Quirkos Qualitative Research Blog

Creating 'Google Docs' for qualitative analysis

My main mantra when we were designing Quirkos Web was that it should be just like using Google Docs. That means it should be easy to create a document or project. It should just work in your browser without needing to install anything. That you should be able to access

How to actually start your qualitative analysis

This post is Part Two of a two-parter about why and how you should get to your qualitative analysis as soon as you can. The first post covers why you should start your qualitative analysis earlier than you think, while this one talks about some practical solutions you can use

Using Emoji for Qualitative Data Analysis

Qualitative research is one of my favourite things to think about. In particular, I have a keen interest in understanding what influences and affects the analysis process, as well as the way we, see and interpret the data. Two years ago, over a Zoom catch up, Andreas Müller was showing

When do you have enough data to start your analysis?

When I was a student, I found it tricky to manage big qualitative research projects with lots of text to analyse. I might have hundreds of pages’ worth of novels, or thousands of free-text responses from surveys. It was hard to look at all that data and not feel overwhelmed!

analysis

The Animal Crossing villagers have self-esteem issues, and here's why: A qualitative investigation

Compared with the GameCube version I enjoyed so much growing up, the New Horizons villagers seem less ‘genuine’. How does that balance affect your relationship with the characters? To find out, I completed some qualitative analysis.

quirkos

Welcome to Quirkos Web!

Today we are excited to finally unleash the new version of Quirkos - Quirkos Web! It's all the features and ease of use of regular Quirkos, but running in your browser! It's a option available to any Quirkos Cloud users at no additional cost.

process

Examples of qualitative data

Qualitative data can be in many more formats, so it's useful to see some examples of what qualitative data can look like, and to use for practice while you learn analysis and before you collect your own data

quirkos

Updates on Quirkos Web

Last year we announced and teased Quirkos The Next Generation - all new Quirkos designed afresh for your browser, with all the projects, data, features and functionality on any device, and it's coming soon!

analysis

Constant comparative method in qualitative analysis

The constant comparison method isn't restricted to Grounded Theory, and is a frequently applied approach to analysing and exploring qualitative data. It's essentially a really common-sense approach for examining qualitative data...

analysis

Collaboration, team-work and qualitative project sharing

Quirkos Cloud is one of the few qualitative data analysis software packages to allow live, unlimited collaboration and project sharing. It's not an extra add-on, it's available to all users without any additional costs. There are no limits...

ethnography

Writing the New Ethnography (Goodall 2000, Review)

In his book, Writing the New Ethnography (2000), H. L. Goodall Jr. offers an alternative way of writing qualitative research: writing “creative narratives shaped out of a writer’s personal experiences within a culture

Conversation Analysis

Conversation analysis. What is it and when should I use it?

Conversation Analysis is used to understand the meanings of real language and how people really speak.

analysis

A priori coding is A-OK!

There are many different ways of coding qualitative data. Two of the most frequently mentioned are in vivo coding, in which participants’ actual words become codes while the researcher is coding, and a priori coding, in which the researcher has defined codes before beginning to analyze the data.

Research interviews

What do I need to do and know before a qualitative research interview?

When I’m helping researchers prepare to conduct research interviews for the first time, there is a variety of attitudes. Some start with under-estimating the complexity of research interviews. Others are almost paralysed by the fear of the “what if”s. Most experience the more usual mild anxiety...

Research management

What will your future-self thank you for?

I've been reading a friend's motivational posts and she asks the question, “What will your future-self thank you for?” So that made me wonder, as a researcher, what kinds of things will your future-self thank you for?

analysis

Qualitative Content Analysis

Sometimes content analysis is applied as a blanket term for looking to see what qualitative data is about (ie the content) and from there many approaches can be applied.

quirkos

Announcing Quirkos for the Web!

We’ve teased a little about it already, but we are now announcing more details on the next version of Quirkos, a version of our qualitative analysis software that will work entirely in your internet browser.

Field safety

Practical advice for your safety in the field

So, you’ve arranged some interviews; you’ve had some professional email exchanges and perhaps a pleasant introductory call. Now you’re in the meeting place, the door has closed. You’ve planned for this and you have strategies to keep you safe, haven’t you?

Ethics

Lone researchers - balancing safety against the reproduction of vulnerability

As a researcher and someone who advises researchers I have an ethical responsibility to warn you about the threats to your safety. But I also have a responsibility not to make my perceptions about my vulnerability into perception of your vulnerability.

What can wild swimming teach us about qualitative research? Traps for the unwary and moments of magic.

Open Water Swimming can be scary, uncovering all sorts of emotions, exposing you to a totally different view of the world, and making you conscious of yourself and the 'self' in context. Can qualitative researchers learn anything from it?

analysis

Managing qualitative coding systems

In this blog post, I'm going to try and persuade you to do something really boring. Develop a formal process to record your analysis journey, and the coding systems you have.

process

Codebooks for qualitative research

A codebook doesn’t include the extracts of data themselves, but a detailed description of the codes, how they should be used, their relationship to each other, what should be included and excluded in each code.

Welcome our new Qualitative Research Specialist!

Today we are excited to announce that the amazing Cathy Gibbons (Arc52.com / formerly University of Nottingham) will be joining us and developing exciting new training, guidance and community support

Quirkos 2.4 is released!

We are excited to announce the release of Quirkos 2.4! This free update brings a number of improvements, bugfixes and new features, and is available from today. It includes a major speed bump for global users of Quirkos Cloud, improved search and new ways to recode themes.