3 rd EDITION

QUALITATIVE DATA
ANALYSIS WITH NVIVO

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 Sara Miller McCune founded SAGE Publishing in 1965 to support
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 WIN
D OW
& MA S
C

3 rd EDITION

QUALITATIVE DATA
ANALYSIS WITH NVIVO
KRISTI JACKSON & PAT BAZELEY

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 SAGE Publications Ltd © Kristi Jackson and Pat Bazeley 2019
1 Oliver’s Yard
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 CONTENTS
Figures viii
Tables xiii
About the authors xiv
Preface to the third edition xvi

What makes this book innovative? xvi

How to use this book xvii
Organization of the book xvii
Organization of each chapter xviii
Online resources xix

Online resources xx
Acknowledgements xxi

1 Where to begin? 1

1.1 Introduction to qualitative research with NVivo 2

1.2 Conceptual grounding in qualitative research purposes and NVivo 6
1.3 Using NVivo to get started on your research 9
1.4 Chapter 1 Takeaways 34

2 Designing an NVivo Project 39

2.1 Introduction to designing an NVivo Project 40

2.2 Conceptual grounding in the Project structure 41

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 vi QUALITATIVE DATA ANALYSIS WITH NVIVO

2.3 Using NVivo to store and manage data 53

2.4 Chapter 2 Takeaways 58

3 Coding foundations 63

3.1 Introduction to coding foundations 64

3.2 Conceptual grounding in Coding 65
3.3 Coding in NVivo 77
3.4 Chapter 3 Takeaways 97

4 Advanced coding 101

4.1 Introduction to advanced coding 102

4.2 Conceptual grounding in advanced coding 103
4.3 Advanced coding with NVivo 113
4.4 Chapter 4 Takeaways 130

5 Cases, Classifications, and comparisons 135

5.1 Introduction to Cases, Classifications, and comparisons 136

5.2 Conceptual grounding in Cases and Classifications 137
5.3 Cases and Classifications in NVivo 145
5.4 Chapter 5 Takeaways 161

6 Surveys and mixed methods 165

6.1 Introduction to surveys and mixed methods 166

6.2 Conceptual grounding in surveys and mixed methods 167
6.3 Surveys and mixed methods in NVivo 175
6.4 Chapter 6 Takeaways 194

7 Querying data 199

7.1 Introduction to Queries 200

7.2 Conceptual grounding in Queries 201
7.3 Working with Queries in NVivo 217
7.4 Chapter 7 Takeaways 232

8 Literature reviews and pdf Files 235

8.1 Introduction to literature reviews and pdf Files 236

8.2 Getting grounded in literature reviews and pdf Files 237
8.3 Literature reviews and pdf Files in NVivo 246
8.4 Chapter 8 Takeaways 253

9 Working with multimedia Files 257

9.1 Introduction to pictures, audio, and video 258

9.2 Conceptual grounding in pictures, audio, and video 259

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 CONTENTS vii

9.3 Pictures, audio, and video in NVivo 263

9.4 Chapter 9 Takeaways 281

10 Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and web pages 285

10.1 Introduction to Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and web pages 286

10.2 Conceptual grounding in Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and web pages 287
10.3 Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and web pages in NVivo 292
10.4 Chapter 10 Takeaways 303

11 Teamwork 307

11.1 Introduction to teamwork 308

11.2 Conceptual grounding in teamwork 309
11.3 Teamwork in NVivo 317
11.4 Chapter 11 Takeaways 335

12 Moving on – further resources 339

References341
Index346

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 FIGURES
1.1 NVivo for Windows main interface: Ribbon,
Navigation View, List View, Detail View13
1.2 NVivo for Mac main interface: Ribbon, Navigation View,
List View, Detail View13
1.3 Navigation View in Windows (left) and Mac (right) 14
1.4 Showing and hiding subfolders in the Navigation View15
1.5 Opening Barbara in the Detail View16
1.6 Opening Community change in the Detail View16
1.7 Open items in the Detail View with individual tabs (Windows) 17
1.8 The ‘Open Items’ list in the Navigation View and the Menu bar
above the Ribbon (Mac) 17
1.9 Creating a Project in Windows (left) and Mac (right) 19
1.10 Creating a Memo to use as a journal 21
1.11 Mind Map to launch the Researchers Project 24
1.12 Becoming a researcher: preliminary Concept Map 26
1.13 Creating an Annotation (Windows) 28
1.14 Pasting a See Also Link (Windows only) to a specific location
(in a File) from a specific location (in a Memo) 31

2.1 Tagging a paper copy of a document 44

2.2 Different types of Cases in the Environmental Change Project 46
2.3 Sample transcription format for focus groups and interviews 50

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 FIGURES ix

2.4 Microsoft Word table format displays entire row when

a portion of a cell is coded. 51
2.5 Customizable Folder structure for NVivo Files 55
2.6 Customizable Set structure for NVivo Files 56
2.7 Customizable Case structure for NVivo Files 57

3.1 
Frank’s document showing application of multiple codes to
each passage of text, and Annotations (see Chapter 1 for Annotations) 71
3.2 NVivo mimicking the conventional strategy of coding: making
copies and placing them in categories/concepts 78
3.3 NVivo actually tagging the text with the Node 78
3.4 The Node Properties window 80
3.5 Coding to an existing Node via drag-and-drop 81
3.6 Creating a Node and coding at the same time 81
3.7 Coding for Family displayed by the Node 82
3.8 Uncoding from the File with a right-click 82
3.9 Viewing Coding Stripes in a File 83
3.10 Viewing narrow coding context in a Node 85
3.11 Viewing Coding Stripes in a Node 85
3.12 Jumping from a Reference in a Node to the File 86
3.13 Shortcut keys to Copy in Windows (left) and Mac (right) 87
3.14 Coding and uncoding alternatives: Ribbon, right-click,
Quick Coding bar (Windows) 87
3.15 Coding and uncoding alternatives: Ribbon, right-click, Coding Panel (Mac) 88
3.16 Merging Nodes 89
3.17 Window to Customize Current View in the List View90
3.18 Customized Node List View90
3.19 Node Chart of Files coded to Balance based on the percentage coverage 94
3.20 Comparison diagram showing which farmers adopted one or other or
both innovative practices 95
3.21 Coding Query in the Environmental Change Project on the Nodes
Community change and Economy96

4.1 The online catalogue hierarchy 104

4.2 A viral coding structure 108
4.3 A vista coding structure 109
4.4 A Matrix Coding Query of Strategies by Valence109
4.5 A Hyperlink to the File from the Detail View of the Node 115
4.6 Sorting Nodes into hierarchies using a Concept Map 117
4.7 Node hierarchy with parent Nodes and child Nodes 118
4.8 Creating a subnode (or child) Node 119
4.9 Fixing a viral coding structure 122
4.10 Visualizing coding structure with a Project Map 123
4.11 Using a Set for a metaconcept 125

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 x QUALITATIVE DATA ANALYSIS WITH NVIVO

4.12 Word Frequency Query with stemmed words 127

4.13 Text Search Query using the alternator, OR, with stemmed words 129

5.1 Individual participant transcripts imported as Files and

converted into Cases 138
5.2 Cases, Attributes, and Values 139
5.3 The structure of Classifications, Attributes, and Values 141
5.4 An NVivo Project with two Case Types (Employees and Organizations)
and two Case Classifications (Employee and Organization)142
5.5 Using a Crosstab Query to view data sorted by Attribute Values 143
5.6 Coding multiple Files to a New Case (Windows) 147
5.7 Selecting a method for Auto Coding (Windows) 148
5.8 Entering speaker names in Step 2 of the Auto Code Wizard (Windows) 149
5.9 Identifying the Case Type (Classification) and location for the
new Cases in Step 3 of the Auto Code Wizard (Windows) 149
5.10 The Auto Code by Speaker panel (Mac) 150
5.11 Adding an Attribute and Values in Windows (left) and Mac (right) 151
5.12 Classification Sheet with Attribute Values for interview
participants (Windows) 152
5.13 Crosstab Query interface (Windows) 156
5.14 Crosstab Query interface (Mac) 156
5.15 Crosstab Query Results Display, showing cell content options
selected from the Ribbon (Windows) 158
5.16 Crosstab Query Results display, showing options selected
from the Results tab (Mac) 158
5.17 Grouped column chart displaying results from the Crosstab
Query shown in Figure 5.15 (Windows) 159
5.18 Selecting Attribute Values in a Group Query (Windows only) 161

6.1 Examples of Folder structures for projects with multiple File types 175
6.2 Survey data, prepared using an Excel spreadsheet 176
6.3 The Survey Import Wizard178
6.4 Choosing question type in Step 4 of the Survey Import Wizard179
6.5 Nodes and Matrix display of results from Auto Coding themes
related to wellbeing (NVivo Plus) 179
6.6 Choosing question type in Step 3 of the Import Dataset Assistant (Mac) 180
6.7 Using a Framework Matrix to construct a Joint Display 183
6.8 Crosstab combining qualitative text with quantitative scaled data 184
6.9 Crosstab specifications used for transformation of coding to
variable data (Windows) 185
6.10 Crosstab specifications used for transformation of coding to
variable data (Mac) 185
6.11 Using a Matrix Coding Query with Sets (Windows) 187
6.12 Matrix data based on qualitative coding for export from NVivo
for use in statistical analyses 188

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 FIGURES xi

6.13 Selecting the operator for combining rows and columns 189
6.14 Dendrogram and associated statistics based on clustering Nodes
by word similarity (Windows) 190
6.15 Three-dimensional cluster diagrams, based on clustering
Nodes by word similarity (Windows) 191

7.1 Word Frequency Query with visualization 205

7.2 Text Search Query with visualization 206
7.3 Crosstab Query with visualization 207
7.4 Matrix Coding Query with visualization 208
7.5 Coding Query with visualization 209
7.6 Compound Query (Windows only) with visualization 211
7.7 Group Query (Windows only) with visualization 212
7.8 Coding Comparison Query with visualization 213
7.9 Framework Matrix cell content using the Auto Summarize feature 216
7.10 Word Frequency Query interface in Windows (top) and Mac (bottom) 218
7.11 Text Search Query interface in Windows (top) and Mac (bottom) 220
7.12 Crosstab Query interface in Windows (top) and Mac (bottom) 221
7.13 Matrix Coding Query interface in Windows (top) and Mac (bottom) 222
7.14 Coding Query interface in Windows (top) and Mac (bottom) 223
7.15 Compound Query interface (Windows only) 224
7.16 Group Query interface (Windows only) 226
7.17 Coding Comparison Query interface in Windows (top) and Mac (bottom) 227
7.18 Filter options in a Case Classification Summary Report (number
of Cases with each Attribute Value) (Windows only) 231

