Satu Elo & Helvi Kyngäs (2008)
Clear step-by-step framework for inductive and deductive qualitative content analysis across preparation, organizing, and reporting.
This article addresses a common gap in qualitative research reporting: content analysis is widely used (especially in nursing) but its analytic process is often only briefly described in methods texts. It clarifies how inductive and deductive qualitative content analysis differ in logic (deriving concepts from data vs. using prior knowledge to structure coding) while sharing core phases of preparation, organizing, and reporting. The paper gives readers a practical way to justify approach choice and to write more transparent, comparable accounts of their content analysis procedures. It is particularly useful when deciding whether to build categories from sparse evidence or to test/extend existing theory in a new context.
Methodological description of qualitative content analysis workflows, contrasting inductive and deductive approaches.
Basic qualitative research methods, especially coding and categorization in qualitative content analysis.