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Content Analysis

Content analysis is, as the phrase suggests, a method designed to systematically analyze some type of content. Often, this content is in the form of textual data -- everything from blogs to newspaper or magazine articles to Congressional hearing transcripts. Content analysis of visual data is also common, including television shows, films, and print ads.  Whatever the content, one important objective of a systematic content analysis is to elucidate patterns in the data that are not easily discernible otherwise. The Culture Lab trains students in this method, given its utility in exposing veiled or hidden cultural messages and frames.

Visit the Spotlight on Content Analysis page to learn more about common challenges often encountered when conducting content analyses, recommended reading on how to use the method and write about it, and peruse our five-star studies list, a compilation of exceptional studies that highlight content analysis at its best.
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