Data Analysis: Qualitative Analysis

Please note:

• UC San Diego does not provide campus-wide access or licenses to any qualitative data analysis (QDA) software.
• The Library does not provide support for the platforms listed below. 

NYU Libraries has an excellent table comparing QDA tools with details about what file types can be imported and exported, as well as information about where data is stored and how team collaboration can be implemented.

Licensed QDA software with student pricing:

• ATLAS.ti
  • Undergraduate, graduate and doctoral students can apply for a specially priced license type to use the unrestricted program version of ATLAS.ti in their degree studies.
• NVivo
  • Student licenses available.
• MAXQDA
  • Student licenses can only be purchased by students or Ph.D. candidates.
• Dedoose
  • Has a monthly subscription plan for students.

Free QDA software options:

• Taguette is a free and open-source qualitative research tool (which works on all operating systems!) that allows users to:
  • Import PDFs, Word Docs (.docx), Text files (.txt), HTML, EPUB, MOBI, Open Documents (.odt), and Rich Text Files (.rtf).
  • Highlight words, sentences, or paragraphs and tag them with the codes you create.
  • Work collaboratively with other users (if self-hosting or using app.taguette.org).
  • Your data stays your own; export everything including your project, highlights, documents, and codes.
• QualCoder is a free, open source desktop software for qualitative data analysis.
  • QualCoder license allows you to use the software regardless of where you work or on what computer it is installed on.
  •  It runs on Linux, Windows and macOS, this means that you do not have to worry if you change operating systems, and it also means you can collaborate with colleagues on different platforms.