Thematic Analysis
A Practical Guide
- Virginia Braun - University of Auckland, New Zealand
- Victoria Clarke - University of the West of England, UK
Applied Psychology (General) | Qualitative Research (General) | Research Methods in Psychology
**Winner of the 2022 British Psychological Society Book Award - Textbook Category**
Developed and adapted by the authors of this book, thematic analysis (TA) is one of the most popular qualitative data analytic techniques in psychology and the social and health sciences.
Building on the success of Braun & Clarke's 2006 paper first outlining their approach - which has over 100,000 citations on Google Scholar - this book is the definitive guide to TA, covering:
- Contextualisation of TA
- Developing themes
- Writing TA reports
- Reflexive TA
It addresses the common questions surrounding TA as well as developments in the field, offering a highly accessible and practical discussion of doing TA situated within a clear understanding of the wider terrain of qualitative research.
Virginia Braun is a Professor in the School of Psychology at The University of Auckland, Aotearoa New Zealand.
Victoria Clarke is an Associate Professor in Qualitative and Critical Psychology in the Department of Social Sciences at the University of the West of England (UWE), Bristol.
Supplements
In our webinar series, Virginia Braun and Victoria Clarke discuss all things Thematic Analysis (TA). From themes and saturation to approaches and reflexivity, get answers to all your questions while learning to overcome challenges and embrace good practice when doing Reflexive TA.
Braun and Clarke are extremely engaging, interesting, accessible writers, and would you believe, fun to read. I can't recommend Thematic Analysis: a Practical Guide enough!
I feel like you’ve passed me a head torch and a shovel when I was previously just in the bottom of a mine not sure how to get out!
Braun and Clarke write in an invitational style, welcoming and accommodating a wide readership including those who are neurodivergent (...) I believe their highly accessible style of writing and their ability to unpack complex ideas and communicate them clearly and succinctly has played a large role in building their notable profiles within qualitative research circles.
Thematic Analysis: A Practical Guide is set to become a classic within qualitative research and is an essential addition to the evaluator’s toolkit.
Whether you are just departing, circling back, or well into your thematic analysis journey, you will find this textbook a rich resource. [...] With the use of numerous examples, you see reflexive thematic analysis come to life, bringing the practical application of the method to the forefront. This book provides the scaffolding to guide and support you on your journey, while also provoking further questions and reflection on reflexive thematic analysis.
This book is a must-have for anyone thinking about or undertaking thematic analysis of data, more specifically, reflexive thematic analysis! A thoroughly useful and accessible practical guide. It contains clear definitions of terminology and explanations and makes good use of helpful boxes in each chapter to explain concepts or alert you to mistakes easily made in the process of analysing data using this method.
First up, it’s a book that should be read by any qualitative researcher, not just those into thematic analysis. This is because it covers the foundations so well. Secondly, it's an enjoyable read where, at times, you almost don’t realise you are taking things in because you are having fun. Finally, reading this book is (at the risk of extending their metaphor) like listening to two very experienced travellers when you are about to embark on your own. They don’t tell you where to go or precisely how to do it, but they fill you with confidence about your own ability to undertake what can seem like a daunting journey.
We have about 60 students per year undertaking the Dissertation module and this text is high priority reading to help them plan out their research proposal in relation to data analysis. We also recommend the text to our researchers and higher research students. The text brings thematic analysis up to date and step by step explains the analytical process with extensive explanations and exemplars. An excellent and essential text, very well written with students and researchers in mind.
The unanimous choice of this year’s [BPS Book Awards] panel. A core text for the future… As one of the panel noted, this is an extremely clear and comprehensive guide to the use of thematic analysis which achieves the notable goal of supporting users down to the level of novices without loss of detail or any hint of talking down.
It offers a contemporary resource arounds this methodology, deepening students understanding of the methodology and method of TA. Braun and Clarke acknowledge a need to go beyond the papers that students typically use as foundations for understanding and undetaking TA, and ambitions to deepen this is met by this book.
This book is great and accessible to both UG and PG students. Useful concept boxes and practice boxes.
