The sourcebook categorizes analysis into five primary purposes for data display:
: Identifying what is going on in a particular setting. Qualitative Data Analysis: A Methods Sourcebook
: Keeping meticulous documentation of all analytical decisions and steps taken. Qualitative Data Analysis: A Methods Sourcebook
: Developing reasons or causes for why things happened. Qualitative Data Analysis: A Methods Sourcebook
: The process of selecting, focusing, simplifying, and transforming raw data (such as interview transcripts or field notes) into a more manageable form.
To ensure "trustworthiness" in findings, the text outlines specific tactics for testing and confirming conclusions:
The core methodology is built around three concurrent flows of activity that occur throughout the research process: