thematic analysis, and importantly maintaining the balance of theorising with empirical data, which is the core of abductive research.
Overview
AI snapshot
Written from the paper’s full text.
TL;DR
The paper presents an 8-step prescriptive guide for conducting abductive thematic analysis, balancing empirical data with extant theory. It argues this structured approach addresses criticisms of thematic analysis as lacking rigour while remaining specific to abductive research designs.
Key findings
- Proposes an 8-step process: transcription and familiarisation, coding, codebook, development of themes, theorising, comparison of datasets, data display, and writing up.
- Abductive thematic analysis should produce latent themes, with theorising as a distinct step where existing theory guides but does not determine explanation; theory can be refined, changed, adapted, or consolidated when data do not fit.
- Recommends at least 2–3 rounds of coding and a codebook with label, definition, “when to use”/“when not to use” criteria, and an example quotation; thematic network analysis can show how themes derive from codes.
- Uses examples from the author’s research on ski resort employees and volunteer tourism, including consolidating “fun” and “exciting” codes into “enjoyable work” and combining Bourdieu’s practice theory with Blumer’s symbolic interactionism.
Methods
- Conceptual/methodological paper, not an empirical study; develops an 8-step guide initially during the author’s PhD and refined through the author’s own research and teaching.
- Integrates concepts from thematic analysis (e.g., codebook from Guest et al., 2012; thematic network analysis from Attride-Stirling, 2001) with seminal abductive research principles.
- Illustrates steps with examples from the author’s prior studies, including ski resort employees and volunteer tourism projects.
Limitations
- The paper states it is not a one-size-fits-all or flexible method for all thematic analysis; it is tailored specifically to abductive research methodologies.
- The paper notes that advocates of reflexive/inductive thematic analysis have disregarded the codebook as positivistic, and that quantification of qualitative data is often impossible and unnecessary for exploratory conceptual understanding.
- Evident from the text: the guide is based on the author’s experience and selected examples rather than systematic empirical validation or comparison with other abductive thematic analysis guides.
Model-written summary. Check it against the paper before relying on it.
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Claims the paper makes
10 Not checked yet · 6 Own interpretation
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
“However, quantification is not necessary for qualitative thematic analysis.”
§ A Guide to Abductive Thematic Analysis A Guide to Abductive Thematic Analysis > Step (6) Comparison of Datasets
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.
In the paper
“Presenting quotations also improves trustworthiness, as the veracity of the raw empirical data is difficult to challenge, and is a method for demonstrating reflexivity by giving voice to the participants independent of your personal opinions or feelings (Guest et al., 2012).”
§ A Guide to Abductive Thematic Analysis A Guide to Abductive Thematic Analysis > Step (8) Writing Up
What the sources say
- Not checked yetcites Guest et al., 2012
plaindirect- 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.
None of the sources cited for this claim have been checked yet.
In the paper
“Current guides for conducting thematic analysis promote the method's broad flexibility across research designs”
§ A Guide to Abductive Thematic Analysis A Guide to Abductive Thematic Analysis > Abstract
What the sources say
- Not checked yetcites Guest et al., 2012
- Not checked yetcites Nowell et al., 2017
- Not checked yetcites Braun & Clarke, 2006
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
“The theoretical contributions produce a degree of generalizability, as the theorisation of the raw data transcends the individualised social setting, as it has links to existing knowledge and understanding (Coffey & Atkinson, 1996).”
§ A Guide to Abductive Thematic Analysis A Guide to Abductive Thematic Analysis > Abductive Data Analysis
What the sources say
- Not checked yetcites Coffey & Atkinson, 1996
plaindirect- 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
“A thematic network analysis technique can address these concerns.”
§ A Guide to Abductive Thematic Analysis A Guide to Abductive Thematic Analysis > Step (7) Data Display
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.
- Rests on an assumption: When abductively analysing data, often reviewers will question if an academic has over-reached and whether theoretical contributions are truly representative of the raw data.
