Qualitative Coding

Qualitative coding, the process of assigning labels to textual data to identify patterns and themes, is increasingly aided by large language models (LLMs). Current research focuses on developing methodologies that leverage LLMs for both inductive (creating codebooks from scratch) and deductive (applying pre-existing codebooks) coding, often incorporating techniques like prompt engineering and chain-of-thought reasoning to improve accuracy and efficiency. These advancements promise to significantly accelerate qualitative data analysis across diverse fields, from social sciences and HCI to medical device regulation, enabling researchers to handle larger datasets and focus on higher-level interpretation.