Selective Coding
Selective coding is the third and final analytic phase of grounded theory, in which the researcher systematically identifies one central or core category that integrates all other major categories developed during open and axial coding. The outcome is a coherent, data-grounded substantive theory that explains the main social process or phenomenon under study. First formalized by Glaser and Strauss (1967) and later elaborated by Strauss and Corbin (1990) and Kathy Charmaz (2006), selective coding transforms fragmented mid-level categories into a unified theoretical account.
Source record
Citations copied verbatim from the method’s source record. No claim-level verification is inferred from them.
- Strauss, A., & Corbin, J. (1990). Basics of Qualitative Research: Grounded Theory Procedures and Techniques. Sage. · ISBN 978-0803932975
- Charmaz, K. (2006). Constructing Grounded Theory: A Practical Guide Through Qualitative Analysis. Sage. · ISBN 978-0761973522
Curated claims
Claims persisted in the evidence ledger, each with its own assessment.
This view does not invent a claim assessment when the ledger has none.
Related methods
Generated from the method graph and shown as machine-suggested relations — no evidence claim is inferred.