In the paper
“Accordingly, abductive research is described as recursive and iterative because theory is generated theory, but also theoretical development is culled in areas where phenomena are adequately explained by extant literature (Timmermans & Tavory, 2012).”
§ A Guide to Abductive Thematic Analysis A Guide to Abductive Thematic Analysis > Abductive Data Analysis
What the sources say
- Not checked yetcites Timmermans & Tavory, 2012
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.
- Probably not a substantial claim. 9
- It may state two separate claims as one. 2
None of the sources cited for this claim have been checked yet.
In the paper
“which has resulted in criticism that the method lacks the rigour and structure necessary for credible academic research.”
§ A Guide to Abductive Thematic Analysis A Guide to Abductive Thematic Analysis > Abstract
What the sources say
- Not checked yetcites Braun et al., 2019
- Not checked yetcites Braun & Clarke, 2019
- Not checked yetcites Lochmiller, 2021
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
“In the case of abductive thematic analysis, latent themes should always be the outcome as theorisation is central to abductive reasoning, as shall be discussed in the following step.”
§ A Guide to Abductive Thematic Analysis A Guide to Abductive Thematic Analysis > Step (4) Development of Themes
boosteddirect- 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 have been checked yet.
In the paper
“Thematic analysis is an increasingly popular method for analysing qualitative data within the social sciences.”
§ A Guide to Abductive Thematic Analysis A Guide to Abductive Thematic Analysis > Abstract
What the sources say
- Not checked yetcites Braun et al., 2019
- Not checked yetcites Campbell et al., 2021
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.
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
“This is an important part of abductive thematic analysis, making it distinct from other guides to qualitative analysis.”
§ A Guide to Abductive Thematic Analysis A Guide to Abductive Thematic Analysis > Step (5) Theorising
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.
In the paper
“Overall, the consolidation of an abductive research design with thematic analysis is an effective tool for gathering rich understanding from participant narratives, while ensuring findings have theoretical generalizability (Coffey & Atkinson, 1996).”
§ A Guide to Abductive Thematic Analysis A Guide to Abductive Thematic Analysis > Conclusion
What the sources say
- Not checked yetcites Coffey & Atkinson, 1996
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.
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
“However, like with Step 6, there is no requirement for data display to be quantified.”
§ A Guide to Abductive Thematic Analysis A Guide to Abductive Thematic Analysis > Step (7) Data Display
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.
None of the sources cited for this claim have been checked yet.
In the paper
“maintaining the balance of theorising with empirical data, which is the core of abductive research.”
§ A Guide to Abductive Thematic Analysis A Guide to Abductive Thematic Analysis > Abstract
What the sources say
- Not checked yetcites Atkinson et al., 2003
- Not checked yetcites Hurley et al., 2021
- Not checked yetcites Kelle, 1997
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
“Braun et al. (2019) specifically point to the similarities between their approach to thematic analysis with grounded theory, interpretive phenomenological analysis (IPA), and the active role of the researcher in generating themes.”
§ A Guide to Abductive Thematic Analysis A Guide to Abductive Thematic Analysis > Introduction
What the sources say
- Not checked yetcites Braun et al., 2019
plaincorrelational- 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
“This method can act as a point of departure for any exploratory qualitative data analysis, when a researcher wishes to incorporate theoretical frameworks to guide the research findings.”
§ A Guide to Abductive Thematic Analysis A Guide to Abductive Thematic Analysis > Conclusion
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
“Many researchers also cite Braun and Clarke (2006), yet within their methodology, there is no mention of researcher reflexivity central to their style of analysis.”
§ A Guide to Abductive Thematic Analysis A Guide to Abductive Thematic Analysis > Introduction
What the sources say
- Not checked yetcites Braun and Clarke, 2006
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.
The paper relies on this without support.
Guides for abductive research designs are lacking.
“Yet, guides for abductive research designs are lacking.”
The paper relies on this without support.
