To codebook or not to codebook? Decisions around the use of codebooks in qualitative research for individual researchers

Codebooks are popular tools used by qualitative research teams to facilitate discussions around coding decisions, keep an audit trail of coding practices by teams of coders, and establish intercoder agreement measures. However, when described more broadly as “a methodological approach for developing rigour and reflexivity in qualitative research studies” (Oliveira, 2022, p. 11), codebooks can become useful tools for individual researchers as well as teams. This seminar will, firstly present the argument that codebooks are flexible tools that can be used by individual and novice researchers to develop a systematic approach to coding qualitative data, support early theorisation of findings, and maintain a quality assurance ethos through data analysis that is fundamental to quality research. Secondly, the seminar will use examples from qualitative research projects to explore the questions researchers might consider around the use of codebooks, both before and during data analysis.