{"id":460,"date":"2012-07-25T13:16:32","date_gmt":"2012-07-25T20:16:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/tabithahart.net\/?p=460"},"modified":"2012-07-25T13:16:32","modified_gmt":"2012-07-25T20:16:32","slug":"choosing-software-for-qualitative-data-analysis-factors-to-consider","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tabithahart.net\/?p=460","title":{"rendered":"Choosing software for qualitative data analysis: Factors to consider"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>I am all in favor of using software programs to support qualitative data analysis (QDA) because such programs can help researchers to:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>manage (store, organize, sort through) large and complex data sets<\/li>\n<li>code and tag data more easily<\/li>\n<li>conduct rigorous searches on\/through the data set<\/li>\n<li>identify, make sense of, test and describe patterns in the data set.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>It&#8217;s important to note that even when using QDA software, the work of coding, analyzing, and testing the data still rests on the researcher. \u00a0That is, the QDA program doesn&#8217;t do the analysis &#8212; it simply facilitates the process.<\/p>\n<p>So you&#8217;ve decided to invest time, energy, and (perhaps) money into one of the <a href=\"http:\/\/tabithahart.net\/?p=70\" target=\"_blank\">dozens of QDA programs on the market<\/a>. \u00a0How do you go about choosing the best one for your needs?<\/p>\n<p>Some factors to consider are:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Compatibility with your hardware, i.e. can the software be used on a Mac? \u00a0On a PC?<\/li>\n<li>The type of data you want to analyze (video, audio, text, still images, maps) and whether or not the software supports it. \u00a0Note that some software packages are designed for certain types of data. \u00a0For example, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.transana.org\/\" target=\"_blank\">Transana<\/a> is specially built to do very close analysis of audio-video data while\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.atlasti.com\/uploads\/media\/newfeatures6_geo.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">Atlas.ti now supports GeoCoding of Google Earth maps<\/a>. \u00a0Not all QDA programs have these specialized features.<\/li>\n<li>Whether or not you need the program for transcription. \u00a0Some programs are built to let you transcribe <em>and<\/em> code data, but playback features can vary greatly in their sophistication.<\/li>\n<li>Your arrangements for data analysis. \u00a0Are you working by yourself or as part of a team? \u00a0If you&#8217;re part of a research team, do you have access to a shared server where the QDA program can be housed? \u00a0If not, how will you share data sets and updates with one another, and is the QDA program built to facilitate this? \u00a0One appealing idea for research teams (particularly those without a shared server) is a cloud-based tool like <a href=\"http:\/\/www.dedoose.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">Dedoose<\/a>, which makes collaborative coding and sharing a snap.<\/li>\n<li>Reporting and other output options. \u00a0What sort of reports, visuals, summaries, or other types of output do you need\/want, and does the software have the capacity to produce these?<\/li>\n<li>Cost. \u00a0Is there a flat one-time fee or will you have to pay a monthly\/yearly fee? \u00a0Are free trial versions available? \u00a0Are there discounts for students? \u00a0Better yet, is the software free?<\/li>\n<li>Usability. \u00a0What is the typical learning curve? \u00a0Can you successfully pick up and start using the QDA program within your time constraints? \u00a0What user support (customer service center, online forums, manuals) exists for the program?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Coming soon: comparing <a href=\"http:\/\/tamsys.sourceforge.net\/\" target=\"_blank\">TAMS Analyzer<\/a> and <a href=\"http:\/\/www.atlasti.com\/index.html\" target=\"_blank\">Atlas.ti<\/a> along these factors.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>I am all in favor of using software programs to support qualitative data analysis (QDA) because such programs can help researchers to: manage (store, organize, sort through) large and complex data sets code and tag data more easily conduct rigorous searches on\/through the data set identify, make sense of, test and describe patterns in the [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[3,12],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tabithahart.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/460"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tabithahart.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tabithahart.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tabithahart.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tabithahart.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=460"}],"version-history":[{"count":24,"href":"https:\/\/tabithahart.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/460\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":487,"href":"https:\/\/tabithahart.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/460\/revisions\/487"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tabithahart.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=460"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tabithahart.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=460"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tabithahart.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=460"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}