There is limited discussion of an abductive approach to thematic analysis in the qualitative research literature.
“Yet, there is limited discussion of an abductive approach to thematic analysis in the qualitative research literature.”
The paper relies on this without support.
Coding is a cyclical act, as the first round of coding rarely succeeds in identifying all codes.
“Coding is a cyclical act, as the first round of coding rarely succeeds in identifying all codes and, therefore, it is recommended to undertake at least 2-3 rounds of coding.”
The paper relies on this without support.
When abductively analysing data, often reviewers will question if an academic has over-reached and whether theoretical contributions are truly representative of the raw data.
“When abductively analysing data, often reviewers will question if an academic has over-reached and whether theoretical contributions are truly representative of the raw data.”
The paper relies on this without support.
Even within top-ranked journals, data displays are often constructed simply using shape and arrow tools available within MS Word.
“However, even within top-ranked journals, data displays (such as that shown in Figure 3) are often constructed simply using shape and arrow tools available within MS Word”
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
“The placement students' reflections were focused on their collaborative experiences, and were analysed by academic researchers using an abductive approach (Thompson, 2022), to construct themes that are grounded in the data (inductive coding) but also informed by existing literature on SaP (deductive coding).”
From Co-creating custom GPTs: an autoethnographic study of undergraduate students as partners in generative AI innovation (2026) · cites this paper as Thompson, 2022
Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
Citations
Cites
Using thematic analysis in psychology
Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006) · Qualitative Research in Psychology · doi:10.1191/1478088706qp063oa · Cited by 194,414 · cited 15×
“At this point, some scholars have suggested researchers should make decisions upon which themes are overarching, which are primary/secondary, and which are sub-themes based on their importance to the study (Braun & Clarke, 2006).”
InfluentialQualitative Data Analysis: An Expanded Sourcebook
(1994) · Journal of Environmental Psychology · doi:10.1016/s0272-4944(05)80231-2 · Cited by 48,420 · cited 4×
“Data display is usually associated with reducing qualitative data into quantitative matrices to display data better visually (Boyatzis, 1998; Miles & Huberman, 1994).”
InfluentialLincoln, Y. S., Guba, E. G., & Pilotta, J. J. (1985) · International Journal of Intercultural Relations · doi:10.1016/0147-1767(85)90062-8 · Cited by 45,787
Reflecting 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 · cited 2×
“…this flexibility has resulted in thematic analysis being employed with a “mishmash” of different approaches and divergent philosophies (Braun et al., 2019; Braun & Clarke, 2019), which has been detrimental to the credibility of thematic research designs (Lochmiller, 2021; Nowell et al., 2017).”
(1998) · Cited by 13,501
Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2012) · APA handbook of research methods in psychology, Vol 2: Research designs: Quantitative, qualitative, neuropsychological, and biological. · doi:10.1037/13620-004 · Cited by 10,299
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 · cited 2×
“Figure 1 is an extract from a codebook, in which participants discussed their financial concerns: have disregarded the codebook as a positivistic tool (Braun et al., 2019; Braun & Clarke, 2021).”
Guest, G., MacQueen, K., & Namey, E. (2012) · doi:10.4135/9781483384436 · Cited by 7,924 · cited 20×
“Upon completion of Steps 1 through to 7, the findings should be written up with headings denoting each theme (Guest et al., 2012).”
InfluentialThematic networks: an analytic tool for qualitative research
Attride-Stirling, J. (2001) · Qualitative Research · doi:10.1177/146879410100100307 · Cited by 5,506 · cited 4×
“I have taken and adapted key concepts such as the codebook (Guest et al., 2012) and thematic network analysis (Attride-Stirling, 2001) from authors on thematic analysis.”
InfluentialCollected Papers of Charles Sanders Peirce
(1935) · Nature · doi:10.1038/135131a0 · Cited by 4,601
Research works printed but not linked: 8
- Bourdieu, P. (1986). The forms of capital. In I. Szeman & T. Kaposy (Eds.), Cultural theory: An anthropology (pp. 81-93).
