This is a teriffic article introducing readers to the concept of the 'codebook'. In a nutshell, a codebook is the list of all the concepts involved in the reserach project and how they're measured. A 'code' is "the category, tag, or label we apply to each mention." The code is defined, and operationalization describes how it shows up in practice, and therefore, how it can be measured. The code book also includes specific examples of codes as concrete manifestations of operationalizations. This (as the author acknowledges) is a dry and tedious subject, but it's absolutely critical to research. In my own work, I don't have a codebook per se but I have something better: a content management system (pictured) that I built myself that has evolved over the years.
Today: 8 Total: 96 [Direct link] [Share]
