Hi,

Yes content analysis is a recognised and well-established research method - particularly in media and communications research but it can also be deployed in other contexts as well. Like all research techniques it has strengths and limitations and as long as you are aware of these then it can be useful depending on the aims and objectives of your research project.

Put simply, content analysis involves the statistical analysis of content and requires the development of a coding frame that identifies which aspects should be counted, in what way and why.

Basically, it is used to quantify the manifest features of cultural texts and requires specific stages: sampling, qualifying criteria, counting, coding, analysis and conclusion(s).

Content analysis can be used as a stand-alone method or in conjunction with other methods.

Take a look at our research paper 'Re-framing Impairment' (Research Gate - full text available) as an example of a content analysis of representations of Paralympic athletes in the mainstream British Press.

Hope this is helpful.

Two excellent textbooks on content analysis are Krippendorff, Content Analysis: An Introduction to Its Methodology, and Neuendorfer, The Content Analysis Guidebook.

When would you decide to use content analysis rather than thematic analysis?

Nicola Ann Cogan In general, content analysis uses either a purely deductive (preconstructed) coding system or a hybrid system that starts with preconstructed codes and then adds new codes during the coding process.

Braun & Clarke have recently renamed their preferred approach "reflexive thematic analysis" to distinguish it from more deductive approaches. You can read more about that at their website:

https://www.psych.auckland.ac.nz/en/about/thematic-analysis.html