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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Continue to: How to Use Blind Mode in Rayyan
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