How Human Coding Is Used and Described

Human coding remains an important part of the data-generating process for many political scientists. Yet, we lack a systematic understanding of how researchers approach and describe the human coding process. I analyze published articles in major political science journals from 2010 to 2024 that mention human coders ( N = 258). While articles largely state some form of intercoder reliability measure, a substantial percentage of articles lack minimally descriptive information on coder qualifications and replicable coding procedures—components that, respectively, are a best practice and are important for ensuring research transparency. The results suggest that some researchers emphasize the product of human coding without fully addressing how human coding is used as a process. I conclude with suggestions for better describing human coders’ work.