Paragraph or line numbers? Tips for citation in computer-assisted qualitative analysis
Regardless of whether you use paragraph or line numbers, numbering a text helps in two ways. On the one hand, this makes it possible to clearly cite references in the results report. This allows you to document your own results transparently.
On the other hand, numbering also helps with communication about the text if you are working in a team: “Look at paragraph 5, that’s exciting …”.
Roughly speaking, paragraph numbering is often used for content analysis work, while reconstructive methods tend to use line numbering.
Precision vs. unambiguity
Line numbers have the advantage that they are much more precise. This is why they are often used in procedures that analyze at word level. The use of paragraph numbers has arisen in connection with computer-aided analysis. However, lines are wrapped differently depending on the screen size. So if you look at the transcript on screens of different sizes, the entire text shifts and so does the numbering. If you were to technically prevent wrapping, there might be long lines that are not fully displayed on some screens.
Numbering paragraph numbers avoids this problem, as paragraphs always remain unique regardless of the line break. This makes the paragraph number a little less precise, but when working on computers it is essential for a reliable source citation.
QDA software
When using analysis software such as f4analyse, it is common to work with paragraph numbers. These are automatically inserted by the programs and do not have to be included in the transcript.
For long narrative interviews or passages, however, paragraphs should be inserted manually in the transcript. Otherwise citations become very difficult to follow.
Paragraph numbers in Word
You can also create paragraph numbers in Word. Simply select the entire interview and then click on the numbering symbol. The appropriate sales figures will appear as a numbering system.
Line numbers can also be added later in Word. In Word, select the desired line number format in the “Layout” menu command (at least until Microsoft sorts the option somewhere else again …).
