Questions for Analytic Dialog
Examples to support exploration, comparison, critical examination, and synthesis.
Find a starting point
AI opens up new ways of working with qualitative data. Analytic Dialog invites you to explore your material by asking questions and following up on what you find. As this way of working becomes part of your research practice, the examples below offer starting points for different kinds of analysis.
Open a category to find suggested questions or requests, an explanation of what each is useful for, and an example. Adapt the wording to your own research context.
Descriptive explorationDescribe what is in your data11 questions
| Question or request | Purpose | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Broad exploration How do participants describe [experience or topic]? | Establish what the material contains concerning a selected topic | How do patients describe the experience of waiting for a diagnosis? |
| Focused description What aspects of [topic] do participants discuss? | Explore a particular aspect of a topic | What kinds of uncertainty do participants describe during career transition? |
| Circumstances and context Under what circumstances does [experience or action] occur? | Examine the situations in which an experience or action occurs | Under what circumstances do teachers seek support when introducing a new curriculum? |
| Actions and responses What do participants report doing in response to [situation]? | Establish what participants report doing | What steps do participants take when their future career direction is uncertain? |
| Variation within a topic In what different ways is [phenomenon] experienced or expressed? | Identify different forms or expressions of a phenomenon | In what different ways do residents experience changes in their neighborhood? |
| Descriptive comparison What similarities and differences appear across accounts of [topic]? | Establish similarities and differences across accounts | What similarities and differences appear in how participants describe their career transitions? |
| Source clarification Which source passages support or qualify [observation]? | Examine the empirical basis of a particular observation | Which passages support the observation that volunteers feel responsible for keeping the service running? |
| Finding the unexpected What is unexpected in these accounts relative to [stated expectation]? | Notice observations that challenge an expectation without treating AI-generated expectations as evidence. | Given our expectation that flexible hours would help caregivers, which accounts describe difficulties instead? |
| Identifying gaps What is missing or insufficiently represented in the material for answering [research question]? | Identify limits of the available material and possible needs for further data collection. | Whose experience is missing from our account of access to community services? |
| Clarifying ambiguity What different readings are possible for [passage], and what context supports each? | Keep uncertainty visible and investigate ambiguous material. | When a participant calls a career move “a relief”, could this refer to escaping the old role, starting the new one, or both? |
| Considering context How might [contextual condition] help us understand variation in these accounts? | Relate accounts to relevant contextual information without assuming a causal explanation. | How might contract security help explain differences in how teachers respond to the reform? |
Comparison and conceptual inquiryCompare cases and explore possible explanations7 questions
| Question or request | Purpose | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Focused comparison How do [case or group A] and [case or group B] differ in relation to [topic]? | Examine a particular difference or similarity | How do participants who changed careers voluntarily differ from those facing an involuntary transition? |
| Relationships How are [experience or action A] and [experience or action B] related in these accounts? | Investigate connections between experiences or actions | How is trust in a care team related to patients’ willingness to raise concerns? |
| Conditions Under what conditions does [process or experience] occur, and when is it absent? | Explore the circumstances under which a phenomenon occurs | When does experimenting with alternative careers appear to increase confidence, and when does it not? |
| Processes and development How does [experience, action or understanding] develop over time? | Examine how experiences or actions unfold over time | How does teachers’ understanding of their professional role develop during the first year of a reform? |
| Consequences What follows from [action or experience], according to the material? | Investigate what follows from particular actions or experiences | How do unsuccessful attempts to explore career options influence subsequent decisions? |
| Conceptual interpretation Could [proposed concept or explanation] help us understand [observed pattern]? | Develop a possible explanation that extends beyond description | Could informal recognition help explain why some volunteers remain involved despite frustration? |
| Theoretical connections How does [existing concept or theory] illuminate these accounts, and where does it fit poorly? | Examine the relevance of existing concepts or explanations | How might the accounts relate to identity work, and where does that concept fail to capture participants’ experiences? |
Critical examinationChallenge and refine interpretations6 questions
| Question or request | Purpose | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Challenging an interpretation Does [emerging interpretation] hold across the relevant cases? Where does it need qualification? | Critically examine an emerging explanation | Does the interpretation that practical experimentation increases confidence hold across all participants? |
| Searching for contradictory evidence Which accounts contradict or complicate [claim]? | Identify observations that may weaken or qualify a claim | Which patient accounts contradict the suggestion that more information always reduces uncertainty? |
