Using Computers in Qualitative Research

Book excerpt: This is a comprehensive assessment of recent developments in the use of computers in qualitative research, an increasingly important and rapidly growing area of interest among social scientists and graduate students. Using Computers in Qualitative Research profiles and compares the principal programs available, identifying their particular strengths and limitations. It outlines the sorts of research problems that existing and forthcoming software can and cannot handle. The contributors also draw on their experiences of teaching computer-based techniques to suggest ways in which these could be incorporated into research methods training. [Reprinted with updated information on computer resources, 1992]