Ultimate Guide to CAQDAS

What is CAQDAS used for?  | Benefits | How does CAQDAS work? | Comparison to manual coding | Comparison to Word | Comparison to Excel | Considerations | Getting started with a CAQDAS tool

Many researchers use computer assisted qualitative data analysis software (caqdas) to help them with qualitative data analysis. Instead of analyzing data manually with pen and paper, you can use computer assisted software, which will either be an online web tool or desktop software, that aids you in your analysis process. 

Qualitative tools and caqdas software can help: 

• Display data in different ways, and show interrelationships between concepts

• Search for keywords or phrases across a dataset.

• Keep track of counts and frequencies of phenomenon 

• Make comparisons between attributes and demographics 

• Enable collaboration between teams that analyze the same dataset together.

• Increase rigor and reduce bias by keeping your analysis process organized so it can be reviewed later by yourself or a peer researcher

Qualitative data analysis tools do not analyze data for researchers, but instead act as aids to help researchers keep their data organized and make their analysis process more efficient. 

Qualitative data analysis tools are used for various qualitative methods across many sectors. They can be used to analyze any sort of qualitative data, such as transcripts from interviews and focus groups.

When are qualitative data analysis software and tools especially useful?

• Working with large and complex data sets

• Collaborating with a team 

• Comparing various attributes (for example, a study with data collected from different groups of participants, or data collected over time)

What sort of research can CAQDAS tools be used for?

Grounded theory

With grounded theory, you make comparisons between data excerpts and derive categories. CAQDAS software streamlines these comparisons, by allowing you to collate all quotes for a particular code, category, or theme. The ability to nest and organize codes are essential to the axial and selective phases of grounded theory. Learn more in our grounded theory article.

Thematic analysis

With thematic analysis, you derive patterns in your data by creating codes. Doing this with pen and paper would require you to cut and paste your quotes and spend time arranging them into piles. A CAQDAS tool would enable you to save time by automatically collating quotes as you code. The ability to quickly filter and compare between themes are essential to the thematic analysis process. Learn more in our thematic analysis article.

Qualitative content analysis

With content analysis, you start with a research framework and gather data to probe that framework. If you’re working with a team, you can use CAQDAS software’s codebook feature to ensure your team is abiding by the same framework. The codebook would help keep your themes and excerpts organized in an efficient way. Learn more about qualitative content analysis in our article.

Narrative analysis

With narrative analysis, you’re deriving narratives from your interviews and focus groups with people. When people speak, they naturally often weave in and out of narratives in conversations. With CAQDAS software, you can code excerpts of their stories so you can restructure them into a clean narrative. Learn more about narrative analysis here.

Learn more about qualitative methods here.

Download Free CAQDAS Guide PDF

Want to learn more about CAQDAS Tools? Submit your email to request our free PDF guide to CAQDAS tools.

What areas are qualitative data analysis tools used in?

CAQDAS software is used for a variety of uses across various industries.

Academic research

CAQDAS tools support students pursuing their dissertation and theses, instructors teaching qualitative methods, and researchers looking to publish their research analysis.

Government

CAQDAS tools enable people in government to better understand public opinion, and make evidence based decisions while improving policies and programs.

Commercial

CAQDAS tools empower product teams to better support customer needs, market research teams keep their brands competitive, and enable human resource teams to effectively improve their organizations.

Nonprofit

CAQDAS tools enable non-profits to drive effective change by enabling them to gather clear, data driven insights. CAQDAS helps with analyzing donor feedback or evaluating program evaluation results

Healthcare

CAQDAS tools enable researchers to better understand hospitals and health systems, as well as assist in medical clinical trials. You can analyze qualitative data to better understand patient sentiment or evaluate public health programs.

Try a free trial of a CAQDAS Tool

If you want to see how a CAQDAS Tool could help with your research, one of the best ways to is try it out with a free trial. The Delve qualitative data analysis tool is the highest rated CAQDAS Tool on the market. It’s easy to learn, and simple to use. Start a free trial here.

