Using Rayyan for Thematic Analysis – Rayyan Help Center

Rayyan's keyword search, bulk labelling, and filter features make it well-suited for coding studies thematically. The core workflow uses keywords to create indices of related studies, then uses labels to assign thematic codes — allowing references to belong to multiple themes simultaneously.

This approach is particularly useful for literature reviews, scoping reviews, or any project that requires organizing a body of references into conceptual categories rather than screening for inclusion or exclusion.

Note In thematic analysis workflows, screening decisions (Include, Exclude, Maybe) are less central — the primary tools are keywords and labels. You can leave decisions as Undecided if inclusion or exclusion is not part of your research question.

Step 1 — Turn off Blind Mode

If you are working with a team and do not require independent coding, turn Blind Mode off. This allows all team members to see each other's labels and keywords in real time, which is typically preferred in collaborative thematic analysis.

Best practice If your protocol requires independent coding before comparison, keep Blind Mode on during the initial coding phase and turn it off when you are ready to compare and reconcile themes across reviewers.

Step 2 — Enter your keywords

Keywords in Rayyan act as search indices — each keyword highlights and groups references that contain that term. This is the foundation of the thematic coding workflow.

Go to the Screening page and open the Filters panel.
Find the Keywords for Inclusion facet in the workbench.
Enter the keywords or phrases that correspond to each theme you want to code. Keywords include individual terms as well as multi-word phrases.
If there are existing keywords from a previous stage, delete any irrelevant ones to start with a clean set.

Note Each keyword creates a separate index in the Keywords facet. You can select one or more keyword indices to filter references that contain those terms — which then allows you to apply labels in bulk.

Step 3 — Define and document your thematic codes

Before applying labels, decide how your keywords map to thematic codes. A single thematic code may cover multiple related keywords. Document your codes in the review's Overview page using the Description field. This creates a shared reference point for your team and ensures consistency across coders.

Best practice Use a clear naming convention for your labels. For example, prefix theme labels with "Theme:" (e.g., Theme: No Poverty, Theme: Climate Action) to distinguish them from keyword-based codes. This makes filtering by theme much easier later.

Step 4 — Apply labels using Bulk Actions

Once your keywords and codes are defined, use Bulk Actions to assign labels to all references matching each keyword index:

In the Keywords facet, select the keyword indices that correspond to a single thematic code.
Click Bulk Actions in the toolbar and select Select All.
Choose Assign Label and select or create the label for that theme.
Repeat for each thematic code.

Example: Keywords relating to poverty selected, then Bulk Actions used to assign the label "Theme: No Poverty" to all matching references.

Note A single reference can receive multiple labels — this allows overlap between themes, which is expected and appropriate in thematic analysis.

Common issue A label must be assigned to at least one reference to appear as an option in the Labels facet. If a theme label is not showing up in the filter, check whether it has been assigned to any references yet.

Step 5 — Filter and organize by theme

Once labels are assigned, use the Labels facet in the Filters panel to filter references by theme. You can select one or more labels to view all references belonging to a specific theme or combination of themes.

You can also build a two-tier coding structure — use the prefix "Code:" for keyword-level codes and "Theme:" for higher-level groupings. This lets you filter and organize at both levels independently within Rayyan.

Step 6 — Copy or export by theme

Once your references are coded by theme, you have two options for working with the results outside Rayyan:

Copy to a new review — filter by a specific label and use the Copy References feature to create a separate review for each theme.
Export to CSV — export the full review with labels included. Open the CSV in Excel or Google Sheets to filter and analyse references by theme using the labels column.

Best practice Export to CSV for the most flexible analysis — you can filter by multiple labels simultaneously in a spreadsheet, which is difficult to replicate within Rayyan's interface alone.

Continue to: How to Use Blind Mode in Rayyan

Stage complete

Category 4 — Screening Your References

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