The dataset is the outcome of a content analysis of newspaper articles (n=275) published by Dundee-based newspapers The Courier and Evening Telegraph during the run-up to the 2014 Scottish Independence Referendum (from the launch of the White Paper on 26/11/2013 to the referendum on 18/09/2014). The purpose of the study was to explore issue-specific valence frames within the articles. To that end, the content analysis focussed on two key attributes: first, the dominant theme of the article; and second, the valence (bias) towards Scottish independence (operationalised as the combination of tone and leaning).

The data were obtained through a content analysis of newspaper articles (n=275). The text material was coded for a number of structural and substantive variables to identify the valence of the articles as well as the themes they cover. The population of this study is the sum of all newspaper articles discussing Scottish independence published by The Courier or Evening Telegraph between November 26, 2013 and September 18, 2014. This population was sampled into nine constructed news weeks (stratified sampling) resulting in a sample of 275 articles.