Computer Assisted Qualitative Data Analysis Software
Encyclopedia
Computer Assisted/Aided Qualitative Data AnalysiS (CAQDAS) is the use of computer software to aid qualitative research
such as transcription
analysis, coding and text interpretation, recursive abstraction, content analysis
, discourse analysis
, grounded theory methodology
, etc.
, marketing research
, ethnography
, and other social sciences
. The CAQDAS Networking project lists the following tools. A CAQDAS program should have:
Qualitative research
Qualitative research is a method of inquiry employed in many different academic disciplines, traditionally in the social sciences, but also in market research and further contexts. Qualitative researchers aim to gather an in-depth understanding of human behavior and the reasons that govern such...
such as transcription
Transcription (genetics)
Transcription is the process of creating a complementary RNA copy of a sequence of DNA. Both RNA and DNA are nucleic acids, which use base pairs of nucleotides as a complementary language that can be converted back and forth from DNA to RNA by the action of the correct enzymes...
analysis, coding and text interpretation, recursive abstraction, content analysis
Content analysis
Content analysis or textual analysis is a methodology in the social sciences for studying the content of communication. Earl Babbie defines it as "the study of recorded human communications, such as books, websites, paintings and laws."According to Dr...
, discourse analysis
Discourse analysis
Discourse analysis , or discourse studies, is a general term for a number of approaches to analyzing written, spoken, signed language use or any significant semiotic event....
, grounded theory methodology
Grounded theory
Grounded theory is a systematic methodology in the social sciences involving the generation of theory from data. It is mainly used in qualitative research, but is also applicable to quantitative data....
, etc.
Definition
CAQDAS is used in psychologyPsychology
Psychology is the study of the mind and behavior. Its immediate goal is to understand individuals and groups by both establishing general principles and researching specific cases. For many, the ultimate goal of psychology is to benefit society...
, marketing research
Marketing research
Marketing research is "the function that links the consumer, customer, and public to the marketer through information — information used to identify and define marketing opportunities and problems; generate, refine, and evaluate marketing actions; monitor marketing performance; and improve...
, ethnography
Ethnography
Ethnography is a qualitative method aimed to learn and understand cultural phenomena which reflect the knowledge and system of meanings guiding the life of a cultural group...
, and other social sciences
Social sciences
Social science is the field of study concerned with society. "Social science" is commonly used as an umbrella term to refer to a plurality of fields outside of the natural sciences usually exclusive of the administrative or managerial sciences...
. The CAQDAS Networking project lists the following tools. A CAQDAS program should have:
- Content searching tools
- Coding tools
- Linking tools
- Mapping or networking tools
- Query tools
- Writing and annotationAnnotationAn annotation is a note that is made while reading any form of text. This may be as simple as underlining or highlighting passages.Annotated bibliographies give descriptions about how each source is useful to an author in constructing a paper or argument...
tools
Free / open source software for CAQDAS
- Coding Analysis ToolkitCoding Analysis ToolkitCAT or Coding Analysis Toolkit is a web-based suite of CAQDAS tools. It is free and open source software, and is developed by the Qualitative Data Analysis Program of the University of Pittsburgh...
(CAT) - RQDARQDARQDA is an R package for computer assisted qualitative data analysis or CAQDAS. It is installable from, and runs within, the R system, but has a separate window running a graphical user interface ....
- CompendiumCompendium (software)Compendium is a computer program and social science tool that facilitates the mapping and management of ideas and arguments. The software provides a visual environment that allows people to structure and record collaboration as they work through "wicked problems". The software is currently released...
- TransanaTransanaTransana is a software package used to analyze digital video or audio data. Although GPL licenced software, program development since version 2.0 has been supported through license purchase.-Features:...
(GPL licence - Supported through license purchase) - Weft QDA
Proprietary software for CAQDAS
- A.nnotateA.nnotateA.nnotate is a web service for storing and annotating documents. Documents are either uploaded by the user or fetched from a web address supplied by the user. Uploads are accepted as PDF, Microsoft Word, office formats supported by OpenOffice and common image formats. When a URL of a web page is...