- Gioia, D. A., Corley, K. G., & Hamilton, A. L. (2012). Seeking qualitative rigor in inductive research: Notes on the Gioia methodology. Organisational Research Methods, 16(1), 15-31.
- Jonsen, K., Fendt, J., & Point, S. (2017). Convincing qualitative research: What constitutes persuasive writing? Organizational Research Methods, 21(1), 30-67.
- Morse, J. M. (1994). "Emerging from the data": The cognitive processes of analysis in qualitative inquiry. In J. M. Morse (Ed.), Critical issues in qualitative research methods (pp. 23-43). SAGE.
- Nowell, L. S., Norris, J. M., White, D. E., & Moules, N. J. (2017). Thematic analysis: Striving to meet the trustworthiness criteria. International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 16, 1-13.
- Saldaña, J. (2015). The coding manual for qualitative researchers (3 rd ed.). SAGE.
- Seidel, J., & Kelle, U. (1995). Different functions of coding in the analysis of textual data. In U. Kelle (Ed.), Computer-aided qualitative data analysis: Theory, methods and practice (pp. 52-61). SAGE.
- Timmermans, S., & Tavory, I. (2012). Theory construction in qualitative research: From grounded theory to abductive analysis. Sociological Theory, 30(3), 167-186.
Cited by
Sorted by citations
Thematic Analysis through Artificial Intelligence (AI)
Christou, P. (2024) · The Qualitative Report · doi:10.46743/2160-3715/2024.7046 · Cited by 125
International Journal of Public Sector Management
(2023) · International Journal of Public Sector Management · doi:10.1108/ijpsm · Cited by 73
van Acker, J., Maenhout, L., & Compernolle, S. (2023) · Innovation in Aging · doi:10.1093/geroni/igad007 · Cited by 68
“In the second stage, the initial codes were abductively organized (Thompson, 2022) into descriptive themes using the conceptual model of user engagement by Perski et al.”
The stigma associated with gestational diabetes mellitus: A scoping review
Davidsen, E., Maindal, H. T., Rod, M. H., Olesen, K., Byrne, M., Damm, P., & Nielsen, K. K. (2022) · eClinicalMedicine · doi:10.1016/j.eclinm.2022.101614 · Cited by 64
Introduction to Qualitative Data Analysis and Coding with QualCoder
Brailas, A., Τράγου, Έ., & Papachristopoulos, K. (2023) · American Journal of Qualitative Research · doi:10.29333/ajqr/13230 · Cited by 60
Metadata
- Authors
- Thompson, J.
- Affiliations
- Edinburgh Napier University (GB)
- Corresponding author
- Thompson, Jamie
- ORCID
- Thompson, Jamie
- Venue
- The Qualitative Report
- Publisher
- Nova Southeastern University
- Published
- 2022-05-20
- ISSN
- 1052-0147 (ISSN-L)
- 2160-3715
- OpenAlex
- W4280585239
- Semantic Scholar
- 2765f40bd6e8e0d8bc9c1eddbd129fba2be5cbad
- Cited by
- 493
- References
- 37
- Citations by year
- 2026: 131 · 2025: 174 · 2024: 124 · 2023: 58 · 2022: 6
- FWCI
- 195.27
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- gold
- doi.org
- Licence
- cc-by-nc-sa
- Locations
- The Qualitative Report (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc-sa)
- Edinburgh Napier Research Repository (Edinburgh Napier University) (publishedVersion, other-oa)
- NSUWorks (Nova Southeastern University) (submittedVersion, cc-by-nc-sa)
- Research Output (Edinburgh Napier University) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Education › Qualitative Research Methods and Applications
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Qualitative Research Methods and Ethics
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Sociology and Education Studies
- Keywords
- abductive research, thematic analysis, qualitative data analysis, scientific rigor, research methodology
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