Writing an annotation schema for qualitative research involves translating your research aims and theoretical concepts into a clear, structured system for labelling and interpreting data. The process combines conceptual thinking, practical design, and iterative refinement to ensure that annotations are both meaningful and reliable. The following stages outline how to write one effectively: 1. Define your research purpose and scope 2. Ground the schema in theory 3. Identify an

An annotation schema for qualitative research is a structured framework that sets out how researchers label, categorise, and interpret data such as text, audio, video, or images. Its purpose is to ensure that human annotations—whether thematic codes, discourse features, or behavioural observations—are systematic, interpretable, and reproducible across annotators and research contexts. A well-designed annotation schema begins with a clear conceptual framework that defines the

The Methodological Framework for Analysing Hostile Narratives The Differing Positions of Hate Speech Detection and Hostile Narrative Analysis Hate speech research generally adopts a victim-focused perspective, assessing harm through the eyes of those targeted by speech. While this approach rightly centres on protecting individuals and communities from abuse, it is also highly subjective: what one person experiences as harmful, another might interpret as satire, irony, or even

Hostile narrative analysis seeks to detect and explain how texts legitimise violence through the narratives people tell themselves. It is a human-centric approach that uses natural language processing (NLP) combined with a rigorous theoretical foundation in Peace Studies. It uses Johan Galtung’s theory of cultural violence by measuring a “Self–Other gradient”: the discursive process by which a speaker elevates the ingroup (“Self”) while debasing or devaluing an outgroup (“Oth