Background Data management and analysis are crucial stages in research, particularly qualitative research, which accumulates large volumes of data. There are various approaches that can be used to manage and analyse qualitative data, the framework approach being one example widely used in nursing research.

Aims To consider the strengths and challenges of the framework approach and its application to practice. To help the novice researcher select an approach to thematic analysis.

Discussion This paper provides an account of one novice researcher’s experience of using the framework approach for thematic analysis. It begins with an explanation of the approach and why it was selected, followed by its application to practice using a worked example, and an account of the strengths and challenges of using this approach.

Conclusion The framework approach offers the researcher a systematic structure to manage, analyse and identify themes, enabling the development and maintenance of a transparent audit trail. It is particularly useful with large volumes of text and is suitable for use with different qualitative approaches.