- AquadAquadAquad is a proprietary Computer assisted qualitative data analysis software that supports content analysis of open data in qualitative research in psychology, education, sociology, philosophy, medicine, ethnography, politics,etc...
- Atlas.tiAtlas.tiATLAS.ti is a computer software program used mostly, but not exclusively, in qualitative research or qualitative data analysis.-Development history:...
- HyperRESEARCHHyperRESEARCHHyperRESEARCH is a computer software program used for conducting qualitative research or qualitative data analysis.-Description:HyperRESEARCH enables coding and retrieval of source material, theory building, and analyses of your data. With its multimedia capabilities, HyperRESEARCH allows you to...
- MAXQDAMAXQDAMAXQDA is a software program designed for computer-assisted qualitative data, text and multimedia analysis in academic, scientific, and business institutions. It it is the successor of , which was first made available in 1989....
- NVivoNVivoNVivo is a qualitative data analysis computer software package produced by QSR International. It has been designed for qualitative researchers working with very rich text-based and/or multimedia information, where deep levels of analysis on small or large volumes of data are required.NVivo is...
- XSightXSightXSight is computer software developed by QSR International for qualitative data analysis . It is a tool that aids researchers or individuals who are undertaking short term qualitative research analysis on projects involving non-numerical data...
- QiqqaQiqqaQiqqa is freeware and freemium reference management software that allows researchers to work with thousands of PDFs. It combines PDF reference management tools, a citation manager and a mind map brainstorming tool. It integrates with Microsoft Word XP, 2003, 2007 and 2010 and BibTeX/LaTeX to...
Web-Based CAQDAS software
- DedooseDedooseDedoose is a Web Based Qualitative Analysis application and Mixed Methods research tool developed by professors from UCLA, and is the successor to EthnoNotes....
- Coding Analysis ToolkitCoding Analysis ToolkitCAT or Coding Analysis Toolkit is a web-based suite of CAQDAS tools. It is free and open source software, and is developed by the Qualitative Data Analysis Program of the University of Pittsburgh...
(CAT) - knowdoo (Knowledge organization tool based on Wordpress, can also be used for QDA)
Pros and cons
Such software offers an efficient means through which to manage and organize data while supporting rigorous data analysis. The advantages of using this software include being freed from manual and clerical tasks, saving precious time, managing huge amounts of qualitative data, having increased flexibility, and having improved validity and auditability of qualitative research. Concerns include increasingly deterministic and rigid processes, privileging of coding, and retrieval methods; reification of data, increased pressure on researchers to focus on volume and breadth rather than on depth and meaning, time and energy spent learning to use computer packages, increased commercialism, and distraction from the real work of analysis.See also
- Qualitative economicsQualitative economicsQualitative economics refers to representation and analysis of information about the direction of change in some economic variable as related to change of some other economic variable...
- Quantitative researchQuantitative researchIn the social sciences, quantitative research refers to the systematic empirical investigation of social phenomena via statistical, mathematical or computational techniques. The objective of quantitative research is to develop and employ mathematical models, theories and/or hypotheses pertaining to...
- Qualitative marketing researchQualitative marketing researchQualitative marketing research is a set of research techniques, used in marketing and the social sciences, in which data is obtained from a relatively small group of respondents and not analyzed with inferential statistics...
- Qualitative psychological researchQualitative psychological researchIn psychology, qualitative research has come to be defined as research whose findings are not arrived at by statistical or other quantitative procedures. Qualitative research is often said to be naturalistic. That is, its goal is to understand behaviour in a natural setting...
- Sampling (case studies)
- SensemakingSensemakingSensemaking is the process by which people give meaning to experience. While this process has been studied by other disciplines under other names for centuries, the term "sensemaking" has primarily marked three distinct but related research areas since the 1970s: Sensemaking was introduced to...