Distinguish a theme from a memorable quote or a simple topic bucket.
A theme explains a pattern in relation to the research question. Reflexive thematic analysis, associated with Braun and Clarke, is a disciplined way to move from raw qualitative data to meaningful patterns. The phases include familiarization, coding, theme development, review, definition, and reporting. The point is not to count mentions mechanically; it is to interpret how data answers the research question while staying traceable to evidence. The mechanism is progressive abstraction. Codes stay close to the data: "missed invitation email," "unclear first step," "asks teammate for setup." Themes explain a relationship across codes: "onboarding lacks a visible path to first…
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