[04] Qualitative Research & Digital Humanities (DH)
In this functional group, we bring together specialized software for computer-assisted qualitative data analysis (CAQDAS). Whether you want to transcribe, code, annotate, or visualize geographic data—here you’ll find the right tools for your term paper or research project.
The software in this group is installed on our pool computers and is also available for free (as open source) for your home computer in some cases.
Getting Started: Qualitative Data Analysis (OER Tip)
Still looking for the right tool for your project? Before investing in complex commercial licenses, we recommend taking a look at powerful open-source alternatives. This recording of a live session offers a perfect, practical overview of the Taguette and QualCoder programs. It demonstrates how easy it is to perform thematic coding of text, image, or audio data—even without prior knowledge:
An Overview of Our Software Selection
Whisper AI (AI Transcription)
Transcribing interviews is extremely time-consuming. With our local installation of Whisper AI, you can convert your audio and video files into text fully automatically and in compliance with the GDPR. The finished transcripts can then be imported directly into tools such as MAXQDA or QualCoder.
➤ Click here for step-by-step instructions & video tutorial: How to use Whisper
MAXQDA 12
MAXQDA is one of the leading programs for qualitative and mixed-methods data analysis. It supports you in analyzing texts, images, audio/video files, and websites.
Note: MAXQDA is licensed software and is available exclusively on select computers (see Software Overview).
QualCoder & Taguette (Open Source)
The perfect free alternatives to MAXQDA. QualCoder offers extensive options for coding multimedia data and texts. Taguette is particularly beginner-friendly and focuses on the simple, distraction-free coding of text documents. Both programs are ideal for homework assignments to accompany the seminar.
ELAN & EXMARaLDA (Open Source)
These highly specialized tools are primarily designed for linguistics. ELAN is the standard tool for creating complex, temporally precise annotations of audio and video streams (e.g., for sign language or gesture research). EXMARaLDA is used to create and analyze score transcriptions of spoken communication.
QGIS Desktop (Open Source)
For projects in the field of digital humanities that have a spatial component: QGIS is a powerful geographic information system (GIS) for viewing, editing, and spatially analyzing geographic data.
If you have any methodological or technical questions about these tools, please feel free to contact the Media Network: computerpools-hf@uni-koeln.de