Computer-assisted qualitative data analysis software

Computer Assisted/Aided Qualitative Data Analysis Software (CAQDAS) offers tools that assist with qualitative research such as transcription analysis, coding and text interpretation, recursive abstraction, content analysis, discourse analysis, grounded theory methodology, etc.

Definition

CAQDAS is used in psychology, marketing research, ethnography, public health and other social sciences. The CAQDAS Networking project^[1] lists the following tools. A CAQDAS program should have:

• Content searching tools
• Coding tools
• Linking tools
• Mapping or networking tools
• Query tools
• Writing and annotation tools

Comparison of CAQDAS software

Application	Type	License	Source	Last Release	Analyses	OS Supported	Tools
Annotations[2]	Client	Proprietary	Closed	Sep 2014[3]	Text	OSX	Coding
Aquad	Client	Free - GPL		Feb 2012	Text	Win	Coding
ATLAS.ti	Client	Proprietary	Closed		Text	Win, OSX, iPad, Android	Coding, Aggregation, Query, Visualisation
Cassandre[4]	Client				Text	All (java-based)	Coding
Coding Analysis Toolkit (CAT)	Web-based	Free - GPL	Open		Text	All (web browser)	Coding
Compendium/CompendiumNG[5]	Client	Free - LGPL	Open	Feb 2014	Text	All (java-based)	Coding
Computer Aided Textual Markup & Analysis (CATMA)[6]	Client (up to version 3.2)	Free- GPL	Open	May 2011	Text	All (java-based)	Coding
Computer Aided Textual Markup & Analysis (CATMA)[7]	Web-based (since version 4)	Free - GPL v3	Open	Oct 2014	Text	All (web browser)
ConnectedText	Client	Proprietary	Closed	Feb 2015	Text	Win	Coding
Dedoose	Web-based	Proprietary	Closed			All (web browser)	Coding, Query, Visualisation
ELAN[8]	Client	Free - GPL	Open	10 July 2015	Video Audio	Win, OSX, Linux	Coding
f4analyse[9]	Client	Proprietary	Closed	Mar 2015	Text	Win, OSX, Linux, iPad, Android
FOCUSSON[10]	Web-based	Proprietary	Closed			All (web browser)
FreeQDA[11]	Client	Free- GPL	Open	Jul 2012	Text	All (java-based)	Coding
HyperRESEARCH	Client	Proprietary	Closed			Win, OSX
LibreQDA[12]	Web-based	Free - AGPL3	Open			All (web browser)
LibreQDA[13]	Client	Free- AGPL3	Open		Text	All	Coding
MAXQDA	Client	Proprietary	Closed	Sep 2015		Win, OSX	Coding, Aggregation, Query, Visualisation
NVivo	Client	Proprietary	Closed		Text	Win, OSX	Coding, Aggregation, Query, Visualisation
QCAmap[14]	Web-based					All (web browser)
QDA Miner	Client	Proprietary	Closed			Win
QDA Miner Lite	Client	Proprietary			Text	Win	Coding
Qiqqa	Client	Proprietary	Closed			Win, Android
Quirkos[15]	Client	Proprietary	Closed	Nov 2015	Text	Win, OSX, Linux,[16] Android	Coding, Query, Visualisation
Raven's Eye[17]	Web-based	Proprietary	Closed	June 2015	Text	All (web browser)	Coding, Aggregation, Query, Visualisation
RQDA	Client	Free- GPL	Open	Oct 2014	Text	Win, OSX, Linux	Coding, Aggregation, Query, Visualisation
Saturate[18]	Client	Proprietary	Closed
TAMS Analyzer,[19][20]	Client	GPL v2	Open	Jun 2015	Text	OSX	Coding
Transana	Client	GPL [21]	Open	Dec 2015 [22]	Video Audio Text	Win, OSX, Linux (partially)	Coding
Visão[23]	Client	Proprietary	Closed	Fall 2015	Text	Win	Coding, Aggregation, Query
webQDA[24]	Web-based					All (web browser)
XSight	Client	Proprietary	Closed			Win

Pros and cons

Such software helps to organize, manage and analyse information.^[25] The advantages of using this software include saving time, managing huge amounts of qualitative data, having increased flexibility, having improved validity and auditability of qualitative research, and being freed from manual and clerical tasks. 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.^[26]

See also

• Idea networking
• Computer Assisted Mixed Methods Research Analysis Software
• Multimethodology
• Qualitative economics
• Quantitative research
• Qualitative marketing research
• Qualitative psychological research
• Sampling (case studies)
• Sensemaking

References

1. "CAQDAS". Retrieved 28 November 2011.
2. "Annotations website". Retrieved 9 September 2015.
3. "Annotations website". Retrieved 22 June 2015.
4. "Cassandre website". Retrieved 9 September 2015.
5. "CompendiumNG website". Retrieved 11 September 2015.
6. "CATMA available versions". Retrieved 10 September 2015.
7. "CATMA available versions". Retrieved 10 September 2015.
8. "ELAN website". Retrieved 9 September 2015.
9. "f4analyse website". Retrieved 10 September 2015.
10. "FOCUSSON website". Retrieved 10 September 2015.
11. "FreeQDA download site". Retrieved 9 September 2015.
12. "LibreQDA website". Retrieved 11 September 2015.
13. "LibreQDA website". Retrieved 11 September 2015.
14. "QCAmap website". Retrieved 11 September 2015.
15. "Quirkos website". Retrieved 11 September 2015.
16. "Quirkos for Linux". Retrieved 11 September 2015.
17. "Raven's Eye website". Retrieved 8 October 2015.
18. "Saturate website". Retrieved 11 September 2015.
19. "TAMS Analyzer website". Retrieved 11 September 2015.
20. "TAMS Analyzer facebook blog". Retrieved 11 September 2015.
21. "Transana website". Retrieved 2 February 2016.
22. "Transana website". Retrieved 2 February 2016.
23. "Visão website". Retrieved 11 September 2015.
24. "webQDA website". Retrieved 10 September 2015.
25. Banner, DJ; Albarrran, JW (2009). "Computer-assisted qualitative data analysis software: a review.". Canadian Journal of Cardiovascular Nursing 19 (3): 24–31. PMID 19694114.
26. St John, W; Johnson, P (2000). "The pros and cons of data analysis software for qualitative research.". Journal of nursing scholarship : an official publication of Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing / Sigma Theta Tau 32 (4): 393–7. PMID 11140204.

External links

• The CAQDAS Networking Project maintained by University of Surrey offers advice and reviews on various software packages.
• Harald Klein's comprehensive guide to CAQDAS