Análisis de contenido

Análisis de español (Inglés: content analysis) es una metodología de las disciplinas sociales y de la bibliometría que se enfoca al estudio de los contenidos de la comunicación. Earl Babbie la define como "el estudio de las comunicaciones humanas materializadas tales como los libros, los sitios web, las pinturas y las leyes".

El análisis de contenido parte del principio de que examinando textos es posible conocer no sólo su significado, sino información al respecto de su modo de producción. Es decir, trata los textos no sólo como signos dotados de un significado conocido por su emisor, sino como indicios que dicen sobre ese mismo emisor, o generalizando, indicios sobre el modo de producción de un texto.

El análisis de contenido no es una teoría, sólo un conjunto de técnicas, por lo que es imprescindible que la técnica concreta utilice una teoría que de sentido al modo de análisis y a los resultados.

Como una evolución del análisis de contenido surgió el Análisis del Discurso. Se tiende a considerar que el Análisis de Contenido usa técnicas cuantitativas y el Análisis del Discurso técnicas cualitativas, si bien la diferencia actual es que las técnicas de Análisis de Contenido se aplican con el auxilio informático llegando a estar automatizadas, mientras que las técnicas de Análisis del Discurso requieren de la actuación del analista por ser más interpretativas.

Referencias

• Earl Babbie, 'The Practice of Social Research', 10th edition, Wadsworth, Thomson Learning Inc., ISBN 0-534-62029-9

• Bernard Berelson: Content Analysis in Communication Research. Glencoe, Ill: Free Press 1971 (first edition from 1952)

• Ian Budge, Hans-Dieter Klingemann et.al.: Mapping Policy Preferences. Estimates for Parties, Electors and Governments 1945-1998. Oxford 2001: Oxford University Press, ISBN 0-19-924400-6 (great example of application of content analysis methods in Political Science dealing with political parties and its impact on electoral systems)

• Richard Frisbie: The use of microcomputer programs to improve the reliability and validity of content analysis in evaluation. Paper presented at the session, Qualitative research methods, at the Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association, San Francisco. 1986, April

• Ole R. Holsti: Content Analysis for the Social Sciences and Humanities. Reading, Mass. 1969

• Klaus Krippendorf: Content Analysis: An Introduction to Its Methodology. 2nd edition, Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage 2004 (currently the most important book available, first edition was from 1980)

• Dermot McKeone: Measuring Your Media Profile, Gower Press, 1995 A general introduction to media analysis and PR evaluation for the communications industry

• Neuendorf, Kimberly A. The Content Analysis Guidebook (2002)

• Carl W. Roberts (ed.): Text Analysis for the Social Sciences: Methods for Drawing Inferences from Texts and Transcripts. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum 1997

• Robert Philip Weber: Basic Content Analysis. 2nd ed., Newbury Park, CA: Sage 1990 (recommended introductory reading)

• Roger D. Wimmer and Joseph R. Dominick Mass Media Research: An Introduction. 8th ed. (Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, 2005).

Véase también

• Bibliometría
• Análisis de citas

Enlaces externos

• http://www.amecorg.com/ AMEC, The Association for Measurement and Evaluation of Communication, is the global trade body and professional institute for companies and individuals involved in research, measurement and evaluation in editorial media coverage and related communications issues. AMEC also provides an online college at http://www.ameccollege.com providing training and certification in content analysis techniques.
• http://www.car.ua.edu/ (a web resource on content analysis, with reading list of important publications, list of available software solutions and a mailing list for subscription)
• http://www.apb.cwc.net/homepage.htm (HAMLET software implementing routines of Multidimensional Scaling for comparison of similarities/proximities in textual data)
• http://www.metrica.net/ An international media content analysis agency with research into the adoption of content analysis amongst leading organisations going back to 1998. Also information and white papers on techniques and the importance of content analysis and PR measurement.
• On-line Content Analysis Tool
• http://ascweb.usc.edu/ (the Annenberg School of Communications, Los Angeles in the United States)
• http://www.essex.ac.uk/methods (the "Essex Summer School for Data Analysis and Data Collection", United Kingdom offers university-level education in social science methodology including content analysis methods).
• http://www.impact-media.co.uk Contains a general introduction to media analysis and media profile measurement including an outline of the differences between open and prescriptive analysis
• The "Ultimate Research Assistant" - an online content analysis tool.
• http://www.mediaevaluation.eu Media Evaluation Research has published a White Paper which deals with aspects of media content analysis including its history, application and limitations.
• http://www.cormex.com Cormex: A Canadian media content measurement and analysis company.