Saves you time so you can hit your deadlines

Tight deadlines can feel stressful. Time-saving features in qualitative data analysis software such as the abilities to search for phrases across a dataset, quickly collating all quotes that relate to a theme, or quickly see frequency of codes can save you time and allow you to hit deadlines. 

Makes analysis more manageable so you don’t feel stressed or overwhelmed

The amount of data that qualitative analysis produces can feel overwhelming. If you choose a CAQDAS solution that is well designed and intuitive to use, it can truly make you feel less overwhelmed. The structure and organization of the software will help you keep track of themes and patterns and make your analysis process much more manageable.

Strengthens your analysis and reporting so you have stronger results

With qualitative analysis, practice reflexivity in order to understand potential biases, and make sure you are giving a fair amount of weight to different parts of your data. CAQDAS tools enable you to keep track of findings in code books, and see relationships between themes you may have otherwise missed.  

Enables collaboration so you can work together with team members

CAQDAS tools enables collaboration, by providing a space where your collective analytical work to live. The ability for one researcher to review others’ work strengthens the validity of your research. Online CAQDAS tools are even better for collaboration, because it allows individual researchers to seamlessly work together even if not in the same physical location. If you’re working with a team that’s distributed across different locations, using an online, web based CAQDAS tool will help you collaborate. Online software would enable your team to all analyze the same data set at the same time, no matter where in the world you all are. 

How does Delve support your qualitative data analysis?

Delve is an easy to learn, and simple to use CAQDAS tool that will make qualitative analysis feel seamless. It is the highest rated CAQDAS tools according to independent review sites. See how Delve compares to tools such as ATLAS.ti, MAXQDA, and Nvivo.

Once you are ready to analyze your qualitative data, just import your data into Delve, and code your data to keep track of patterns. You can use popular methodologies such as grounded theory, thematic analysis, narrative analysis, and content analysis.

See how Delve works in this 2 minute video

CAQDAS tools are either desktop based software, or online web tools. Generally, you prepare your data for analysis, and use the tool to help you code and find themes. The qualitative data analysis software will enable you to look at your data in different ways, and export your data in formats that aid your research report writing process. 

1. Sign up for the CAQDAS tool

   • Create an account and begin a subscription.

2. Prepare your data for analysis

   • Digitize your data and prepare it for analysis. If you have audio files from interview recordings, get them transcribed.

3. Import your data into the CAQDAS tool

   • Bring your data into the tool to begin analysis 

4. Use the interface to code your data

   • Code your data. The software will enable you to create codes, which act as labels to keep track of the phenomena you’re discovering. If you need help learning how to do qualitative coding, check out our free online course. 

5. Create themes and categories from your codes

   • Use the software to create themes and categories by nesting your codes into a hierarchical structure. Use the nesting to find connections between codes. 

6. View your data in different ways 

   • Look at code co-occurrence matrices to see how codes overlap, or look at the code frequency counts to see what themes are beginning to stand out

7. Find quotes and verbatims that represent your findings 

   • Organize your quotes by code, to find the quotes that best represent your findings. Or use the search functions to look for quotes and verbatims. Once the software helps you find the results, use the hyperlinks to jump back to the exact spot in the data where the quote appears to get the full context 

8. Use your code structure to write your final research report

   • Write your final research report and use the tool to help structure your thoughts. Your quotes and verbatims are now organized into themes, so you can easily pull them into your report to back up your points. 

While manual analysis can help you feel your data in a tactical way, it can be very time consuming, unmanageable with large data sets. Researchers can cut up transcripts and organize them into piles that represent their themes. It also means you won’t be able to collaborate with people who aren’t physically in the same space as you. Furthermore your research is always one one strong gust of wind away from being an unorganized pile of paper clippings.

Using CAQDAS tools and qualitative data analysis software means that you’ll be able to better organize your large datasets, and collaborate remotely with others.