| Alternative explanations What alternative explanations could account for [observation]? | Consider other interpretations of the same observations | Could career exploration be understood as coping with uncertainty rather than developing a definite direction? |
| Reflexive questioning Which assumptions might be shaping my interpretation of [topic]? | Surface assumptions underlying the researcher's interpretation | What assumptions about a successful lesson might shape my reading of these classroom accounts? |
| Perspective-based challenge How might someone in [contrasting position] challenge my interpretation? What might I have overlooked? | Provoke alternative interpretations by adopting a deliberately contrasting perspective | Challenge my interpretation that career experimentation restores agency from the perspective of someone facing substantial financial risk. |
| Refining a proposition Under what conditions does [proposed relationship] hold, and when does it change? | Develop a more differentiated explanation | When does peer support help new staff feel secure, and when does it reinforce pressure to conform? |
Synthesis within a topic-focused dialogBring findings together within one dialog8 questions
| Question or request | Purpose | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Topic summary What have we learned about [topic] in this conversation? Within a conversation | Consolidate the main findings of a topic-focused conversation | What have we learned about how participants experience prolonged uncertainty during career transition? |
| Case summary Bring together what we have learned about [case] in relation to [topic]. Within a conversation | Bring together the findings concerning an individual participant | Summarize how one patient, Samira, experiences and navigates communication with the care team. |
| Main issues overview What are the main analytical observations, and what remains unresolved? Within a conversation | Identify the principal analytical observations emerging from the conversation | What are the main issues from our discussion of career uncertainty, and which remain unresolved? |
| Cross-case comparison Summarize the commonalities and differences across [selected cases]. Within a conversation | Summarize similarities and differences between participants | Summarize commonalities and differences in how the teachers respond to the reform. |
| Group comparison Compare the findings for [group A] and [group B] in a table. Within a conversation | Compare findings between selected groups of cases | Compare participants facing involuntary career disruption with those considering a self-directed transition. |
| Conceptual comparison How do [concept or process A] and [concept or process B] differ and overlap? Within a conversation | Bring together similarities and differences between concepts examined within the dialog | How do volunteers’ sense of obligation and sense of belonging differ, and where do they overlap? |
| Comparative table Create a table comparing [selected dimensions] across [cases]. Within a conversation | Organize findings across cases and analytical dimensions | For each career-transition participant, show sources of uncertainty, emotional responses and strategies for moving forward. |
| Visual synthesis Represent the relationships or process discussed here in a diagram. Within a conversation | Represent relationships, processes or patterns discussed in the conversation | Diagram how referral procedures, staff availability and informal support interact in access to care. |
Synthesis across conversations and topicsConnect findings across dialogs and topics7 questions
| Question or request | Purpose | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Connecting two topics How do the findings about [topic A] relate to those about [topic B]? Across conversations | Examine relationships between findings from separate conversations | How do findings about career uncertainty relate to those about practical experimentation? |
| Integrating related topics What connections emerge across [several analytical topics]? Across conversations | Develop an understanding of connections between several analytical areas | What connections emerge between teachers’ workload, professional autonomy and willingness to seek support? |
| Cross-topic comparison Which processes or tensions recur across topics, and how do they vary by context? Across conversations | Identify common processes, differences or tensions across topics | Which processes recur across the career-transition topics, and how do their roles differ by circumstance? |
| Higher-level conceptual synthesis What broader explanation can we develop from the findings across these conversations? Across conversations | Develop a broader explanatory account from findings across conversations | How can the findings across the care-related conversations explain variation in patients’ sense of being heard? |
| Cross-topic case synthesis Bring together the findings about [case] from the selected topic conversations. Across conversations | Integrate findings about an individual participant from several topic-focused conversations | Bring together what we learned about David across the conversations on career uncertainty, experimentation and identity. |
| Integrative overview table Create a matrix showing how [topics] are expressed across [cases] and how they relate. Across conversations | Organize findings from multiple conversations into a shared analytical representation | Create a matrix of neighborhood belonging, service access and local participation across the residents’ accounts. |
| Integrative visualisation Map the relationships between the main concepts developed across these conversations. Across conversations | Represent relationships between topics and emerging conceptual processes | Map how uncertainty, experimentation, identity reconstruction and social support interact during career transition. |