8.1 Selection and retrieval of text in a pdf File 247

8.2 Selection and retrieval of text in a line-numbered pdf File 248
8.3 Selection and coding of a region in a pdf File 249
8.4 Selecting options in the import dialogue for reference
material from EndNote (Windows) 251
8.5 Compound Query Results (Windows only) in the
Environmental Change Project 253

9.1 Thumbnail display of Files (Windows only) 266

9.2 A picture Region with an associated log and Coding Stripe 266
9.3 Picture with a newly inserted log entry 267
9.4 The picture content of a Node open in Detail View269
9.5 The Playback group in the Video Ribbon (Windows) and
the Player controls (Mac) 271
9.6 The playhead moving across the timeline of an audio or video
File in Windows (top) and Mac (bottom) 272
9.7 Entering a new transcript row (Windows) 273
9.8 Entering a new transcript row (Mac) 274
9.9 Coding Stripes and Shadow Coding Stripes on a media file (Windows) 278

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 xii QUALITATIVE DATA ANALYSIS WITH NVIVO

  9.10 Turning the results of a Group Query (Windows only) into a Set 279
  9.11 A Connection Map of the Files coded to Natural environment and
Real estate development280

10.1 NCapture icon showing in the Chrome menu (top) and Internet
Explorer Command bar (bottom) 293
10.2 Capturing a Twitter hashtag (left) and Twitter home page (right)
with NCapture 294
10.3 Selecting an NCapture file to import 295
10.4 Auto Code Wizard 296
10.5 Detail View with a Map of a social media Dataset 297
10.6 Collecting a YouTube video with NCapture 298
10.7 Collecting a web page with NCapture via Internet Explorer 300
10.8 Selecting an NCapture file for importing as a web page 301
10.9 A web page converted into a pdf and opened in NVivo 301
10.10 Web page captured and imported into NVivo 302

11.1 List View of Memos with Detail View closed or on the bottom 325
11.2 Setting the Application Options to ‘Prompt for user on launch’
in Windows (left) and Mac (right) 325
11.3 The initial window showing an original Project and
copies with Title and Path 327
11.4 Changing the Project Title to match the Project Path
(or File Name) (Windows) 328
11.5 Coding Stripes showing the work of three coders on a File (Windows only) 333
11.6 Statistical output from a Coding Comparison Query in
Windows (top) and Mac (bottom) 333

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 TABLES
2.1 Formatting strategies to facilitate case construction from
different types of sources 52
2.2 Differences between Folders, Sets, and Cases for managing Files 58

3.1 Simulation of Matrix Coding Query output 92

4.1 Three differences between Merging and Aggregating Nodes 121

6.1 Complementary analysis strategies 170

6.2 Comparative analysis strategies 171
6.3 Transformative analysis strategies 173
6.4 Comparison of Crosstab Query and Matrix Coding Query 189

11.1 Choosing a Project storage and management strategy 319

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 ABOUT THE
AUTHORS
Kristi Jackson is a Qualitative Senior Scientist at Optum (www.Optum.com), where she
supports a broad range of qualitative studies in Patient Reported Outcomes (PRO). PRO studies
are designed to better understand patients’ experiences related to conditions, their treatments,
and the healthcare system. She has a background in evaluation research and in 2002 she
founded Queri (www.Queri.com) to provide resources and coaching to NVivo users world-
wide. With over 25 years of experience in qualitative research design, data collection, analysis,
reporting, and stakeholder relations, she is an expert in a diverse array of qualitative meth-
odologies. Her theoretical frames tend to be sociological, and her research interests include
conceptualizations of qualitative research transparency and the constantly changing spaces
where qualitative researchers and technologies meet.

Pat Bazeley is Director of Research Support P/L and Adjunct Professor in the Translational
Research and Social Innovation group at Western Sydney University. Since graduating in psychol-
ogy, she has worked in community development, project consulting and in academic research
development. For almost 30 years, Pat has been providing research training and serving as pro-
ject consultant to academics, graduate students, and practitioners representing a wide range of
disciplines across Australia and internationally. Her particular expertise is in helping researchers
to make sense of qualitative, survey, and mixed methods data, and to use computer programs
for management and analysis of data. Pat’s research has focused on qualitative and mixed

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 ABOUT THE AUTHORS xv

methods data analysis, the development and performance of researchers, and the wellbeing of
older women. She has published books, chapters, articles, and reports on these topics. She serves
on the Editorial Boards of the Journal of Mixed Methods Research and Qualitative Health Research,
and was 2015–2016 President of the Mixed Methods International Research Association.

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 PREFACE TO THE
THIRD EDITION
WHAT MAKES THIS BOOK INNOVATIVE?
Along with the materials from the second edition that researchers found most helpful, we
incorporated a wealth of new information and approaches in this third edition:

• Easy-to-use instructions and screen shots that explicitly assist both Windows and Mac
users.
• Rich, methodological discussions in the first half of each chapter to help prepare you to
think qualitatively in relation to the technology in the second half of the chapter.
• Discussions that complement the NVivo Help so you understand why and when you
might use various tools instead of just how to use them.
• Explanations regarding the most sophisticated options and creative combinations of
tools.
• A multipronged approach to help all users understand the Queries in NVivo:

� Specific examples in the context of each chapter.

� A chapter on Queries that provides a brief textual and visual orientation to each one.
� Screen shots that map the Query interface options in both Windows and Mac.

• A new concluding section of each chapter with Takeaways to help you reflect on the
material in the chapter and to assist instructors who use the book in methods courses.

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 PREFACE TO THE THIRD EDITION xvii

• A new chapter on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and web pages, based on the burgeoning
analysis of data generated in online communities.
• Pointers to relevant materials in other Chapters, including page numbers when
relevant.
• An expanded set of online resources (https://study.sagepub.com/jackson3e), including
videos, sample projects and a range of supplementary materials that exceed the size
limitations of the book.

This third edition of Qualitative Analysis with NVivo is designed for qualitative researchers who
work on their own and are looking for support. It is also ideal for qualitative researchers work-
ing in teams, instructors incorporating NVivo into their qualitative methods courses, and
users transitioning from earlier versions of the software. We carefully crafted the chapters to
accommodate a range of learning styles via conceptual discussions, specific clicks, visualiza-
tions, research ideas, examples from other researchers, and sample project data. In addition
to our 40+ years of combined experience working with a range of NVivo users, in this third
edition we also drew from the expertise and feedback of many QSR Platinum NVivo Trainers
to help clarify our narrative and expand on our examples (see the Acknowledgements page
for names and contact details).

HOW TO USE THIS BOOK

The average user of any software program typically accesses only a small portion of its capabili-
ties; this is no doubt true for users of NVivo also. If you are using NVivo for a small descriptive
project, you can work without having to learn complex procedures, but if you are undertaking
complex analytical tasks, you can find the additional tools you need. Choices about what tools
to use and how to use them is entirely up to you. Although the chapters of this book can be
fluidly followed in chronological order, you might find yourself jumping around among them
based on your needs. The table below shows the structure to guide your customized journey.

ORGANIZATION OF THE BOOK

Start here if you are … Chapter
… serious about using the book strategically and need to know 1. Where to begin?
how to install the software, create a project, and develop Maps,
Memos, Annotations, Memo Links, See Also Links, and Hyperlinks.
… interested in getting a better handle on how all of the pieces of 2. Designing an NVivo Project
the NVivo Project fit together and the implications this has on the
way you format Files. This will also help you eliminate tools that
you do not need.
… ready to learn all the basics of coding in NVivo and also want 3. Coding foundations
tips and tricks for thinking about how to develop your codes.

(Continued)

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 xviii QUALITATIVE DATA ANALYSIS WITH NVIVO

(Continued)

Start here if you are … Chapter

… confident with the basic skills of creating and managing Nodes 4. Advanced coding
but want to learn about all the bells and whistles, including (but
not limited to) management of Node hierarchies, automation, and
text mining.
… comfortable with the tactics you will use in the database 5. Cases, Classifications, and
to code and want to dive into the ways NVivo matches any comparisons
quantitative or demographic data with the qualitative data.
… taking a mixed methods approach and already understand 6. Surveys and mixed
the way NVivo handles qualitative data (primarily through methods
coding), Cases, Classifications, Attributes, and Values, but want
to apply and extend this knowledge (including surveys combining
qualitative and quantitative data).
… unclear about the way NVivo helps find patterns in your data 7. Querying data
(usually based on the prior work you do to read, write about, and
code your data).
… diving into NVivo with the intent of conducting a literature 8. Literature reviews and pdf
review or want to see the unique issues in handling pdf Files. Files
… focusing on the most common, non-text data types. 9. Working with multimedia
Files
… interested in strategies for examining user-generated content in 10. Twitter, Facebook, YouTube,
online communities. and web pages
… planning for the structure and process of a team project and 11. Teamwork
want to begin with some tips before learning the technical details
of managing a database.

ORGANIZATION OF EACH CHAPTER

Conceptual introduction followed by clicks
As we argue in the opening section of the first chapter, we ardently support an understanding
of methods-with software as mutually constituting activities. This position is in alignment
with current understandings about the social shaping of technology and encourages research-
ers to move beyond simple binaries such as researcher/technology, method/software, and
manual/digital (Jackson, 2017). Despite this position, we purposefully (and somewhat warily)
separate most of the methodological/theoretical discussions in each chapter from the descrip-
tions of NVivo tools. This structure is based on two factors that swayed our approach in this
third edition of the book:

• The commitment to help both Windows and Mac users in a single publication
while making it easy for users of each platform to ignore irrelevant material without
constantly flipping back and forth through pages.
• Feedback from qualitative methods instructors who use this book in their courses
and want to more easily direct students to the appropriate section of the chapter,
depending on whether they need methodological help and guidance or assistance with
specific software tools.

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 PREFACE TO THE THIRD EDITION xix

Four sections
The following guide to the four subsections within each chapter will help you find relevant
material if you have a specific question or issue to investigate about a topic (e.g., coding).

• Section 1 introduces the purpose of the chapter and sets the stage for the subsequent
conceptual and methodological detail. We end this introductory section with a brief
explanation of related material in other chapters to help redirect your attention, in the
event that another chapter is more closely related to your immediate needs.
• Section 2 explores conceptual and methodological grounding through a range of
traditions in qualitative research practice. Much of this material is designed to prompt
ideas about handling data whether you use Qualitative Data Analysis Software (QDAS)
or not. This section is not intended to be exhaustive but provides enough diversity
and variation in methodologies and strategies to help avoid cookie-cutter approaches
to handling qualitative data. We sometimes address methodological debates and we
also occasionally articulate our stances on professional practice. The online resources
(https://study.sagepub.com/jackson3e) will help you dig more deeply into the
literature.
• Section 3 details the NVivo tools that can facilitate your analysis and provides
instructions on clicking through the most frequently used options. Instructions
common to Windows and Mac users are in purple font and where they diverge you
will follow grey font if you are using Windows and black font if you are using Mac.
Furthermore, we provide and update these instructions in the online resources.
Both Mac and Windows users can download a Click Guide to all of the instructions
pertaining to the material we cover in the book (https://study.sagepub.com/jackson3e).
• Section 4 wraps things up with Takeaways including:

� Key points from the chapter.

