Codebook
A structured list of the codes used in an analysis, with definitions, inclusion rules, and examples that guide consistent coding.
A codebook is a structured record of the codes used in a qualitative or content analysis. For each code it typically states a name, a definition, rules about when the code does and does not apply, and example excerpts. Codebooks may be fixed in advance for deductive coding or developed and revised as inductive analysis proceeds, with the final version reflecting the evolved coding scheme.
In a thesis, a codebook makes your analysis transparent and repeatable. It keeps your own coding consistent across months of work, allows a second coder to apply your scheme, supports inter-rater reliability checks, and gives examiners a concrete artifact showing how interpretations were disciplined. Including the codebook, or a summary of it, in an appendix is common practice.
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