Definition of Content Analysis
(noun) Systematic analysis of forms of communication to identify and study patterns and themes.
Examples of Content Analysis
- Analyzing birthday cards to understand age norms.
- Reading men’s fitness magazines to discover patterns in their portrayals of men.
- Recording conversations between physicians and patients to discern the relations of power between the two parties.
- Watching various television shows from different eras to determine how minorities are depicted.
Content Analysis Pronunciation
Syllabification: con·tent a·nal·y·sis
Audio Pronunciation
Phonetic Spelling
- American English – /kAHn-tent uh-nAl-uh-sis/
- British English – /kOn-tent uh-nAl-i-sis/
International Phonetic Alphabet
- American English – /ˈkɑntɛnt əˈnæləsəs/
- British English – /ˈkɒntɛnt əˈnæləsɪs/
Usage Notes
- Plural: content analyses
- Content analysis provides a way to investigate what people say, see, hear, and write.
- Content analysis can help identify underlying biases, intents, and meanings.
- Any form of communication can be analyzed and are referred to as artifacts. Examples include art, books, magazines, movies, television shows, textbooks, and websites.
- There are numerous specialized types of content analysis such as ethnographic content analysis and qualitative content analysis.
Additional Information
- Qualitative Research Resources – Books, Journals, and Helpful Links
- Quantitative Research Resources – Books, Journals, and Helpful Links
- Word origin of “content” and “analysis” – Online Etymology Dictionary: etymonline.com
Related Terms
Works Consulted
Andersen, Margaret L., and Howard Francis Taylor. 2011. Sociology: The Essentials. 6th ed. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.
Babbie, Earl. 2013. The Practice of Social Research. 13th ed. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.
Bilton, Tony, Kevin Bonnett, Pip Jones, David Skinner, Michelle Stanworth, and Andrew Webster. 1996. Introductory Sociology. 3rd ed. London: Macmillan.
Brinkerhoff, David, Lynn White, Suzanne Ortega, and Rose Weitz. 2011. Essentials of Sociology. 8th ed. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.
Bryman, Alan. 2012. Social Research Methods. 4th ed. New York: Oxford University Press.
Ferrante, Joan. 2011. Seeing Sociology: An Introduction. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.
Ferris, Kerry, and Jill Stein. 2010. The Real World: An Introduction to Sociology. 2nd ed. New York: Norton.
Griffiths, Heather, Nathan Keirns, Eric Strayer, Susan Cody-Rydzewski, Gail Scaramuzzo, Tommy Sadler, Sally Vyain, Jeff Bry, Faye Jones. 2016. Introduction to Sociology 2e. Houston, TX: OpenStax.
Kendall, Diana. 2011. Sociology in Our Times. 8th ed. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.
Kimmel, Michael S., and Amy Aronson. 2012. Sociology Now. Boston: Allyn & Bacon.
Marsh, Ian, and Mike Keating, eds. 2006. Sociology: Making Sense of Society. 3rd ed. Harlow, England: Pearson Education.
Oxford University Press. (N.d.) Oxford Dictionaries. (https://www.oxforddictionaries.com/).
Ravelli, Bruce, and Michelle Webber. 2016. Exploring Sociology: A Canadian Perspective. 3rd ed. Toronto: Pearson.
Schaefer, Richard. 2013. Sociology: A Brief Introduction. 10th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill.
Taylor & Francis. (N.d.) Routledge Handbooks Online. (https://www.routledgehandbooks.com/).
Thompson, William E., and Joseph V. Hickey. 2012. Society in Focus: An Introduction to Sociology. 7th ed. Boston: Allyn & Bacon.
Wikipedia contributors. (N.d.) Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation. (https://en.wikipedia.org/).
Wiley. (N.d.) Wiley Online Library. (http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/).
Cite the Definition of Content Analysis
ASA – American Sociological Association (5th edition)
Bell, Kenton, ed. 2013. “content analysis.” In Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Retrieved October 3, 2023 (https://sociologydictionary.org/content-analysis/).
APA – American Psychological Association (6th edition)
content analysis. (2013). In K. Bell (Ed.), Open education sociology dictionary. Retrieved from https://sociologydictionary.org/content-analysis/
Chicago/Turabian: Author-Date – Chicago Manual of Style (16th edition)
Bell, Kenton, ed. 2013. “content analysis.” In Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Accessed October 3, 2023. https://sociologydictionary.org/content-analysis/.
MLA – Modern Language Association (7th edition)
“content analysis.” Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Ed. Kenton Bell. 2013. Web. 3 Oct. 2023. <https://sociologydictionary.org/content-analysis/>.