Create a Research Tag Taxonomy in Dovetail
Define tags around analytical distinctions your research needs, then test them on a small evidence sample. Custom project tags require the relevant plan capability; do not assume every workspace can create a new taxonomy.
Before you start: Custom project-tag creation requires Enterprise and a Manager or Contributor role. Have study questions and representative evidence, and include another researcher when testing the definitions.
Worked example: Separate permission uncertainty, invitation delivery and finding the invite action. A single onboarding tag may be too broad to inform the next product decision.
Step-by-step guide
Start from questions
List distinctions the study must preserve. Avoid creating tags merely because a word appears repeatedly.
Define each tag
Open Tags in the project and a tag board, then choose + New tag in the appropriate group. Write what belongs and what does not, with a short representative example. Keep adjacent meanings distinguishable.
Choose scope
Decide which definitions belong to this project and which need shared workspace stewardship. Do not make every exploratory code global.
Code a small sample
Apply the proposed taxonomy to representative and contradictory passages. Keep a temporary uncertain category rather than forcing a match.
Compare interpretations
Ask a second researcher to apply the definitions. Resolve disagreement by clarifying meaning, not by treating one person’s coding as automatically correct.
Publish the working taxonomy
Record ownership and changes. Revisit earlier coding when a definition changes materially so the synthesis remains coherent.
Common mistakes
Tags mirror solution requests
Preserve the underlying problem.
Too many overlapping codes
Researchers cannot apply them consistently.
Plan capability assumed
Verify custom-tag availability before designing the workflow.
Tips
Keep inclusion and exclusion examples short.
Use an uncertainty category during trial coding.
Assign an owner to shared definitions.
Sources and verification
Based on product documentation checked on 2026-10-24. This is a documentation-based guide, not a hands-on benchmark. Features and availability can change.