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A qualitative study may name one analysis method in its methods section and then apply another. This article sets out seven widely used methods (content analysis, narrative analysis, discourse analysis, thematic analysis, grounded theory, interpretative phenomenological analysis and framework analysis) and, for each, what it examines, what it produces and its principal limitation. A comparison table summarizes the methods, and thesis extracts show how researchers have named and applied them.

The article also presents a rule for matching the wording of a research question to a method, three practical checks on the choice, and guidance on combining methods. It is suited to qualitative research methods courses at master's and doctoral level. The article is the formal edition of a piece first published by Grad Coach and is released under CC BY 4.0.

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