� Tips, challenges, and warnings relating to tools covered in the chapter.
� Pointers to applicable videos.
� Practice questions that help reinforce the methodological and technical material
while exploring the terrain where researchers and technologies meet.

ONLINE RESOURCES
The website provides a wealth of additional material that will be updated as the NVivo interface
changes. You will find a complete compendium of clicking instructions, videos, sample pro-
jects, and other supplementary materials (https://study.sagepub.com/jackson3e).

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 ONLINE RESOURCES

This book is supported by a wealth of carefully curated online resources that support your
learning and research, available at https://study.sagepub.com/jackson3e

Watch screencast video tutorials on how to navigate NVivo, with top tips from
co-author Kristi Jackson about how to use the main tools the software offers.

Learn how to master NVivo with clear, up to date, click by click instructions that show
you how to use the software in Mac and Windows.

Explore NVivo at your own pace with sample project files from authors.

Gain insight from watching videos of co-author Pat Bazeley discussing tips and hints for
using NVivo.

Connect with a network of experts from the NVivo community who can help you
tackle your project head on.

Read handy guidelines on how to use NVivo that offer practical support and information
about coding qualitative data.

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 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
PUBLISHER
The authors welcome the opportunity Sage provided to create a new and improved third
edition of this book and appreciate the work of our editor, Jai Seaman, to guide us through
the process.

MAC INSTRUCTIONS
The commitment to develop a book that specifically assists both Windows and Mac users
came to fruition in large part thanks to our colleague and friend, Clare Tagg. The Mac instruc-
tions in the book and the logical order of the material were influenced by her keen eye
for detail and her balanced view of user experience. Clare’s contact information is provided
below if you would like to reach her.

REVIEWERS
We are thankful for the assistance of some of the QSR Certified Platinum NVivo train-
ers who work with individuals and organizations around the world as instructors,
coaches, and mentors. They carefully reviewed the chapters, pointed out gaps in our
explanations, improved the language, and added examples from their research to bring
the instructions to life. Together, Kristi, Pat, and these additional trainers/consultants

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 xxii QUALITATIVE DATA ANALYSIS WITH NVIVO

represent many decades of experience working with or teaching others how to use
NVivo. This book benefited from our combined expertise and our evolving collaboration.
We provide basic contact information for all those involved in the development of this
edition, in the event you would like to reach out for additional training or consultation.
Contributors in alphabetical order by first name:

• Amma Buckley [email protected]

• Anuja Cabraal [email protected] (http://anujacabraal.wordpress.com/)
• Ben Meehan [email protected] (www.qdatraining.com)
• Christina Silver [email protected] (www.fivelevelqda.com)
• Clare Tagg [email protected] (www.taggoram.co.uk)
• Claude Julie Bourque [email protected] (http://ca.linkedin.com/in/cjbourque)
• Elif Kuş Saillard [email protected] (www.namqda.com)
• Fiona Wiltshier [email protected] (www.concorsco.com)
• Hideki Nakazato [email protected] (researchers.adm.konan-u.ac.jp/
html/208_en.html)
• Jenine Beekhuyzen [email protected] (www.adroitresearch.com.au)
• Jennifer Patashnick [email protected]
• Kristi Jackson [email protected] (www.queri.com)
• Laura Lagendyk [email protected] (www.quoteswork.ca)
• Linda Sweet (www.flinders.edu.au/people/linda.sweet)
• Lyn Lavery [email protected] (www.academic-consulting.
co.nz)
• Marie-Hélène Paré [email protected] (www.mariehelenepare.com)
• Pat Bazeley (www.researchsupport.com.au)
• Patsy Clarke [email protected] (www.qualitania.com)
• Stuart Robertson [email protected] (www.robertsoneducational.
com)

In addition to these independent trainers, the staff at QSR International (developers of NVivo)
have been responsive and helpful as we crafted this independently written and published
book. We would especially like to thank Silvana di Gregorio for her thoughtful review and
excellent suggestions throughout. Nearly two decades of collegial interactions with Silvana
have proven again and again that her professionalism and her camaraderie are top notch. We
offer our sincere gratitude for her attention to the book.

ADDITIONAL THANKS
Kristi Jackson: I took more than one ‘dissercation’ while working on my PhD; journeys
under the guise of a vacation that provided opportunities to write intensively without distrac-
tions. This book followed suit with some ‘bookations’. Thanks to these playful, supportive,
and low-maintenance friends/colleagues, I was able to survive the long hours. I adore and
appreciate all of you:

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 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS xxiii

• My satellite office at Shift Workspaces (Bannock) in Denver, Colorado – Maggie Smith,

Crystal Harris, Sabrina Read (you’re so wonderful, it sometimes feels like a vacation!)
• The equine, canine, and feline refuge in Berthoud, Colorado – Samantha, Jeff, Chase,
Athena, and the whole menagerie (Dante, Hansel, Savvy, Pretty, Gracie, Terra, Rosie,
Zoe … and Beans).
• HGVC Tuscany in Orlando, Florida – Mason Mouisset, Jason de Knegt, Ana Castillo,
Mario Atesiano.
• The Grand Mayan, Acapulco – Gretchen Mann.
• The Timber Run sanctuary in Winter Park, Colorado – Andrew Nixon.

Pat Bazeley: Pat is just grateful she could hand over the ‘lion’s share’ of the task of updat-
ing this book to Kristi!

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 Section 1.1: Introduction to qualitative research with NVivo
Section 1.2: Conceptual grounding in qualitative research purposes
2
1
and NVivo 6
Section 1.3: Using NVivo to get started on your research 9
Section 1.4: Chapter 1 Takeaways 34

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 WHERE TO BEGIN?

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 2 QUALITATIVE DATA ANALYSIS WITH NVIVO

Maintaining a craft-like approach to research can help to open up critically imaginative ways of
working with computers (as techniques of representation) and avoiding the tendency for these
programmes to become black-boxes or demonised gadgets. (Hinchliffe, Crang, Reimer, & Hudson,
1997: 1123)

SECTION 1.1: INTRODUCTION TO QUALITATIVE

RESEARCH WITH NVIVO
Before diving into NVivo, it is important to understand the contexts in which this software
evolved and the various arguments researchers have made about the role of software in quali-
tative research. You are likely to hear a range of perceptions about the utility of the software
(or problems with using it). Having a background in this debate will help you decide where
you stand and will provide some ideas as you start shaping your claims about the use of
NVivo in your research. After this introduction, we encourage you to play with your ideas
and your data (this could be supplementary data, like literature). You do not need an excep-
tionally clear idea about where you are going yet. This chapter is simply designed to get you
started and get you thinking.

In this chapter you will

• Learn the basic arguments exchanged between camps regarding the utility of software
like NVivo (summarized via the metaphors of snake oil, silver bullet, and cart/horse).
• Find out why we advocate a methods-with mantra (Jackson, 2017) rather than a
methods-first mantra.
• Consider strategies for getting started and thinking about your data.
• Discover how to install the software.
• Understand how to get familiar with the software by exploring the Sample Project.
• See how to create a Project of your own.
• Learn tactics for reflecting on your ideas with Maps, Memos, See Also Links, and
Hyperlinks.

Qualitative research
Qualitative methods are a powerful choice when you want to understand details of a pro-
cess or experience, need more information to determine the boundaries or characteristics
of the issue being investigated, or assess – for a variety of reasons – that the best informa-
tion available is non-numeric (e.g., text or visual). The questions that could benefit from a
qualitative approach emerge from many fields such as criminal justice, education, finance,
health care, marketing, organizational development, public policy, sports, and user experi-
ence. For example:

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 Where to begin? 3

• After participating in an alternative drug treatment programme, what do incarcerated

young adults think about their opportunities after release?
• How does a customized, after-school biology programme for girls influence their
interest in a career in science?
• How do company reports explain ‘negative news’ (e.g., losses, legal challenges,
declining share values) to shareholders?
• What are physician perceptions of barriers to diagnosing and treating diabetes among
immigrants?
• Why does a specific marketing strategy for fire alarm/smoke detectors work well in
urban areas but not in rural areas?
• When organizational leaders incorporate meditation practices into their businesses,
how do relationships between employees change?
• What processes need to be in place for health impacts to be considered when
infrastructure development is being planned?
• What factors are taken into account before a professional gymnast considers moving
away from home for intensive coaching?
• How do NVivo users perceive the relevance of a new software tool?

The diversity of fields and multitude of questions are part of the thrill of qualitative research
and you will find questions that invite qualitative data and analysis around every corner as
you continue building your expertise.
This ‘big tent’ also brings unique challenges, primarily regarding the many choices that
need to be made about how to handle the data. Choices will vary depending on whether the
research involves, for example, exploration, description, comparison, pattern analysis, theory
testing, theory building, or evaluation. Another important choice is the methodology
or combination of methodologies used, and these are constantly evolving and sometimes
overlapping. They include action research, conversation analysis, ethnography, life history,
grounded theory, and phenomenology. Methodologists routinely urge researchers to assess
the fit between purpose and method, with the choice to use a qualitative approach being
determined by the research question and purpose, rather than by prior preference of the
researcher (Maxwell, 2013; Richards & Morse, 2012). The same is true regarding the use of
NVivo, where tools used should be informed by the goals of the research rather than just ease
of use, visual appeal or familiarity.

Origin and evolution of NVivo

Most researchers engaged in qualitative data analysis have heard of Qualitative Data Analysis
Software (QDAS) or Computer Assisted Qualitative Data AnalysiS (CAQDAS) and know that
NVivo is one of the options for storing, managing, and analysing qualitative data. However,
few qualitative researchers are aware of how long the software has been around or know the
ways in which it has been discussed alongside (or in comparison with) ‘manual’ methods.
While you need not be an expert in the history of the various camps that debate the dangers
and opportunities of using QDAS, it is wise to understand the general lay of the land and the

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 4 QUALITATIVE DATA ANALYSIS WITH NVIVO

traditions that inform the diverse uses of NVivo. In this chapter we discuss some of this back-
ground to help you begin situating yourself amidst the diversity and we provide suggestions to
help you clarify your qualitative approach and get excited about your unique research. We end
by walking you through some basic steps to write about and map your research plans to help
you sort through and frame your early thoughts with your research questions and your data.
The current version of NVivo is based on the work of Lyn and Tom Richards, who began
developing the software in 1981. They founded Qualitative Solutions and Research (later
becoming QSR International) in 1995 and since that time NVivo has retained the core fea-
tures of handling text data via coding, writing, linking, adding demographics, searching for
patterns, and reporting or exporting data. Since the construction of these early tools, the
subsequent software developers incorporated additional capabilities to analyse a wide range
of data types (pdf files, audio, video, images, surveys, reference managers, web pages, social
media, etc.) with increasingly complex searches and modes of output (textual, numeric, and
visual – via graphs, charts, and maps).

