Digital Tools for Qualitative Research

Digital Tools for Qualitative Research shows how the research process in its entirety can be supported by technology tools in ways that can save time and add robustness and depth to qualitative work. It addresses the use of a variety of tools (many of which may already be familiar to you) to support every phase of the research process, providing practical case studies taken from real world research.

The text shows you how to select and use technology tools to:

• engage in reflexivity
• collaborate with other researchers and stakeholders
• manage your project
• do your literature review
• generate and manage your data
• transcribe and analyse textual, audio and visual data
• and represent and share your findings.

The book also considers important ethical issues surrounding the use of various technologies in each chapter. On the companion website, you′ll find lots of additional resources including video tutorials and activities.

Whether you′re a novice or expert social researcher, this book will inspire you to think creatively about how to approach your research project and get the most out of the huge range of tools available to you.

Trena M. Paulus, Ph.D. is a professor in the Research Division of Family Medicine, Quillen College of Medicine, East Tennessee State University. She is affiliate faculty with the Applied Social Research Laboratory at ETSU where she works in the areas of research support and innovation for the university. She is a co-author of Digital Tools for Qualitative Research (SAGE) and Looking for Insight Transformation and Learning in Online Talk (Routledge). Dr. Paulus has published over 70 peer-reviewed journal articles and numerous book chapters focused on the intersection of technology and qualitative research, online learning and teaching, and language-based research methodologies. She has recently has co-edited special issues on these topics in Qualitative Inquiry, The Qualitative Report and the Journal of Pragmatics, which won the Neal R. Norrick special issue award. She is a certified professional trainer for ATLAS.ti.

Jessica Lester is a Professor of Inquiry Methodology in the School of Education at Indiana University, Bloomington. Having been trained in cultural studies and qualitative research methodology, she takes an interdisciplinary approach to her scholarship, including both the methodological and substantive foci of her research program.

In her methodological work, Lester focuses on the study of language-based methods, digital tools in qualitative research, and disability in qualitative inquiry. Her substantive research has focused on examining interactional practices in clinical and educational contexts that involve children and youth.

Lester has received numerous awards for her scholarship, among them the 2014 AERA Division D Early Career Award in Measurement and Research Methodology, the 2018 APA Distinguished Early Career Contributions in Qualitative Inquiry Award, and the 2022 American Educational Studies Association Critics’ Choice Book Award. At Indiana University, Lester teaches qualitative methods courses and was recently recognized by the 2022 Gorman Distinguished Teaching Award. 

Paul Dempster is an applied  health researcher who specialises in qualitative research. He is particularly interested in CAQDAS methods and has taught internationally on their use. He is a consultant methodologist for Transana at the University of Wisconsin and works for the NHS in Newcastle.