ABSTRACT
Like most research methods, content analysis is comparable to detective work. Content analysts examine evidence to solve problems and answer questions. Of course, scholars limit their examinations to relevant evidence. The research design, measurement, and sampling decisions we discussed in chapters 3, 4, and 5 (this volume) are, in effect, the content analyst’s rules for determining relevant evidence and how to collect it, whereas the chapters on reliability and validity offer insights to help ensure that the evidence is of optimal quality. Ultimately, however, data collection ceases, and data must be reduced and summarized. Patterns within the evidence must be plumbed for meaning.