Three metaphors
Depending on the people you know who use NVivo, the kinds of research they do and
whether you are a novice or have considerable experience with qualitative research, your
impressions of the software will vary. Your use and discussion of the software will be influ-
enced by your theoretical frameworks and research questions, the colleagues with whom
you work, the types of data you handle, the modes you intend to use for communicating
your results, and the stakeholders who are interested in the implications of your research.
When you read accounts of QDAS – including arguments about the potential dangers and
opportunities of using it – you will become aware of three metaphors in the literature. As with
most metaphors, these carry a grain of truth. However, the oversimplification and subsequent
strategic use of these metaphors by many authors to justify their own positions have nearly
robbed them of their merits and have often turned them into clichés.

The silver bullet

The enthusiasm of the early adopters regarding the potential of QDAS was articulated by Miles
and Huberman (1994), who argued that the flexible, recursive, and iterative capabilities of
software provided unprecedented opportunities to challenge researcher conceptualizations.
The Richards (1994) agreed and stated that as they began developing NUD*IST (subsequently
becoming NVivo) their analysis ‘became far surer, with provision for constant interrogation
of themes. The processes of building and interrogating themes gave an impression of con-
stant working at theory built up and peeled back in onion skin layers’ (p. 164). Despite the
cautions, warnings and limitations that were articulated by these same scholars, their claims
have been problematically oversimplified and reiterated too narrowly. When you receive
marketing materials or review research articles that describe the use of QDAS, beware of state-
ments that argue or infer that QDAS inevitably leads to more transparent, rigorous, credible,

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 Where to begin? 5

or accurate research. Follow the trail of such citations and you will find they are not based in
trustworthy research, a comprehensive theory, or a conceptual framework.

The snake oil salesman seeks profit, not remedy

The snake oil metaphor was perhaps an inevitable (and sometimes warranted) push-back on
the use of computers to assist with qualitative research. Early in the evolution of QDAS, Seidel
(1991) warned about the ‘dark side’ of such software because it might prompt researchers to
overemphasize volume of data or distance researchers from data. Agar (1991) said he ‘kept
having nightmares about two studies – a lousy computer analysis and a beautiful analysis
done by hand – where the community of researchers would immediately gather around the
[computer] printout and celebrate its form rather than its content’ (p. 185). However, both
Seidel and Agar raised these possibilities as part of the overall picture, not as an inevita-
bility of using QDAS. Agar argued that QDAS has ‘powerful and positive consequences for
what we do’ (p. 182) and Seidel was one of the first qualitative researchers to begin building
QDAS, writing extensively on the benefits of such software. As with the overstated benefits
of QDAS in the literature, use caution when reading claims that QDAS inevitably leads to
more sloppy, corrupted, quantified, or mechanized research. (For a detailed example of the
appropriation of these early claims, their modification and subsequent misuse, see Jackson,
Paulus, & Woolf, 2018.)

Don’t put the cart before the horse

Many qualitative researchers make a reasonable claim that the software can be used appropri-
ately only insofar as it follows (rather than leads) the research methodology. The Five-Level
®
QDA method (Woolf & Silver, 2017) is perhaps the most detailed example of a resource that
helps researchers articulate methodological strategies and walks them through the appro-
priate tactics in the software in order to satisfy the ultimate goals of those strategies. In
many respects, this approach is in sync with the early developers of QDAS who were crafting
tools that satisfied the research practices already used via ‘manual’ methods. The logic of this
approach appeals to qualitative researchers who do not use software, those who do, and a
wide array of experts in methodology. However, a (sometimes unintended) consequence of
the cart/horse metaphor is that qualitative researchers who eschew the use of software for
a wide range of reasons are able to justify their avoidance by putting QDAS in a permanent
back seat. This methods-first mantra is slowly becoming less viable.

Our stance: methods-with software

The early tools developed in QDAS were an immediate and direct result of attempts to trans-
late manual methods (using paper, pencil, highlighters, and Post-it notes) into digital tools
that provide similar tactics to mark, tag, and sort. Part of the reason the methods-first meta-
phor continues to thrive is because of this evolution. In our research and in our consultation

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 6 QUALITATIVE DATA ANALYSIS WITH NVIVO

with other qualitative researchers who use NVivo, we almost always begin by asking about
the design and logic of the study (including the methodology) before determining which
software tools to use and how we will use them (as many tools are multi-purpose). However,
to assume that there is a one-directional and linear relationship between human thought and
tool production (or use) is outmoded and no longer an accepted view within the sociology
of technology. Researchers in a wide array of disciplines are looking more closely at the ways
society and culture influence the construction of technologies and how these technologies
also influence society and culture. To accept this view means accepting that our qualitative
work is sometimes influenced by NVivo.
Therefore, as an alternative to the methods-first mantra, we advocate a methods-with
mantra (Jackson, 2017). This view acknowledges the potential for mutual influence between
researcher and software and urges us to let go of the fear that the software is hijacking the
process. We still need to learn more about the contexts in which software influences us and
with what results. Unfortunately, few studies have explicitly sought to carefully explore the
spaces where qualitative researchers and technologies meet (for exceptions see Gilbert, 2002;
Jackson, 2014; Saillard, 2011). Some of our reflective questions in the Takeaways section of each
chapter are designed to help you think more reflexively about the role of NVivo in your work.

SECTION 1.2: CONCEPTUAL GROUNDING IN

QUALITATIVE RESEARCH PURPOSES AND NVIVO
Getting ready for qualitative analysis
If you feel comfortable and familiar with qualitative research, you will see many places where
NVivo mimics the handling of qualitative data through highlighting, writing notes, and con-
necting ideas. If you are new to qualitative research, you will learn a lot about handling
qualitative data as you experiment with different software tools. While we will provide you
with tips and tricks and pragmatic issues to address, much of what you learn will come
through patience and experimentation.

Understand your methods

If you are coming to NVivo without first meeting qualitative methodology or methods, then
you are strongly advised to read some general texts or introductory texts from within your
own discipline. Then use the recommended reading lists in those texts to further explore the
methodological choices available to you. Qualitative methods are a rich, diverse, and com-
plex sphere of knowledge and practice.

Develop questions
Qualitative research often begins with a vaguely defined question or goal. It may well begin
‘with a bit of interesting “data”’ (Seale, Gobo, Gubrium, & Silverman, 2004: 9). Record your

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 Where to begin? 7

early reflections as you set out. In NVivo, you can create a Memo (a research journal) to
record them. They will help you maintain focus as you work, and then later to evaluate the
direction you are taking. Keep notes about thoughts you have around those questions as
you read, discuss, observe, or simply reflect on issues as they arise, and date these. Keeping a
record will allow you to keep track of your ideas and to trace the path those ideas have taken
from initial, hesitant conceptualizations to final, confident realizations.
Visualization techniques (Mind Maps and Concept Maps in NVivo) and thought experi-
ments can also help to clarify what might be useful questions (Bazeley, 2013; Maxwell, 2013).
They can facilitate your examination and framing of various camps in your areas of research
or how particular theories might overlap. As you work, your initial Maps might help refine
your questions (or generate new ones), so more deliberate (purposive) data gathering can
occur. These visual explorations become part of your data and can be explored, managed,
and tracked within NVivo. Later in this chapter we help you explore journaling and map-
ping tools for thinking about your project before getting to the nuts and bolts of setting up
a project.

Identify assumptions
Previous knowledge is a prerequisite to gaining understanding. Qualitative researchers who
investigate a different form of social life always bring with them their own lenses and con-
ceptual networks. They cannot drop them, for in this case they would not be able to perceive,
observe and describe meaningful events any longer — confronted with chaotic, meaningless
and fragmented phenomena they would have to give up their scientific endeavour. (Kelle, 1997:
paragraph 4.2)

Previous knowledge brings with it assumptions about what you might find. Rather than
deny their existence, you should recognize them, record them, and become aware of how
they might be influencing the way you are thinking about your data – only then can you
effectively control (or at least, assess) that impact. Maxwell (2013) recommends creating a
‘researcher identity memo’ to explore personal goals, recognize assumptions, and draw on
experiential knowledge. You could add such a Memo to your research notes or create a con-
ceptual map that captures what you are expecting to see.

Explore existing data

Data relevant to your project often exist before you make new data. Try starting with one or
more of the suggestions listed here.

• Observations of yourself and of others. Field notes or diary records could play a significant
early role. Adapt the instructions for creating a Project journal to create documents in
which to record your observations.
• Data already in the public sphere. Examples include newspapers, novels, radio, internet,
or archived data. These can provide valuable learning experiences as you master both
software and analysis strategies.

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 8 QUALITATIVE DATA ANALYSIS WITH NVIVO

• Expository or research literature. The belief that an inductive approach to inquiry

requires researchers to come to their data without having been influenced by prior
reading of the literature in their field and without bringing any theoretical concepts
to the research is generally no longer seen as feasible, nor is it broadly supported.
Strauss and Corbin (1998: 47) declared: ‘Insights do not happen haphazardly; rather
they happen to prepared minds during interplay with the data.’ In many fields,
qualitative researchers are expected to gain a firm grasp of the relevant literature, and
for university-based research, prior understanding of the literature on the topic is an
essential element of a funding application or doctoral research proposal.

How NVivo will support your analysis

NVivo provides you with a set of tools that will assist you in undertaking an analysis of
qualitative data. The use of a computer is not intended to supplant time-honoured ways of
learning from data or to diminish the role of the qualitative researcher in exploring and inter-
preting rich data. NVivo was created by researchers who used precisely these kinds of manual
methods. The many benefits of this technology include the ability to:

• mimic manual strategies for handling qualitative data;

• develop an efficiently searchable warehouse of data that records the choices made
during analysis and can be examined and re-examined with relative ease;
• increase the efficiency of the more mundane and administrative tasks in organizing
data;
• extend the longevity and reusability of data because it is not stuck in a shoebox under
someone’s bed, with prior insights long forgotten;
• push the boundaries of what qualitative researchers are able to do manually by
providing a few tools that open new opportunities;
• improve the efficiency and effectiveness of teamwork through consistent processes that
capture and combine individual work in one comprehensive Project.

