What Is Coding? Why Do So Many Doctoral Researchers Get It Wrong?

What Is Coding? Why Do So Many Doctoral Researchers Get It Wrong?

“I have already interviewed 20 participants. Now I just need to highlight my transcripts and assign labels—that’s Coding, right?”

This is one of the most common misconceptions among doctoral researchers conducting qualitative studies.

In reality, Coding is not simply about labeling data. It is a process of analytical thinking aimed at uncovering the meaning embedded within the data.

A participant’s response contains more than just information. It reflects their experiences, emotions, beliefs, context, and the way they construct meaning. The researcher’s task is not merely to highlight keywords, but to identify concepts, organize them into categories, and ultimately develop themes that make a meaningful academic contribution.

This is also why many qualitative studies fail at the Coding stage.

Four Common Coding Mistakes

1. Coding Words Instead of Meanings

Researchers focus only on what participants say, rather than interpreting what they actually mean.

2. Creating Too Many Codes Without a Clear Structure

Some studies generate hundreds of Codes without establishing meaningful relationships among them. As a result, the Findings become nothing more than a disconnected list instead of a coherent academic narrative.

3. Developing Codes Before Fully Understanding the Data

Many researchers rush to create a Codebook after reviewing only a few transcripts, without spending sufficient time becoming deeply immersed in the data.

4. Confusing Coding with Data Classification

Simply assigning text segments to predefined labels is not qualitative analysis. The true value of Coding lies in generating new interpretations, not merely organizing information.

The most important point to remember is this:

Coding is not the destination. It is the bridge that leads to Themes, Findings, and ultimately the academic Contributions of your research.

At Dr. My Academy, we do more than teach students how to use NVivo or other qualitative data analysis software. More importantly, we help doctoral researchers develop analytical Coding skills, build rigorous Codebooks, generate meaningful Themes, and transform raw qualitative data into insightful findings that meet international research standards.

In qualitative research, it is not the software that creates value—it is the researcher’s analytical thinking.

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