title: Qualitative analysis: what it is and how to begin.
abstract: One of the most paralyzing moments in conducting qualitative research is beginning analysis, when researchers must first look at their data in order to see what they should look for in their data. Although temporally and conceptually overlapping processes, data analysis should be distinguished from interpretation. Practical suggestions for beginning analysis include getting a sense of the whole, extracting the facts, identifying key topics or major storylines and dimensionalizing their informational content, and using frameworks to reduce data.
authors.affiliation: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill 27599-7460, USA.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sandelowski
mesh_terms: D003627:Data Interpretation, Statistical; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D015404:Nursing Methodology Research / Q000379:methods*; D010934:Planning Techniques; D012107:Research Design