NVivo continues to be developed with extensive, qualitative researcher feedback to support

researchers in the diverse ways they work with data.
The average user of any software program typically accesses only a small portion of its
capabilities; this is no doubt true for users of NVivo also. If you are using NVivo for a small
descriptive project, you can work without having to learn complex procedures, but if you are
undertaking complex analytical tasks, you can find the additional tools you need. Choices
about what tools to use and how to use them are entirely up to you. There are, nevertheless,
some common principles regarding the most effective use for many of the tools, regardless of
methodological choices. For example, the labels used for coding categories will vary depend-
ing on the project and the methods chosen, but the principles employed in structuring those
categories into a branching coding system are common to many methods where coding takes
place. These common principles allow us to describe in general how you might use the vari-
ous tools. It is then your task to decide how you might apply them to your project.

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 Where to begin? 9

Using NVivo during the analysis of qualitative data will help you:

• Manage data – to organize and keep track of the many messy records that go into
making a qualitative project. These might include not just raw data files from
interviews, questionnaires, focus groups or field observations, but also published
research, images, diagrams, audio, video, web pages, other documentary sources, rough
notes and ideas jotted into memos, information about data sources, and conceptual
maps of what is going on in the data.
• Manage ideas – to organize and provide rapid access to conceptual and theoretical
knowledge generated in the course of the study, as well as the data that support it,
while at the same time retaining ready access to the context from which those data
have come.
• Query data – to ask simple or complex questions of the data, and have the program
retrieve from your project all information relevant to determining an answer to those
questions. Results of queries are saved to allow further interrogation, and so querying
or searching becomes part of an ongoing enquiry process.
• Visualize data – to show the content and/or structure of cases, ideas, concepts,
sampling strategies, timelines, etc., at various stages of the interpretive process, and to
visually represent the relationships among these items in a range of (often interactive)
displays.
• Report from the data – using contents of the qualitative project, including information
about and in the original data sources, the ideas and knowledge developed from them,
and the process by which these outcomes were reached.

Although specific tools such as Nodes, Memos, and Cluster Analyses were sometimes
designed with one strategy in mind, you will discover that these and other software tools
can be adapted for multiple strategies. The tools are not so isolated or independent in
practice and the strategies they support work best when they are carried out as integrated
activities.

SECTION 1.3: USING NVIVO TO GET STARTED

ON YOUR RESEARCH
We start by providing basic installation information, to ensure you are able to access the soft-
ware, and we introduce you to two sample Projects to which we will be referring throughout
the book. Then, in the remainder of this chapter, we help familiarize you with the software
via the Sample Project and our introductory videos and then walk you through the creation
of your own Project. In the process, we help you develop good practices for thinking and
writing by:

• creating a Project journal;

• visualizing ideas in a Mind Map and assumptions in a Concept Map;
• importing and thinking about a pdf (or Word) file;

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 10 QUALITATIVE DATA ANALYSIS WITH NVIVO

• writing an Annotation;
• developing a Memo;
• connecting a Memo to a File with a Memo Link;
• creating a web of connections between your evidence and your ideas with See Also
Links;
• connecting your data or ideas to items outside of the project with a Hyperlink.

We also detail the steps for saving and creating backup Projects and if you do not work
through this chapter in one sitting, you might skip to the final instructions about backups
when you are ready to take a break.

NVivo terms used in this section

Annotation

Concept Map

Memo

Memo Link

Mind Map

NVivo Project

Hyperlink

See Also Link

Install the software and become acquainted with NVivo

Upgrading from an earlier version on the same computer
If you have an earlier version or the trial version of NVivo on your computer, you do not
need to remove it before installing your new licence of NVivo. All you will need to do is
enter and activate a new licence key to extend your existing licence. If, however, you have
more than one version of NVivo on your system, your computer will default to open the
most recent software, even if you launch from a project created in an earlier version. NVivo
will then walk you through the steps to convert your older project so it can be used in the
new version.

• As a result, you will have two copies of the same project in two different versions of the
software. NVivo adds the name of the version to the end of the name of your Project
so you can distinguish them easily, or you can rename the Project (see Chapter 11 for
details about Project names, pp. 327–328).
• If you convert a Project to the new version of NVivo, you cannot reopen or resave that
new copy of the Project in an earlier version of the software.

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 Where to begin? 11

How to follow our instructions

• For NVivo clicking instructions we use purple font to indicate steps you will take in the
software.
• When click instructions diverge, we use grey font for Windows users and black font for
Mac users.
• When the screen shots from Windows and Mac are similar, we will use one or the other
as a visual. When they are different we will label the Figure to indicate Windows or Mac.
• When a tool is available in only the Windows or Mac version of NVivo, we indicate
this in the section heading with parentheses. We will also occasionally do so in the
body of the text.
• To help acquaint you with these instructions, we provide two, brief videos in the online
resources (https://study.sagepub.com/jackson3e) that serve as a ‘Primer for following
the click instructions.’

Download, install, launch, and activate

If you have not yet done so, use these instructions to download, install, launch, and activate
the software (which requires an internet connection). If you were using the trial, you do not
need to uninstall and reinstall the software. All you will need to do is to enter and activate a
new licence key to extend your existing version.

1.a.
⇒ www.qsrinternational.com > NVivo > Learn More > Select Free Trial or Buy Now.
⇒ Follow the instructions to > Download > Install > Launch > Activate.

If this is the first time you launch the software, you will be asked for your name and initials
to help track the work you do in the software.

• This prompt for the current user occurs once only, unless you change the default to ask
for the user each time.
• More about the potential need to change this default and instructions for doing so are
in Chapter 11 on Teamwork (pp. 325–326).

1.b.
⇒ After launching the software > Sample Project / Create a Copy of Sample Project >
provide a new name > Save.
⇒ Quick Start Steps tab (right hand side of the screen) > Let’s Get Started with
NVivo for Windows > watch the video.

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 12 QUALITATIVE DATA ANALYSIS WITH NVIVO

Sample data
Two sample projects are provided throughout the book to help bring the conceptual
and methodological issues to life. One project is referred to as the ‘Sample Project’ or the
‘Environmental Change Project’ and is included in NVivo; the other is an example from Pat’s
research and is referred to as the ‘Researchers Project’. Before you begin playing with these
projects, the following information will help you understand them.

Environmental
Change Project

The Environmental Change Down East Project explores the attitudes of individuals in
13 communities in an area of North Carolina known as ‘Down East’. The goal of the
data collection and analysis was to foster dialogue among stakeholders (residents, land
developers, legislators, business owners, etc.) regarding community planning, land use,
and sustainable development. This Project accompanies every licence as an embedded
sample.

Researchers Project

The Researchers Project comprises focus groups, extracts from interviews, and some
other sources designed to help answer the questions of what brings people to engage in
research, and what it is about their experience that keeps them researching. This Project is
available in the online resources (https://study.sagepub.com/jackson3e)

In addition to these two Projects, we pull from a broad array of other studies from our
own experiences, research from the literature, and research stories and examples from our
colleagues. In a few instances, we also provide a vignette to help illustrate a point. When
available, we provide references, but these examples tend to come from our memories of
collegial conversations rather than materials that can be perused in greater detail in another
publication.

NVivo’s basic interface

In our subsequent instructions on clicking through the software, we almost always begin
with one of the screen locations shown in Figures 1.1 and 1.2. Knowing these terms will be
helpful because they also serve as the foundation on which most Project items are built.

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 Where to begin? 13

Ribbon

Navigation List Detail

View View View

Figure 1.1 NVivo for Windows main interface: Ribbon, Navigation View, List View, Detail View

Ribbon

Navigation List Detail

View View View

Figure 1.2 NVivo for Mac main interface: Ribbon, Navigation View, List View, Detail View

In the Navigation View on the left side of the screen (Figure 1.3) there are standard buttons
and subfolders (Windows users also have a customizable Quick Access area).

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 14 QUALITATIVE DATA ANALYSIS WITH NVIVO

Figure 1.3 Navigation View in Windows (left) and Mac (right)

• Data are neatly organized in Files (e.g., transcripts, audio, video, surveys, social media).
• Codes are organized to help you examine conceptual or thematic Nodes that run
across your Files (e.g., Communication, Time, Trust, Vaccination).
• Cases contain qualitative data as well as demographic and/or quantitative data for
your units of analysis (e.g., Barbara, Dorothy, Susan).
• Notes help store your ideas and are sometimes linked to Files or Nodes (e.g., your
Memo for Initial Interpretations).
• Search allows you to ask about connections among items in the project, usually
through Queries or Sets.
• Maps provide an area to explore and express ideas visually.
• Output offers pre-established formats for getting data out of the software (Windows only).
� Items can usually be easily exported from Windows and Mac with a right-click.
You will do that later in this chapter.
� Mac users who do not currently right-click should see the Tips, Challenges, and
Warnings subsection at the end of the chapter for guidance.

In addition to this orientation to the screen, visit the online resources (https://study.sage
pub.com/jackson3e). Here you can watch a two-minute video, ‘Orientation to the NVivo

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 Where to begin? 15

interface.’ We provide a video for Windows users and a video for Mac users. At the same time,
you can take stock of the supplementary materials on the companion website that you can
access any time.
Now we will help you look more deeply into the project and familiarize yourself with the
Navigation View, List View and Detail View (use Figures 1.1 or 1.2 if needed).

1.c.

Exploring the Sample Project

⇒ Navigation View: Data > Files > Interviews.

Throughout these instructions, keep in mind that items in the Navigation View sometimes
require an extra step in order to see the subfolders (Figure 1.4).

Windows and Mac users: On

the left side of a Folder, click Mac users: In addition to the
on the right-facing triangle to triangle on the left side of the
see subfolders. When folder, you will see a ‘Hide’ and
displaying subfolders, the ‘Show’ option if you move your
triangle points down. Click pointer to the right of the main
on this downward triangle to options (e.g., ‘Data’, ‘Codes’,
hide the subfolders. ‘Cases:’).

Figure 1.4 Showing and hiding subfolders in the Navigation View

⇒ List View: Double-click on Barbara (Figure 1.5).

(Continued)

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 16 QUALITATIVE DATA ANALYSIS WITH NVIVO

(Continued)

Figure 1.5 Opening Barbara in the Detail View

⇒ Detail View: This File inside NVivo looks similar to the file in Microsoft Word, but
NVivo has made a copy of the original file.
⇒ Navigation View: Codes > Nodes.
� Nodes are your concept containers and we will discuss them in detail in
Chapter 3.
⇒ List View: Double-click on the Node, Community change (Figure 1.6).

Figure 1.6 Opening Community change in the Detail View

⇒ Detail View: This Node points to passages in various Files that have been coded to
the Node (and calls each coded passage a Reference).
⇒ File: Open Project Event Log (this tracks every action taken in the Project and can
help you problem-solve; we will show you how to turn this on when you create your
own Project).

Windows users
As you open items in the Project, they will continue to stack in tabs in the Detail View (Figure 1.7).
You can leave many items open and access them via their tabs. You can also close any item
by clicking on the X in any tab.

