How to apply grounded theory with ATLAS.ti

Who this article is for

This article is for researchers, students, instructors, and research teams who want to apply grounded theory in ATLAS.ti.

What is grounded theory?

Grounded theory is a qualitative research approach used to develop theory from data.

Instead of starting with a theory and testing it, grounded theory researchers begin with the data and look for concepts, actions, patterns, and relationships that emerge during analysis.

A grounded theory workflow often includes:

1. Collecting qualitative data
2. Open coding the data
3. Comparing data segments, codes, and categories
4. Writing memos throughout the process
5. Grouping codes into broader categories
6. Refining categories and subcodes
7. Identifying relationships between categories
8. Developing a theory grounded in the data

ATLAS.ti helps you keep this process organized by linking your documents, quotations, codes, memos, categories, and reports in one project.

Before you start

Before beginning grounded theory analysis in ATLAS.ti:

1. Create a clear research question or area of inquiry.
2. Add your qualitative data to a project.
3. Decide whether you will work alone or as a team.
4. Create a memo for your research question, assumptions, and early reflections.
5. Be prepared to revise your codes and categories as your understanding develops.

Grounded theory is iterative, so you will move back and forth between coding, comparing, memo writing, and refining categories.

Apply grounded theory in ATLAS.ti Web

Step 1: Create a project and add documents

1. Log in to ATLAS.ti Web.
2. Create a new project.
3. Open the Document Manager.
4. Click Add Documents.
5. Upload your transcripts, notes, open-ended survey responses, or other text-based documents.

Step 2: Start open coding

Open coding means reading the data closely and creating codes for important ideas, actions, processes, and meanings.

1. Open a document.
2. Highlight a relevant segment of text.
3. Use the coding window to find or create codes.
4. Create a short code name that captures the meaning of the segment.
5. Attach the code to the quotation.
6. Continue coding line by line or paragraph by paragraph.

Examples of grounded theory codes:

• seeking support
• feeling excluded
• adapting routines
• negotiating identity
• avoiding conflict
• changing expectations

Step 3: Review codes in the Code Manager

The Code Manager helps you view, edit, organize, and review codes.

1. Click the codes icon in the left-hand menu.
2. Review your list of codes.
3. Click a code to see the quotations connected to it.
4. Use the Details button to open the side panel for a code.
5. Edit the code name if needed.
6. Add a code comment to define what the code means.

Use code comments to write operational definitions. For example, explain when the code should be applied and when it should not be applied.

Step 4: Review quotations in the Quotation Manager

The Quotation Manager helps you review the data segments you have selected and coded.

Use it to:

• review all quotations in the project
• check quotations attached to a code
• compare similar quotations
• open quotations in their original document context
• refine coding decisions

For grounded theory, use the Quotation Manager during constant comparison. Compare quotations that use the same code and ask:

• Do these quotations describe the same concept?
• Should this code be split into more specific subcodes?
• Should two codes be merged?
• Does this quotation challenge the emerging category?

Step 5: Organize codes into categories and subcodes

As your analysis develops, some codes will become broader categories and others will become subcodes.

A code category works like a parent code. Subcodes sit under the category and represent more specific ideas.

Important: A code must have 0 quotations before it can be converted into a code category.

Option 1: Use drag and drop

1. Go to the Code Manager.
2. Create a new code with the name of your category.
3. Make sure the category code has 0 quotations.
4. Hover over the code you want to turn into a subcode.
5. Drag the code onto the category code.
6. Repeat this process for other related codes.

Option 2: Use Move codes

1. Go to the Code Manager.
2. Select one or more codes by ticking the boxes next to them.
3. Click the three dots in the black menu at the bottom of the screen.
4. Select Move codes.
5. Choose an existing category or create a new category.
6. Confirm the move.

After creating categories and subcodes, ATLAS.ti Web displays them in a hierarchy. You can open the drop-down arrow next to a category to see its subcodes.

