Hiding in plain sight. A qualitative, text-based method for the analysis of websites

Authors

Keywords:

tools, methodologies, qualitative data, websites, discourse analysis

Abstract

This contribution develops a novel qualitative, text-based method for the analysis of websites. The texts of websites represent a huge resource for research that is rarely used in international development and is only very sparsely used in other fields. This method aims to make the most of the fact that websites provide a huge amount of ‘authentic’, unique, up-to-date, peer reviewed, topical data. Some of the challenges and opportunities of using the texts of websites for textual analysis in research are outlined, followed by a draft protocol for documenting individual pages which overcomes many of these challenges, making websites more accessible for qualitative research and, in particular, for critical discourse analysis. This method is based on a previous article which piloted a method to anaylse the text of websites using critical discourse analysis (Cummings et al, 2025a). This method can also be employed more widely as a way to document websites which might be under threat of neglect and destruction.

Author Biographies

Bruce Boyes, RealKM Magazine Cooperative, Australia

Bruce Boyes is editor, lead writer, and a director of the award-winning RealKM Magazine. He holds a Master of Environmental Management with Distinction, and his work in cross-domain knowledge integration and knowledge co-creation for sustainable development is highly regarded. His expertise and experience include knowledge management (KM), environmental management, project management, stakeholder engagement, teaching and training, communications, research, and writing and editing. Through RealKM Magazine, Bruce has been very active in advancing the decolonization of knowledge and KM. An impetus for this has been eight years of living and working in China, where he became acutely aware of the extent to which the global knowledge base is biased against the global South, including learning about Chinese KM approaches that offer advantages over dominant Euro-American approaches. 

Nyamwaya Munthali, University of Zambia, Lusaka, Zambia

Nyamwaya Munthali holds a PhD in Development Studies from Wageningen University and a PgD in Teaching Methodology from the University of Lusaka. She lectures in Communication and Development at the University of Zambia and previously served at Cavendish University as Acting Head of Department and member of the PhD and Publications Board. Her research explores digital communication, technological innovation, and the decolonisation of knowledge. She sits on the editorial board of the Knowledge Management for Development Journal and has over eight years’ experience in Zambia’s agriculture sector, focusing on mobile innovation, livelihoods, enterprise development, and project management.

Rocio Sanz

Rocio Sanz is a Senior Knowledge Broker and Consultant with a robust background in communication, learning, and knowledge management. For over 20 years, she has worked with UN agencies—including UNICEF, IOM, IFAD or UNDP—as well as non-governmental organizations and governments, serving, mentoring, and coaching organizations, teams, and individuals. She specializes in strengthening knowledge strategies, intelligence, and frameworks for development, with a particular focus on knowledge transfer and retention. Rocio excels in capacity building and in designing customized, innovative tools for effective knowledge sharing and generation. Her expertise extends to working with communities and networks, fostering collaboration, learning, and the exchange of tacit knowledge. She holds a Master of Science in Information Architecture and Knowledge Management from Kent State University (USA), a Master of Arts in Communications and International Relations from Complutense University (Spain), and she is currently a PhD candidate focusing on knowledge retention by the Knowledge, Technology and Innovation (KTI) of Wageningen University and Research (WUR) in the Netherlands. As a core member of KM4Dev, she also serves as a Senior Editor for the Knowledge Management for Development Journal.

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Published

2026-05-26

Issue

Vol. 19 No. 1 (2026)

Section

Tools and Methods

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Copyright (c) 2026 Sarah Cummings, Bruce Boyes, Nyamwaya Munthali, Rocio Sanz

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The copyright of the articles published in this journal remains the property of the authors. For liability reasons, the title belongs to the Foundation for the Support of the Knowledge Management for Development Journal. The journal is published under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial Share Alike License. This journal is currently an open access journal as it has a funding model that does not charge readers or their institutions for access. From the BOAI definition [1] of "open access", we support the rights of users to "read, download, copy, distribute, print, search, or link to the full texts of these articles." However, some of the content (2009-2012) is only available on the Taylor and Francis website. Within the next few months, this issue too will become available on the OJS. [1] http://www.earlham.edu/~peters/fos/boaifaq.htm#openaccess

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