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 Where to begin? 17

Figure 1.7 Open items in the Detail View with individual tabs (Windows)

Mac users
As you open items in the Project, they will continue to stack at the bottom of the Navigation
View in the Open Items list (Figure 1.8). You can leave many items open and access them with
a single click. You can also close any item by clicking on the X to the right of the item name.
Mac users should also be aware that the Menu bar at the top of the screen provides additional
options (e.g., File … Window, Help). We will occasionally send you to the Menu bar to access
software features.

Menu bar

Open Items
list

Figure 1.8 The ‘Open Items’ list in the Navigation View and the Menu bar above the Ribbon (Mac)

Continue exploring the Environmental Change Project

Continue clicking around in items in the Navigation View to get a sense of the tools and their
locations – although the rest of the book will click you through these tools with specifically

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 18 QUALITATIVE DATA ANALYSIS WITH NVIVO

focused chapters. In addition, you can watch our video on ‘The main tools in NVivo’ in the
online resources (https://study.sagepub.com/jackson3e) for an extended tour of these tools
and a guide to the chapters where you will find additional information about these tools.
After opening a few items (some of which will make sense and others which might look
strange), you will have a general sense of a fully populated Project. You will continue in the
remainder of this chapter by creating your own Project from scratch (even if you have not
yet finalized your research questions or collected the data to answer your research questions).
When you are ready, exit the Sample Project.

1.d.

Exit the Sample Project

⇒ File: Close.
⇒ Menu bar: File > Close.

This will close the project without closing the software. If you want to quit working in NVivo
until another time you can close the Project and the software simultaneously:

⇒ Select the X on the upper right.

⇒ Menu bar: NVivo12 > Quit NVivo.

Create your own Project

Your Project begins from the time you start asking questions – from the thought that X, Y,
or Z might be something interesting to investigate. This is also a good time to start using
software!

• Early use of software ensures you do not lose precious early thoughts. Indeed, sketching
ideas and writing even rough notes will help to clarify thinking as you plan your
project.
• Starting early will give you a gentle introduction to the software and a chance to
gradually develop your skills as your Project builds up. This is better than desperately
trying to cope with learning technical skills in a rush as you become overwhelmed with
data and the deadline for completion is looming.
• Starting with software early acts as a reminder that data collection and data analysis are
not separate processes in qualitative approaches to research.

So, let’s start now! We will help you create a new Project and record your preliminary ideas
in a Project journal, Mind Map, and Concept Map. You will then import a pdf or Microsoft
Word document, and create Annotations, a Memo, and a See Also Link to start writing about
ideas prompted by the document.

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 Where to begin? 19

1.e.

Creating a Project
It is very important that you only work with NVivo Projects on your hard drive unless you
have purchased NVivo for Teams. There are instances of projects getting corrupted if you
work off an external drive, server, or jump drive (unless you are using NVivo for Teams,
Chapter 11, pp. 318—319). Don’t panic: you can save backups to an external drive or a server
and we show you how to do this at the end of this chapter. However, as you work through the
instructions below to create a Project, we recommend that you save it in your Documents folder.

⇒ Launch NVivo > Blank Project / Create new project (Figure 1.9).
⇒ Provide a name in the Title /Save As window.
⇒ Add a Description for the Project (these can be changed later).
⇒ NVivo assigns a matching File name (or Path ) for the Project file.
⇒ Check the box to Write user actions to project event log (you can turn this on
and off later).
⇒ Identify the location of your Project (default is usually the Documents folder
unless you recently used another location to save an NVivo Project).
⇒ OK / Create.

Figure 1.9 Creating a Project in Windows (left) and Mac (right)

⇒ Profiles and passwords: If you want to customize User profiles or establish Pass-
word protection, see Chapter 11 on Teamwork (pp. 324—326).
⇒ Save your project regularly, but if you have not taken an action in the Project since
your last save, the option to ‘Save’ will be greyed out.
� File: Save.
� Menu bar: File > Save.

Windows users will discover that every 15 minutes NVivo will ask if you want to save your
changes in case of power failure or crash. When you are working on your own Project, it is
strongly recommended that you save each time you are asked, unless you are simply experi-
menting, do not want to save your changes, or you are in the middle of an Undo operation.

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 20 QUALITATIVE DATA ANALYSIS WITH NVIVO

One or many Projects?

Your research may have a number of components:

• data generated from different sources (rural and urban; companies A, B, and C);
• data from different phases of the project (pilot phase and main data collection; wave 1,
2, and 3 of interviews);
• data of different types (literature, observations, interview transcripts, a dataset,
pictures or video, web pages).

NVivo provides data management tools that allow you to compare or isolate different com-
ponents within your Project. What this means in practice is that it is best to incorporate
all those components into a single NVivo Project, rather than make separate Projects for
each component. Having everything together in one NVivo Project will allow you to gather
together all you know on any topic, regardless of the source, and to make instant compari-
sons across different Files, phases, types of data, or Cases. If you wish, you will still be able
to interrogate just one component of the data by placing relevant Files within a specific sub-
folder, or by identifying that component as belonging to a defined Set or having a specific
Attribute Value. (Chapters 2 and 5 will show you how to create and use Folders, Sets, and
Attribute Values to manage your data.)

Journaling
In an NVivo Memo, you can journal any insights gained as you shape your research questions
and your approaches to analysing the data. These reflections can alert you to include certain
kinds of people in your sample, to collect information in alternative ways, or to explore a
broader (or narrower) context. Begin by recording the questions, assumptions, or other ideas
you are bringing to the Project. The following prompts might help:

• Why are you doing this research?

• What do you think it’s about?
• What are the questions you’re asking, and where did they come from?
• What do you expect to find and why?
• What have you observed so far?

Qualitative researchers typically keep a journal to document how they have moved from ini-
tial forays in their research to arrival at their conclusions; hence some refer to the journal as
an audit trail for the study. Lyn Richards (2015) compares the journaling process to keeping a
ship’s log with its careful account of a journey, and provides detailed suggestions about what
might be recorded there:

• How insights were triggered and ideas were developed.

• Fleeting ideas that are captured before additional data and ideas march into your
consciousness.

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 Where to begin? 21

• Lists of things you want to do at another time.

• The core concepts amidst the sometimes overwhelming options you could (but perhaps
shouldn’t) pursue in the data to answer your research questions.
• How you pulled together the evidence to support your conclusions.

Unlike the ship’s log, however, the journal can be a private document and you might also
record your frustrations and your joys as you work through your research. Perhaps the best
advice of all, as you focus on ideas and your responses to them (rather than dry description),
is to enjoy the journaling task. Write freely without worrying about formality of style or
‘correctness’ of thoughts. Writing ‘often provides sharp, sunlit moments of clarity or insight –
little conceptual epiphanies’ (Miles & Huberman, 1994: 74).
In NVivo a journal is a Memo, and it will always be available for modification as you are
working in the Project. You will be able to establish links (Memo Links and See Also Links)
from your written ideas to entire Files or to the specific passages which prompted those
thoughts. Additionally, you will be able to code the journal as you write it, making it easy

1.f.

Creating a journal
⇒ Ribbon: Create > Memo (Figure 1.10).

Figure 1.10 Creating a Memo to use as a journal

(Continued)

01_JACKSON_BAZELEY_3E_CH_01.indd 21 28/03/2019 2:15:13 PM

 22 QUALITATIVE DATA ANALYSIS WITH NVIVO

(Continued)

⇒ Name (provide a concise title)

⇒ Description (an optional, additional, brief overview of the Memo)
⇒ Colour (use as an optional strategy for grouping items, such as Memos about
methodology)
� OK / Done.

If you have a journal already started in a document outside of NVivo you can import it into
the Project:

⇒ Ribbon: Import / Data > Memos > Select the File > Open > Import.

If you are importing only one Memo, you will encounter the Memo Properties window
where you can rename, add a colour, etc. (this can also be done later through the Memo
Properties window) > OK / Done.

Journal writing, saving, closing, reopening and editing

⇒ Ribbon: Edit / Home > Insert > Insert Date/Time to keep track of the evolution of
your ideas (note the alternative shortcut keys: Ctrl / Cmd + Shift + T).
⇒ Ribbon: Edit / Home to adjust Format (colour), Style, etc.
⇒ Detail View: Write some ideas about your expectations for the Project or a list of
things to do next as you move forward with your design and analysis.
⇒ File / Menu bar: File > Save (although you do not need to save it before you close
the Memo, only before you close the Project).
⇒ Detail View: Select the X in your Memo tab (just above your date/time stamp) to
close the Memo.
⇒ Navigation View: in the Open Items list, Select the X to the right of the Memo to
close the Memo (see Figure 1.8).
⇒ To reopen the Memo:
� Navigation View: Notes > Memos.
� List View: Double-click on the Memo to re-open.
� Detail View: Click to edit with the blue bar just below the name of your
Memo / check box on the far right above your Memo > add more thoughts.

to retrieve the ideas you generate on any topic – and this is something you can do with
any other Memo or document you create within your Project. No more coloured tags
hanging off the sides of pages to help you find those insightful ideas. Perhaps the most
important advice is that it does not matter if the typing or the grammar is rough, as
long as you get the ideas down. Later, if you can discuss the ideas with a colleague, the
conversation is likely to strengthen your reflective thinking about the text and its inter-
pretation. Then you can clarify and augment your Memo. Consider coding your Memos
as well as coding your other data, to help sort your thoughts thematically and to keep
them at the forefront when you read coded data later. We will show you the basics of
coding in Chapter 3.

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 Where to begin? 23

Create a Map
We will show the various Maps, Graphs, and Charts available in NVivo as they become rel-
evant in each chapter. Sketching your ideas about your Project at this stage is a particular
form of journaling what you think it is you are asking or doing – great for those who prefer
to think and work visually, and beneficial even for those who sometimes struggle to work
visually. Maxwell (2013) argues strongly for creating an early concept map to help clarify the
conceptual framework or theoretical underpinning of a study. In NVivo, two different types
of Maps can be created to pursue this clarity:

• use a Concept Map when you want to visualize concepts or categories in your research
questions or theoretical framework and explore the possible links between them;
• use a Mind Map when you want to explore a main idea and visualize a hierarchy or
web of topics associated with that idea.

Maps can be used throughout your Project. In this chapter, we will use the Mind Map and the
Concept Map as you begin shaping your research. This is a way of reflecting on the assumptions
you bring to the Project as well as the concepts, relationships, or patterns you expect to find.
This helps clarify your research questions and plan your data collection. If you have already
collected data, the Maps can help you start tracking the ideas that are already emerging.
If you find it a struggle to develop a Map, then try some of Maxwell’s (2013: 62) suggestions:

• Think about the key words you use in talking about your topic, or in things you’ve
already written about your research.
• Take something you’ve already written (your research proposal, or a preliminary
literature review perhaps) and map the implicit theory within it.
• Ask someone to interview you about your topic, then listen to the tape and note the
terms used.

