Research tools: software & utilities Archive

Free software, applications, utilities and smart ideas for grad students.

  • A tool to generate conceptually related set of words for content analysis Wordnet is a lexical database maintained by Princeton university.  It is described as: “WordNet® is a large lexical database of English, developed under the direction of George A. Miller. Nouns, verbs, adjectives and adverbs are grouped into sets of cognitive synonyms (synsets), each expressing a distinct concept. Synsets are interlinked by means of conceptual-semantic and lexical relations. The resulting network of meaningfully related words and concepts can be navigated with the browser” When we with to do autocoding with NVivo or other qualitative research (or content analysis) software,...

    Using Wordnet lexical database with content analysis software

    Posted on February 14, 2007 | 2 Comments
    A tool to generate conceptually related set of words for content analysis Wordnet is a lexical database maintained by Princeton university.  It is described as: “WordNet® is a large lexical database of English, developed under the direction of George A. Miller. Nouns, verbs, adjectives and adverbs are grouped into sets of cognitive synonyms (synsets), each expressing a distinct concept. Synsets are interlinked by means of conceptual-semantic and lexical relations. The resulting network of meaningfully related words and concepts can be navigated with the browser” When we with to do autocoding with NVivo or other qualitative research (or content analysis) software,...

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  • NVivo Rating: 4 out of 5 I started using NVivo – a qualitative research and content analysis software – last year when I worked on a content analysis project. NVivo’s purposes are simple – it allows us to assemble different documents (including pictures) and code them. The codes can be arranged in a hierarchy or individually. While most coding is manual, some of it can be automated (see below). The best part of NVivo is that it allows us to review contents carrying a particular code with ease. For example, I was looking at newspaper articles on contracting and wanted...

    NVivo: Useful content analysis tool

    Posted on February 14, 2007 | 3 Comments
    NVivo Rating: 4 out of 5 I started using NVivo – a qualitative research and content analysis software – last year when I worked on a content analysis project. NVivo’s purposes are simple – it allows us to assemble different documents (including pictures) and code them. The codes can be arranged in a hierarchy or individually. While most coding is manual, some of it can be automated (see below). The best part of NVivo is that it allows us to review contents carrying a particular code with ease. For example, I was looking at newspaper articles on contracting and wanted...

    Continue Reading...

  • Visualising ones ideas is a great way to think through complex issues or arguments. Here are three free utilities to put our ideas into neat pictures Last year I used a mind-mapping software called FreeMind productively. Mind maps start with a simple core from which one can have multiple nodes that lead to multiple nodes and so on. Free mind allows the user to link different nodes, make comments on certain nodes, link them to files, insert a number of images, etc. Last year I did a course on Social Movement Theory. Towards the end of the semester a friend...

    Visualise ideas with Mind Maps, Concept Maps and Diagraming tools

    Posted on February 4, 2007 | No Comments
    Visualising ones ideas is a great way to think through complex issues or arguments. Here are three free utilities to put our ideas into neat pictures Last year I used a mind-mapping software called FreeMind productively. Mind maps start with a simple core from which one can have multiple nodes that lead to multiple nodes and so on. Free mind allows the user to link different nodes, make comments on certain nodes, link them to files, insert a number of images, etc. Last year I did a course on Social Movement Theory. Towards the end of the semester a friend...

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  • It’s easy to import citations from Google Scholar into Refworks. In order to do this go to “scholar preferences”, a link you will find next to the search box and at the bottom of that page you will find an entry called “Bibliography Manager”. In this, select Refworks (I often end-up choosing a similar sounding thing called “Refman”, take care). Once you save the perferences, you will find a link called “import to refworks” below each search result. The rest is one click away. This though is not entirely trouble free since logging into Refworks should be done only through...

    Using Refworks with Google Scholar

    Posted on January 28, 2007 | 2 Comments
    It’s easy to import citations from Google Scholar into Refworks. In order to do this go to “scholar preferences”, a link you will find next to the search box and at the bottom of that page you will find an entry called “Bibliography Manager”. In this, select Refworks (I often end-up choosing a similar sounding thing called “Refman”, take care). Once you save the perferences, you will find a link called “import to refworks” below each search result. The rest is one click away. This though is not entirely trouble free since logging into Refworks should be done only through...

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  • Refworks Rating: 4 out of 5 Manage citations, create bibliographies quick & easy in any format you want (MLA, APA, Chicago, etc.) and keep references organised Note: There is an easier way to cite and it’s free.  Check out my note on Zotero citation tool. I have been using Refworks since six months with great satisfaction. It is perhaps one of the most useful and time saving utilities for graduate students working on research papers. The software has two broad components: (1) Database of our references to organise and manage references (2) Utility for easily adding citations to papers that...

    Manage citations and bibliography with Refworks

    Posted on January 28, 2007 | 2 Comments
    Refworks Rating: 4 out of 5 Manage citations, create bibliographies quick & easy in any format you want (MLA, APA, Chicago, etc.) and keep references organised Note: There is an easier way to cite and it’s free.  Check out my note on Zotero citation tool. I have been using Refworks since six months with great satisfaction. It is perhaps one of the most useful and time saving utilities for graduate students working on research papers. The software has two broad components: (1) Database of our references to organise and manage references (2) Utility for easily adding citations to papers that...

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  • Currently the bibliography is primarily around ethnography.  In a few weeks I should be adding texts on other methods including case studies, discourse analysis, etc. I’ve included some reviews in the book review section. My other bibliographies can be seen under the bibliography category. Atkinson, Robert. “Life Story Interviewing.” in Handbook of Interview Research : Context & Method., Edited by Jaber F. Gubrium, James A. Holstein. Thousand Oaks, Calif.: Sage Publications, 2002. Charmaz, Kathy. “Grounded Theory.” in Contemporary Field Research : Perspectives and Formulations., Edited by Robert M. Emerson. 2nd ed. Prospect Heights, Ill.: Waveland Press, 2001. Dey, Ian. Grounding...

    Bibliography: Qualitative research

    Posted on September 15, 2006 | No Comments
    Currently the bibliography is primarily around ethnography.  In a few weeks I should be adding texts on other methods including case studies, discourse analysis, etc. I’ve included some reviews in the book review section. My other bibliographies can be seen under the bibliography category. Atkinson, Robert. “Life Story Interviewing.” in Handbook of Interview Research : Context & Method., Edited by Jaber F. Gubrium, James A. Holstein. Thousand Oaks, Calif.: Sage Publications, 2002. Charmaz, Kathy. “Grounded Theory.” in Contemporary Field Research : Perspectives and Formulations., Edited by Robert M. Emerson. 2nd ed. Prospect Heights, Ill.: Waveland Press, 2001. Dey, Ian. Grounding...

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