Content Analysis: An Introduction to Its Methodology (2nd edition)

Klaus Krippendorff. Content Analysis: An Introduction to Its Methodology (2nd edition). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, 2004, 413 pages, $89.95 hardcover, $44.95 softcover.

Krippendorff has updated his influential treatment of content analysis methodology (Krippendorff, 1980). This is both an advanced textbook and a guide for experienced researchers venturing into content analysis for the first time. The second edition excludes some material from the first edition and greatly expands coverage of computer-based methods. Personnel psychologists will encounter familiar discussions of sampling, reliability, and validity. They will also be introduced to issues unique to analysis of texts. Given the increasing use of text mining technologies (e.g., Berry, 2004), the treatment of computer-aided content analysis is timely.

The author acknowledges that 2 decades have changed how content analysts work. Changes include the pervasiveness of computers, diffusion of content analysis methods to numerous disciplines, large text archives available on the Web, and an increased need for coordination between teams of content analysts. The 14-chapter exploration of this field is organized into three sections that present foundational material, content analysis design, and analysis and interpretation.

In the first chapter, the author outlines the history of content analysis. He includes well-chosen examples as he traces its development from its origins in Renaissance analysis of religious texts, through early 20th century focus on newspaper content, World War II concerns with propaganda, and postwar expansion into broadcast media and advertising. Beginning with the 1960s, he chronicles the emerging influence of computers, electronic storage, and the Internet. Psychologists will enjoy several examples from our discipline, such as Allport's (1942) early work on the analysis of diaries.

Krippendorff's second chapter introduces the conceptual foundations of content analysis. The conception of content has evolved from an inherent property of text, through a property of text authors, to the modern perspective that content is always analyzed from a particular perspective in a specific context. Psychologists will recognize parallels with the evolution of the validity concept. Six case studies from the research literature are effective illustrations of the author's perspective.

Chapter 3 presents recommendations about the research questions that content analysis is...