1.g.

Create a Mind Map (Figure 1.11)

⇒ Ribbon: Explore > Mind Map > Provide a Name for your Mind Map > OK / Done.
⇒ Detail View: Name your Main Idea for this Project.

Connect an Idea
⇒ Select the Idea you created (Main Idea) and add a Sibling or Child Idea to it.
� Use the icons in the Ribbon > Mind Map.
� Use the icons at the top of the Detail View.

Alternatively
⇒ With the main idea selected > Right-click > Insert Child Ideas > Name the idea.
(Continued)

01_JACKSON_BAZELEY_3E_CH_01.indd 23 28/03/2019 2:15:13 PM

 24 QUALITATIVE DATA ANALYSIS WITH NVIVO

(Continued)

⇒ Create a Sibling idea: Right-click on an idea > Insert Sibling Idea > Name the
idea.

To move an item from one branch to another:

⇒ Right-click > Cut > Right-click on the destination item > Paste.

Create a floating idea

⇒ Detail View: In the white space Right-click > Insert Floating Idea > Label the idea.
Floating ideas are used when there is not (yet) an obvious connection to the other
ideas.

Create Nodes from a Mind Map

⇒ Detail View: Click anywhere on white space to ensure the Detail View is active.
⇒ Ribbon: Mind Map > Create As Nodes or Cases > Select Location > Nodes > OK.
⇒ Detail View: At the top > Create as Nodes > Nodes > Select.

promotion

enjoyment

why?

curiosity

change the
Becoming a world
Researcher
scholarship?
time and
money to not
work
grants
what’s
needed
(how?)
training/
workshops
clues (how to
do it)
models/
mentors

Figure 1.11 Mind Map to launch the Researchers Project

01_JACKSON_BAZELEY_3E_CH_01.indd 24 28/03/2019 2:15:13 PM

 Where to begin? 25

Create a Concept Map (Figure 1.12)

⇒ Ribbon: Explore > Concept Map.
⇒ Provide a Name for your Concept Map > OK / Done.

The Detail View will open with a collection of Shapes and an empty workspace in which to
use them.

⇒ Detail View: Select a Shape and drag it to the workspace area to represent one of
your concepts or categories.

The Detail View will open with an empty workspace. At the top of the empty Map you will
find options to add Shape, Connector, and Project Item.

⇒ Click on Shape (sometimes this a is very small icon with no label just above the
empty space of the Map) to add one to the workspace area.
⇒ Double-click on the Shape to label it. You might want to use different Shapes to
represent different categories or theoretical concepts.
⇒ Add another Shape to the workspace, and label it. Add as many as you need to
capture all of your concepts.

Managing shapes and connections

To illustrate real or potential connections between concepts or categories, you can add
connecting lines between items.

⇒ Ribbon: Concept Map Tools > switch from Pointer to Connector / Select a Con-
nector from the menu above the Detail View.
⇒ Detail View: Select one item, then while holding the left mouse button, drag to
another item, to make a connection.

To change the type of Connector:

⇒ Select the Connector you want to change.
⇒ Ribbon: Change Connector /Detail View: Format pane: Connector > Select from
the drop-down options.

To rearrange items
⇒ Ribbon: Switch back to Pointer to rearrange items in your Concept Map.
⇒ Select any item and hold the left mouse button to drag the item.

Other options
Select any item or items in your Map, to change their colour and border.

⇒ Ribbon: Concept Map Tools > Format Shape / Detail View: Format Tab > Select
Fill, Border Colour, and Border Width to modify the appearance of the item.

If your mapping has prompted fresh thoughts about your Project, record those in your
Project journal. Maps can be copied and pasted into the Project journal, as well.

(Continued)

01_JACKSON_BAZELEY_3E_CH_01.indd 25 28/03/2019 2:15:13 PM

 26 QUALITATIVE DATA ANALYSIS WITH NVIVO

(Continued)

time resources
curiosity/
fascination
family with ideas
background opportunity

education/
training academic
motivates set priorities
researcher

collegial
environment
Motivation not enough
on its own – needs
pressure focus and supportive
or duty environment

Figure 1.12 Becoming a researcher: preliminary Concept Map

Import and reflect on a data item

Now you are ready to import and explore a document. Consider using any of the following:

• an article or report;
• notes from your reading;
• the text of a preliminary interview;
• field notes from a site visit;
• the transcript of (or notes from) a conversation about your research with a colleague or
your dissertation advisor or supervisor; or
• text from a web page.

We provide the types of Files that can be imported in the context of specific chapters,
but a complete list of the various formats for qualitative data that can be incorporated
into an NVivo Project can be found in the online resources (https://study.sagepub.com/
jackson3e). With the exception of YouTube videos (Chapter 10) and non-embedded audio
and video (Chapter 9), NVivo makes a copy of the Files when you import them. Changes
you make to the File in NVivo will not be reflected in the original, and changes in the origi-
nal will not update into the NVivo copy.
Text File types that can be imported include *.doc and *.docx (Word files), *.txt (text
files), *.rtf (rich text files), and *.pdf (portable data format files). If you use a pdf file at this
stage, make sure it is one that allows you to copy specific text onto your clipboard. Identify
a file or two that you are interested in importing, thinking through and writing about, and
make sure they are closed but accessible through your computer.

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 Where to begin? 27

1.h.

Importing and viewing a text-based document

⇒ Navigation View: Data > Files (to establish the location where the Files will import).
⇒ Ribbon: Import > Files / Data > Documents > Select the File(s) > Open > Import >
OK / Done.
⇒ List View: Double-click on the File to open in the Detail View.

Your first reading of a document should be rapid but purposeful, directed but not bound
by your research questions. The idea is to get a sense of the whole, so as you begin to iden-
tify specific points or issues in the data, you will see them in the context of the whole (see
Bazeley, 2013: chapter 4). Reading right through before you start coding is especially impor-
tant if it is some time since you gathered this particular item of data, or if your recent work
on it was piecemeal. Many people prefer to scribble on hard copy at this stage, on scrap
paper, or in a notebook, but there is a real advantage in making notes on the computer –
they do not get lost, and you have tools to help connect them with other Project items if
you wish.

Mark text with Annotations

As you read (or later, as you code) in NVivo, you might Annotate words or phrases in the
text. Annotations in NVivo are similar to a comments field or a footnote in Microsoft Word.
Whereas Memos are more useful for storing (often extensive) reflective thoughts and ideas
from the text, Annotations are useful for adding (usually brief) comments or reminders about
a particular segment of text. You might use them to:

• clarify an acronym;
• note the intonation of the voice at a point in the conversation;
• identify a translation or transcription problem;
• comment on some aspect of the discourse.

An Annotation in the
Environmental Change Project

In the Environmental Change study, Susan refers to herself as an ‘Islandberger’ in her

response to the first question in the interview. The researcher notes, with an Annotation,
that Susan has strong ties to both Harkers Island and Marshalberg, and that locals have
developed hybridized names to express these ties. Fellow researchers will therefore know
that they will not find ‘Islandberg’ in a list of nearby cities.

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 28 QUALITATIVE DATA ANALYSIS WITH NVIVO

1.i.

Annotating text
⇒ Detail View: Select a word or a few words in the passage to be Annotated (usually
short) > Right-click (on the highlighted text) > New Annotation.
⇒ A space for typing will open at the base of the Detail View (Figure 1.13).
⇒ A box will open in the Detail View.
⇒ Type your Annotation.
⇒ Detail View: Passages with an Annotation will be indicated with a blue highlight
(click anywhere in the Detail View to release your selection to see this).

Figure 1.13 Creating an Annotation (Windows)

To turn Annotations off or on

⇒ Ribbon: Document > check or uncheck Annotations.
� Detail View: Click anywhere in the blue highlighted text to see the matching
comment at the bottom of the screen; or
� Select the number next to a comment to see the associated blue highlight in
the text (which will turn a darker blue).
⇒ Detail View: At the top, select Annotations.
� Detail View: Click anywhere in the blue highlighted text to see the matching
comment; or
� Select a comment to see the associated blue highlight in the text (which will
turn a darker blue).

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 Where to begin? 29

Reflect on a specific File using a Memo Link

You can use a Memo to reflect on the data you imported, but, depending on the nature of
your data, you might also create a Memo that is linked to a particular File. This allows a quick
pathway between the File and the Memo (although, as an alternative, you could also develop
a naming scheme that simply allows you to find the Memo that is associated with a particular
File efficiently in the Navigation View). There are two key restrictions to note when using a
Memo Link:

• A Memo Link does not allow you to jump from a specific place in a Memo to a specific
place in a File.
• Each File in NVivo can be assigned only one Memo. A File and a Memo are
monogamous when it comes to a Memo Link.

These restrictions do not apply to a See Also Link (covered later).

Because a Memo Link will focus on a particular File, rather than on overarching concepts
or a list of things to do at another time, they have a different use, including:

• field notes generated during data collection about the participant whose File is
linked, such as unrecorded comments, observations, and debrief discussions with a
co-interviewer;
• a summary of the main points in the File, or notes about your overall impressions from
the File;
• thoughts about the meaning or significance of statements in this File such as
inconsistencies or unique metaphors.

Whether you decide to create a Memo for particular Files in your Project or simply use a
general journal will be a matter of methodological choice and/or pragmatic decision-making
and will vary from Project to Project. A link between a File and a Memo is not necessarily
useful for all Projects. For example, for data where responses are brief, it may be more useful
to record a summary of key issues for each File (or Case) in a single combined ‘issues’ journal,
and to use a separate journal for reflecting on what you are learning from various Cases and
for noting common themes to explore. For any Project dealing intensively with rich data
for a small sample, however, the Memo for each File becomes a valuable resource holding a
reminder of key points learned, interpretive thoughts, and ideas to follow up in later analyses.

1.j.

Creating a Memo Link to a File

⇒ Navigation View: Data > Files > Select a File > Right-click > Memo Link > Link to
New Memo.
⇒ Name the Memo > OK / Done.

(Continued)

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 30 QUALITATIVE DATA ANALYSIS WITH NVIVO

(Continued)
⇒ Date and time stamp your entry > Ctrl / Cmd + Shift + T.
⇒ Record your ideas about that File in the Memo and come back to it any time to
review and revisit your interpretations.
� List View: Select the File > Right-click > Memo Link > Open Linked Memo
(or Ctrl / Cmd + Shift + M).
� At the top of the Detail View: Click to Edit / Tick Edit if you want to edit/
augment your existing thoughts.

