CodesThatHoldUpUnderQuestioning.
One-to-one NVivo consulting — codebook design, coding guidance, and thematic analysis review. You code your own data in your own project file; we make sure every decision is consistent and defensible.
Inconsistent coding undermines every theme built on top of it.
NVivo makes coding fast — it doesn't make your codes consistent, your codebook coherent, or your themes analytically grounded. Those are judgment calls, and they're exactly where qualitative chapters most often get challenged.
What It Is
NVivo is qualitative data analysis software used to organize, code, and analyze non-numerical data — interview transcripts, focus groups, open-ended survey responses, and documents.
You Code It Yourself
You drive NVivo on your own data; we guide codebook design and check your coding decisions for consistency and rigor.
Every Approach
Thematic, framework, content, and grounded-theory coding approaches — each suits different research questions.
Four coding approaches, and when each applies.
| Approach | Used To | Typical Stage |
|---|---|---|
| Open Coding | Generating initial codes directly from the data, with no predefined framework | First pass through raw transcripts |
| Axial Coding | Grouping and connecting open codes into broader categories | Mid-analysis, after initial codes exist |
| Selective Coding | Refining categories around a core theme that ties the analysis together | Late-stage, building toward findings |
| In Vivo Coding | Using participants' own words as code labels to preserve their meaning | Any stage, especially narrative-rich data |
Where most researchers need a second pair of eyes.
Codebook Design
Building an initial codebook structure that's neither too broad to be useful nor so granular it becomes unmanageable across a full dataset.
Learn more about Codebook DesignCoding Guidance
Live or asynchronous review of your coding decisions, checking for consistency as your codebook evolves.
Learn more about Coding GuidanceThematic Analysis Review
Feedback on moving from codes to themes using Braun & Clarke's six-phase approach or your institution's preferred framework.
Learn more about Thematic Analysis ReviewInter-Rater Reliability Support
Guidance setting up and interpreting coding comparison queries when multiple coders are involved.
Learn more about Inter-Rater Reliability SupportQuery & Matrix Coaching
Getting real analytical value from NVivo's matrix coding queries, word frequency queries, and node comparisons.
Learn more about Query & Matrix CoachingResults Chapter Guidance
Structuring a qualitative findings chapter around themes, supported by well-chosen participant quotes.
Learn more about Results Chapter GuidanceFrom raw transcripts to a defensible set of themes.
Import & Organize Data
Structuring your project file — cases, attributes, and source organization — before any coding begins.
Build an Initial Codebook
Drafting a starting set of codes from your research questions and a first pass through the data.
Code & Refine
Guided sessions reviewing your coding decisions, merging overlapping codes, and tightening definitions.
Analyze & Report Themes
Moving from a coded dataset to a structured set of themes, supported by matrix queries and well-chosen quotes.
Terms worth knowing before your first session.
- Node
- NVivo's term for a code — a container that gathers all the data segments coded to a particular theme or concept.
- Codebook
- The structured list of codes/nodes with definitions, used to keep coding consistent across a dataset.
- Thematic Analysis
- A method for identifying, analyzing, and reporting patterns (themes) across qualitative data, most commonly using Braun & Clarke's six phases.
- Inter-Rater Reliability
- A measure of how consistently two or more coders apply the same codes to the same data.
- In Vivo Coding
- Coding using participants' own words as the code label, to preserve their exact meaning and voice.
- Saturation
- The point in data collection or analysis where new data stops producing new codes or themes.
- Framework Matrix
- An NVivo table that organizes coded data by case (rows) and theme (columns), useful for cross-case comparison.
- Memo
- A researcher's running notes on analytical decisions and emerging interpretations, kept alongside the coding itself.
Common questions.
No — this is a consulting service. You import, code, and analyze your own data in your own NVivo license, with us guiding codebook design and reviewing your coding decisions. This matters for both research integrity and because you'll need to explain your coding choices in a viva or to reviewers.
Sessions are calibrated to your starting point. First-time users start with project setup — importing sources, structuring cases and attributes — before any coding begins, so the software itself doesn't get in the way of the analysis.
Coding is the process of labeling segments of data with a code (node) that captures a concept. Thematic analysis is the broader analytical process of moving from those codes to overarching themes that answer your research questions — coding is a step within thematic analysis, not the same thing as it.
It depends on your design and the concept of saturation — the point where new transcripts stop producing new codes or insights. We help you judge, based on your emerging codebook, whether you've likely reached saturation rather than working to an arbitrary number.
Yes — we guide setting up NVivo's coding comparison query and help you interpret the resulting Kappa coefficient, plus how to resolve and document disagreements between coders.
This page focuses on NVivo specifically since it's the most widely required tool. If your institution uses ATLAS.ti or MAXQDA, the underlying methodological guidance (codebook design, thematic analysis, rigor) is the same — get in touch and we'll confirm we can support your specific software.
Send your research questions.
Share your research questions and data type (interviews, focus groups, documents) — we'll respond within a few hours.