Step 6: Use categories while coding

Once you have created categories and subcodes:

1. Open a document.
2. Highlight a relevant text segment.
3. Click in the Find or create codes search bar.
4. Search for a code or category.
5. Attach a subcode to the quotation.

ATLAS.ti Web displays subcodes with their category name and subcode name, for example:

Research gaps: methodological gap

You can also attach all subcodes in a category if that fits your analysis.

Step 7: Use AI Coding carefully if helpful

ATLAS.ti Web can organize AI Coding results into code categories and subcodes.

1. Open a document and select Tools > AI Coding, or go to the Document Manager, select multiple documents, and open AI Coding from the Tools button.
2. Start AI Coding.
3. Review the suggested categories, codes, and quotations.
4. Select the codes you want to apply.
5. Click Apply AI Coding.

AI Coding can help you explore possible themes, but grounded theory depends on your interpretation. Always review and refine AI-generated codes manually.

Step 8: Query categories and review patterns

Use code categories to zoom out and review broader concepts.

1. Go to the Code Manager.
2. Open the Details panel for a code category.
3. Review all quotations connected to its subcodes.
4. Open the results in the Quotation Manager if you want to review them together.

Use this step to compare quotations, refine category definitions, and decide whether a category is theoretically useful.

Step 9: Create views to organize grounded theory analysis

Views in ATLAS.ti Web help you save filtered sets of quotations, codes, and results so you can return to them later.

This is especially useful in grounded theory workflows when:

• comparing categories
• reviewing emerging themes
• tracking theoretical concepts
• revisiting quotations linked to a category
• organizing results from constant comparison

To create a view:

1. Open the Quotation Manager
2. Apply filters
3. Review the filtered results.
4. Click the Save as View option.
5. Enter a name for the view.
6. Save the view.

7. You can also access View section directly and create New View > Code document table/code co-occurrence and select the entity ( code/code group or document/document group)

Views can help organize different stages of your analysis, for example:

• early open coding
• focused categories
• contradictory cases
• emerging theoretical concepts
• quotations related to a core category

Apply grounded theory in ATLAS.ti Desktop (Windows and Mac)

ATLAS.ti desktop (Windows and Mac) is useful for grounded theory analysis when you want detailed coding, code management, quotation review, advanced analysis tools, networks, and reports.

Step 1: Create a project and add documents

1. Open ATLAS.ti Windows/Mac
2. Click New Project.
3. Name your project.
4. Add your data
   1. In ATLAS.ti Windows: Go to Add Document > Add File(s).
   2. In ATLAS.ti Mac: Go to Documents > Add Documents.
5. Add transcripts, field notes, documents, PDFs, or other qualitative data.

Step 2: Create quotations and open codes

1. Open a document.
2. Read the data closely.
3. Highlight a relevant text segment.
4. Right-click the highlighted text.
5. Select Apply Codes.
6. Type a new code name or select an existing code.
7. Press Enter or click the plus button to apply the code.

For grounded theory, keep early codes short and close to the data. You can rename, merge, split, or group them later.

Step 3: Use the Quotation Manager for constant comparison

The Quotation Manager is useful for retrieving and reviewing data by codes, writing comments, creating reports, and opening networks.

1. Open the Quotation Manager.
2. Use the code filter area on the left to show quotations linked to selected codes.
3. Single-click a quotation to review it.
4. Double-click a quotation to open it in the original document context.
5. Add comments to quotations if you want to record analytic notes.
6. Select multiple quotations if you want to apply codes, open a network, or create output.

Use this process for constant comparison. Compare quotations within the same code and across related codes.

Step 4: Use the Code Manager to refine codes

The Code Manager is where you can create, modify, organize, and review codes.

1. Open the Code Manager.
2. Review the list of codes.
3. Single-click a code to view its comment or definition.
4. Double-click a code to open linked quotations in the Quotation Reader.
5. Rename codes as your analysis develops.
6. Add code comments to define each code.
7. Use colors if you want to visually distinguish code families or categories.