Link ideas with evidence, using a

See Also Link (Windows only)
Although the Memo Link provides quick access to your Memo, it does not link specific
ideas to specific passages. This extra specificity is available in one of our favourite tools,
the See Also Link. You can use this to jump to a specific place in a File from a location in
another File or Node (not available in the Mac). An additional bonus is that the File con-
taining the links can be exported to an MS Word document and the associated See Also
Links also export as endnotes in the document. This provides a far better solution than
copying and pasting text directly from a File into a Memo. Pasting text rather than linking
is problematic, because

• the segment has become disconnected from its identifying File and context;
• any coding on that text will be pasted as well, generating double retrievals when you
review the coding. (You can fairly easily Uncode all the coding from a Memo if this occurs.)

1.k.

Create, view, and export a See Also Link (Windows only)

Create a See Also Link
⇒ Read an interesting passage in a File that gives you an idea and Copy it (remember
it is now on your Clipboard as you do a few additional things).
⇒ Navigation View: Notes > Memos.
⇒ List View: Double-click on an existing Memo, such as your Project journal, to open
it > Select Click to edit at the top of the Detail View.
⇒ Detail View: Write your interpretation or idea in the Memo (Figure 1.14) > highlight
what you wrote (or a key phrase in your writing) > Right-click on this material >
Paste As See Also Link.

Viewing the See Also Link

⇒ After following the above instructions, click inside your Memo to release the black
highlight. The text associated with the See Also Link will now be highlighted in
pink. If you do not see the See Also Link at the bottom of your screen:
� Ribbon: Document > check the box next to See Also Links.

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 Where to begin? 31

Figure 1.14 Pasting a See Also Link (Windows only) to a specific location (in a File) from a specific
location (in a Memo)

⇒ When you do see the See Also Link at the bottom of the screen:
� Detail View: Double-click on the See Also Link at the bottom of your screen
to jump to the original location.

Exporting the Memo with its associated See Also Links

⇒ Detail View (or List View): Right-click in the Memo > (Export >) Export Memo >
select a location and rename it if you wish.
� under Related Content > Tick See Also Links.
� Tick Open on Export > OK.

A See Also Link identifies the File, provides context, and can be viewed or printed along
with the ideas you added in your Memo. This helps you pull together the argument you are
developing for your article, report, or thesis, along with quotes from the Files. Examples of
how you might apply the See Also Link include:

• Link interpretation of text to the passage that gave rise to the interpretation. In the
Environmental Change Project, this is evident when interpretations of what it means to
be local (in the Local identity and knowledge Memo) are linked to what was said in
interviews.
• Identify questions or issues that you want to return to later. In the Environmental
Change Project this is evident in the EDR Research Journal (a Memo written by Effie).
If you open this Memo, you will find a See Also Link connected to a portion of the
interview with Thomas, where community newcomers are referred to as ‘dingbatters’.

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 32 QUALITATIVE DATA ANALYSIS WITH NVIVO

Effie wants to return to this later to examine whether the designation should become a
node or not.
• Use the capacity to create a See Also Link from one passage to another in the same
document to point up contradictions in a narrative, or where one passage provides an
explanation for or expansion of the other.
• Create a See Also Link where the transcript illustrates something you read in the
literature. Link from that transcript to the relevant material in a reference document,
such as a passage in a pdf article you imported.
• Communicate with and respond to other team members. In the Environmental Change
Project you will find an entry in the WWS Research Journal on 6/4/2010 where Wanda is
responding to an observation Henry made in his HGP Research Journal.
• Eliminate the need to repeatedly articulate processes or protocols by adding See Also
Links to point to where they have been described and/or used. In the Environmental
Change Project, the Project protocol memo contains such a link dated 5/15/2010 to the
location where Wanda explains the process she used for assigning pseudonyms.
• Link across documents to build a sequentially ordered picture of an event or a life
history through the eyes of one or more tellers, or to trace an evolving idea or saga.
When a See Also Link is accessed, the linked item is opened with the selected passage
highlighted. That passage might contain another link, allowing a further link in the
web of ideas you created.

Connecting across your Project — more on See Also Links

There are two types of See Also Links, and each does something slightly different. The first
and most commonly used way of creating a See Also Link is to select a passage of text or part
of a media file, copy it, then paste it elsewhere as a See Also Link – as described above. Use this
method when you are linking a specific portion of one File to a specific portion of another
File. The second way of creating a See Also Link (which is also only available in Windows) is
to link a whole Project item to an anchor at a specific location within a File or a Memo. We
do not see this used as often, but it could be useful to you.
Create links in your Memos to whole Files, Nodes, or Project Maps to illustrate or provide
evidence for what you are reflecting on in the Memo. For example, when you have explored
an association within your data using a Query, write about what you discovered in a Memo
with a link to the Node that contains the stored Query Results.

1.l.

Creating a See Also Link to a whole Project item (Windows only)

⇒ Detail View: Select text to act as an anchor for the See Also Link > Right-click >
Links > See Also Link > New See Also Link.
� From > shows the File name for the content you just selected.
� To > provides options of existing items > Select > OK > OK.

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 Where to begin? 33

⇒ The anchoring text will be highlighted in pink to indicate the presence of a linked
item, and a tab in the Detail View, below the text of your File, will indicate the name
and location of the linked item.
⇒ View See Also Links as described earlier. If you export a copy of the File, it will
provide the name and location of the linked item for this type of See Also Link, but
not the content (because it is linked to an entire item).

Connecting beyond your Project — Hyperlinks

Perhaps your interviewee referred to a report that is online, or to an ongoing blog; the group
discussion was based around a book or video; or there is a cross-reference from an article you
have imported to one that is on file but which you are not importing into your Project. For
such situations, Hyperlinks allow you to make direct connections from a specific location
within a File to items that are not in the Project (online data or any digitally stored material
on your computer), such as books or reports, pictures, web pages, video or audio files. You
can also use Hyperlinks to link from your journal to records of meetings with advisors, emails
from colleagues, and other sources of influence on your developing thinking as well, as part
of an audit trail for the Project.

1.m.

Create and view a Hyperlink

⇒ Detail View: Click to edit / Tick Edit > Select the text that will be an anchor for
the link > Right-click > Links > Hyperlink > New Hyperlink and select one of the
following options:
� Enter a URL in the window; or
� Browse your filing system for the object to be linked.
⇒ OK.
⇒ To open the Hyperlink, use one of the following options on the underlined blue
text that marks the anchor for the link:
� Ctrl / Cmd + click; or
� Right-click > Links > Hyperlink > Open Hyperlink.

Saving and backing up your Project

Save your Project periodically as you work. Of course, you should always save as you exit
the Project as well. For safety, you should create backup copies as you work. Our recommen-
dation is to make a backup on your working computer at the end of each day’s work, and
to copy that to another medium (a disk, memory stick, server, or cloud that is independent
of that computer) on a regular basis. You might also want to retain copies from impor-
tant transition points, for example, before and after a major restructure, before and after

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 34 QUALITATIVE DATA ANALYSIS WITH NVIVO

combining the work of team members, or when you’ve developed key Maps or understand-
ings of the Project. These copies will help you write up the methods section of your final
product. They can also help you communicate about how your ideas developed and thus
help convince a reader about the legitimacy of your findings.

1.n.

Backing up after you close your Project

⇒ Go into Windows Explorer or your File Manager / Go to Finder > Copy the Project >
Paste into a backup folder and rename or add a date to the backup.
⇒ Windows users might want to match the Title with File (or Path) name (Chapter 11,
pp. 327—328).

Backing up your Project while you are working in NVivo (Windows only)
⇒ File: Save.
⇒ File: Copy Project.
⇒ The Copy window identifies the Project you are in and that is about to be
copied.
⇒ The Copy to window allows you to select a version for your copy.
⇒ The Location window allows you to rename the copy
� We use an international date format (year-month-day) added to the name, so
they sort in date order (from oldest to newest).
� Identify a location place for the copy, and we recommend an external drive.
Remember, however, you should never open and work on a Project on an
external drive unless you are using NVivo for Teams.
� Windows users might want to match the Title with File (or Path) name
(Chapter 11, pp. 327—328).

Be aware that in the process of copying your Project, NVivo will copy your Project but then
return you to the original. In contrast to Save As (in Microsoft Word and many other pro-
grams), you do not end up in the copy at the end of the procedure.

SECTION 1.4: CHAPTER 1 TAKEAWAYS

Key points from this chapter

{{ It is important to think about ways technologies and that these tech-

NVivo can follow your methodologi- nologies also influence society and
cal choices rather than lead them. culture. To accept this view means
{{ We believe that society and cul- accepting that our qualitative work
ture influence the construction of is sometimes influenced by NVivo.

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 Where to begin? 35

{{ Start using the tools in NVivo that • Memos

are designed to help you think before • Links
you start coding:
{{ Establish a consistent process for
• Maps saving your Project and creating
clearly named backups.

Tips, challenges, and warnings

• Do not work on an external drive unless you have NVivo Server.
• Save and create backups regularly.
• If you rush through the process of writing and thinking you will end up with a messy
journal that is likely to be hard for you to understand.
• Start using NVivo early in your research so you can learn the tools gradually and
without as much pressure.
• If you are a visual thinker, use Maps to sort through your ideas.
• Whenever you are not sure what to do or where to look for an action when you are
working in NVivo, a context-sensitive menu can be accessed by right-clicking in the
Navigation View, List View, and Detail View.
• Mac users are encouraged to use one of the following options to enable a right-click:
� Purchase an external mouse with a right-click option.
� In your System Preferences, configure your ‘Secondary click’ to engage as a right-
click with one of three options: Click or tap with two fingers, Click on bottom
right corner, or Click on bottom left corner.
� Press Control (Ctrl) + click to access right-click options. This works for a 1-button
mouse, MacBook trackpad, or with the built-in button on the standalone Apple
Trackpad.

• See Chapter 11, pp. 324–326 if you want to set up User profile and Password protection.

Videos and online resources (https://study.sagepub.com/

jackson3e)
Videos
• ‘Primer for following the click instructions’ (Mac, Windows)
• ‘Orientation to the NVivo interface’ (Mac, Windows)
• ‘The main tools in NVivo’ (Mac, Windows)

Help files
• File: Help.
• Menu bar: Help > NVivo Help.

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 36 QUALITATIVE DATA ANALYSIS WITH NVIVO

Search for any of the following:

• Concept maps
• Create a new project
• Explore the sample project
• Links
• Memos
• Mind maps
• Save and copy projects
• Using NVivo

Practice questions
1 How do you think the software might lead you? Articulate the circumstances in which
this might be a good/bad thing.
2 Think about the theoretical framework(s) that underpin your research. Try creating a
Concept Map to visualize them.
3 What kinds of Memos (or topics within Memos) are likely to help you with your
research?
4 What topics, themes, and patterns do you anticipate finding in your work? Create a
Mind Map to diagram them, then turn the ideas into Nodes. Or, create a Memo and
write about them, linking to available material (e.g., literature) when available.

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