Content analysis is a method of data analysis as well as a method of observation. In content ,analysis, researchers examine the artifacts of
social communications which are typically recorded messages conveyed by the media or various written materials such as poetry, plays, psychiatric interviews, notes, letters, laws, constitutions, songs, novel_, paintings, speeches, newspapers or textbooks.
Perhaps the most important advantage of content analysis is that it can be virtually unobtrusive. Content analysis, although useful when analyzing depth interview data, may also be used nonreactively, i.e., no one needs to be interviewed, no one needs to fill out lengthy questionnaires, and no one must enter a laboratory.
In this article, a brief discussion of some general concerns and debates regarding content analysis, as well as a number of procedures for analyzing contents, units of analysis and how one effectively employs coding frames are presented. The strengths and weaknesses of content analysis as a research technique are also briefly discussed.
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