Table 1.

Iterative stages of the framework method.

Stages	Description
Familiarization	The answers to the open-ended questions 3, 5, 6, and 7 of the survey were thoroughly read and reread by the researchers involved in the analysis. The researchers discussed among each other to clarify and better understand those answers that were less clear or confusing
Identifying a thematic framework	The researchers independently assigned a label to participants' answers (“coding,” see step 3) before meeting to develop the initial list of codes, i.e., the initial thematic framework. During these meetings, the researchers discussed why they coded a certain piece of text, i.e., why they perceived it to be meaningful. The thematic framework was further developed and refined during the subsequent stages
Coding	The coding was both guided by the structure of the regulatory science strategy (the Core Recommendations) and what was in the responses (“open coding”). The researchers coded the text using paper and pen, Microsoft Word, or Excel
Summarizing	Responses were summarized by question, by stakeholder group, and/or by recommendation in Microsoft Word. In the veterinary summaries and in some human ones, a limited number of responses necessitated their pooling across stakeholders to create a summary. Only themes identified by two or more responses could enter a summary, as otherwise it would not be a summary. In a stepwise manner, the researchers (i) drafted a summary for each question, stakeholder group, and/or Core Recommendation (ii) convened to discuss and reach consensus about these summaries
Mapping and interpretation	Using the summaries created in stage 4, the researchers searched for themes in the data. This process was guided by the survey questions (“deductively”) and a careful analysis of what was in the data (“inductively”). Interpretations were made by discussing and reviewing the summaries and by making associations within and across stakeholder groups. Whenever the data were rich enough, the interpretations generated in this stage went beyond the description of particular responses to the explanation of potential reasons or beliefs expressed by participants.