In the Code Manager, groundedness shows how many quotations are linked to a code. Density shows how many links a code has to other codes.

Step 5: Create categories and subcodes

As concepts become clearer, group open codes into categories and subcodes.

Option 1: Create a category from a code with 0 quotations

1. Open the Code Manager.
2. Create a new code with the name of the category.
3. Make sure the new category code has 0 quotations.
4. Drag related codes under the category code.
5. Review the hierarchy in the Code Manager.

Option 2: Split an existing code into subcodes

Use this option when a code already has many quotations and you want to divide it into more specific concepts.

1. Select the code you want to split.
2. Right-click the code and select Split into Subcodes, or use the Split option in the ribbon.
3. Add labels for the new subcodes.
4. Review the quotations and assign them to the appropriate subcodes.
5. Confirm the split.

Use categories and subcodes to move from open coding toward focused, axial, or selective coding.

Step 6: Organize codes with folders if needed

Folders can help organize larger code systems.

1. Open the Code Manager.
2. Click New Folder in the ribbon.
3. Name the folder.
4. Drag independent codes or categories into the folder.

Use folders for broad topics that are too abstract to use as codes.

Step 7: Analyze relationships between codes

Use analysis tools to examine relationships and patterns.

Code co-occurrence

1. Find co-occurence tools
   1. In ATLAS.ti Windows: Go to the Analyze tab.
   2. In ATLAS.ti Mac: Go to Analysis
2. Open Code Co-occurrence.
3. Select codes or code groups.
4. Review which codes appear together.
5. Open quotations behind the results to interpret the relationship.

Code-document analysis

1. Find code document analysis
   1. In ATLAS.ti Windows: Go to the Analyze tab.
   2. In ATLAS.ti Mac: Go to Analysis
2. Select Code Document Analysis.
3. Choose the codes and documents or document groups you want to compare.
4. Review where categories appear across cases or participants.

Use these tools to support constant comparison and category development.

Step 8: Build networks for theory development

1. Go to Network > New Network.
2. Add categories, subcodes, quotations, and memos.
3. Link concepts that appear related.
4. Name relationships such as influences, leads to, is part of, contradicts, or depends on.
5. Use the network to sketch your emerging theory.

Step 9: Export reports

Use reports to review your developing theory and prepare writing.

1. Open the Code Manager or Quotation Manager.
2. Select the codes or quotations you want to report on.
3. Export as Excel or create a Word/PDF report.
4. Use reports to review evidence for each category.

Common issues and mistakes

• Creating too many disconnected codes
  • Grounded theory often starts with many codes, but these should be refined into clearer categories and subcodes over time.
• Using code groups as categories
  • Code groups are useful for filtering and organizing codes, but categories and subcodes are better for building a hierarchical code system.
• Turning a coded code into a category by mistake
  • In ATLAS.ti, a code must have 0 quotations before it can become a category. If the code already has quotations, review whether you should create a new category code or split the code into subcodes.
• Skipping constant comparison
  • Grounded theory depends on comparing quotations, codes, categories, and cases. Use the Quotation Manager, Code Manager, Code Co-occurrence, and Code-Document Analysis to keep comparing throughout the project.
• Forgetting to write code comments and memos
  • Use code comments for definitions and memos for broader analytic thinking. This makes your theory development easier to track.
• Relying entirely on AI Coding
  • AI tools can support exploration, but grounded theory requires researcher interpretation, reflexivity, and ongoing comparison.

When to contact support

Contact ATLAS.ti Support if:

• you cannot import documents
• codes, categories, or subcodes are not displaying as expected
• you cannot move codes into categories
• quotations do not appear in the Code Manager or Quotation Manager as expected
• reports or exports fail
• a feature behaves differently from the documentation

When contacting support, include:

• your platform: Windows, Mac, or Web
• your ATLAS.ti version if using Desktop
• screenshots or error messages
• a short description of your workflow
• whether you are working with codes, quotations, categories, subcodes, or reports