Using Software in Qualitative Research: A Step-by-Step Guide

What strikes this reviewer about Using Software is the authors’ stated view that “using software is a creative process since qualitative software packages […] are inherently flexible”. Had someone told me this when I was a beginning researcher, I might have come in from the cold much earlier than I did. The recognition of flexibility highlights the authors’ approach throughout the volume, which can be characterized as a gentle yet comprehensive guide (when used with the companion website) to the various software packages of use for qualitative data analysis – that’s right, NVivo is not the only game in town. In fact, in addition to NVivo Silver and Lewins cover six more software packages: ATLAS.ti, Dedoose, HyperRESEARCH, MAXQDA, QDA Miner and Transana.

Fourteen chapters, 67 figures, 41 tables, analytic notes, case notes and functionality notes in 355 pages – clearly this guide requires tenacity and patience, but the gain is well worth the pain. To ease the latter, Silver and Lewins organize the book very practically, with Chapters 1-3 essentially introducing the field by discussing qualitative data analysis “[…] in the context of CAQDAS use and discussing some of the main types of analysis that can be supported by them”. Also covered are ways in which CAQDAS packages can be employed in research projects, as well as an overview of the seven packages discussed in the book.

The remaining chapters (4-14) then form the “step-by-step” guide of the subtitle. Here Silver and Lewins display their deep knowledge of Computer Assisted Qualitative Data AnalysiS (CAQDAS) in each chapter, as well as their clarity of purpose in presenting this text. The chapters are arranged in a sequence that replicates the way in which one actually engages in CAQDAS, starting with data and their preparation, then on to data handling, coding, retrieval, writing, idea mapping, organising and interrogating the data. In each chapter the writing is clear and lucid, which makes for ease of learning; but more than this, the functionality notes and case notes help draw together key ideas into straightforward summaries, and the tables and figures always bear study because of their clarity and direct relevance to the chapter content (not something that can always be said about graphics).

As one who has spent years trying to guide research students through the complexities of qualitative data collection and analysis, I can assure readers that this is definitely a gold-standard text that every qualitative researcher should be able to access. The icing on the cake is the companion website at www.uk.sagepub.com/silverlewins2e, which is a model of excellence that one hopes will be updated and embellished by the authors on a regular basis.