Comments on: Can NVivo Qualitative Empirical Software Help Manage Oceans Of Research? http://www.concurringopinions.com/archives/2007/02/can_nvivo_quali.html The Law, the Universe, and Everything Tue, 14 Feb 2012 05:18:12 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: Rick http://www.concurringopinions.com/archives/2007/02/can_nvivo_quali.html/comment-page-1#comment-55475 Rick Thu, 13 Mar 2008 05:43:22 +0000 http://www.solove.org/archives/2007/02/can-nvivo-qualitative-empirical-software-help-manage-oceans-of-research.html#comment-55475 I'm a bit behind the times, but this post was most interesting. I've been looking for recent comparative reviews of Nvivo, TAMS, and Atlas.ti. So am I right in thinking that TAMS falls behind only in approachability, rather than functionality? I’m a bit behind the times, but this post was most interesting. I’ve been looking for recent comparative reviews of Nvivo, TAMS, and Atlas.ti. So am I right in thinking that TAMS falls behind only in approachability, rather than functionality?

]]> By: John http://www.concurringopinions.com/archives/2007/02/can_nvivo_quali.html/comment-page-1#comment-55474 John Sat, 03 Feb 2007 07:40:27 +0000 http://www.solove.org/archives/2007/02/can-nvivo-qualitative-empirical-software-help-manage-oceans-of-research.html#comment-55474 Jason, good point. By the way, TAMS has some terrific features, including some advantages over NVivo when handling multiple researchers coding up documents. The only downside of TAMS is that, compared to NVivo, it's not particularly intuitive or user-friendly for first-time users of qualitative research applications. If the goal is to turn legal scholars and other folks on to the benefits of this kind of tool, then I wouldn't start off with TAMS. I'm not sure if giving quantitative data analysis analogies helps, but... sending someone off to use TAMS for their first taste of qualitative data analysis is a bit like sending them off to use R for their first taste of quantitative data analysis. Or LaTex as someone's first word processor. Anyhow, just thought I'd toss in that caveat in case any blog readers tried TAMS and weren't initially taken with how useful this kind of app can be. Jason, good point.

By the way, TAMS has some terrific features, including some advantages over NVivo when handling multiple researchers coding up documents. The only downside of TAMS is that, compared to NVivo, it’s not particularly intuitive or user-friendly for first-time users of qualitative research applications. If the goal is to turn legal scholars and other folks on to the benefits of this kind of tool, then I wouldn’t start off with TAMS.

I’m not sure if giving quantitative data analysis analogies helps, but… sending someone off to use TAMS for their first taste of qualitative data analysis is a bit like sending them off to use R for their first taste of quantitative data analysis. Or LaTex as someone’s first word processor.

Anyhow, just thought I’d toss in that caveat in case any blog readers tried TAMS and weren’t initially taken with how useful this kind of app can be.

]]> By: Jason http://www.concurringopinions.com/archives/2007/02/can_nvivo_quali.html/comment-page-1#comment-55473 Jason Fri, 02 Feb 2007 15:35:20 +0000 http://www.solove.org/archives/2007/02/can-nvivo-qualitative-empirical-software-help-manage-oceans-of-research.html#comment-55473 TAMS Analyzer also works on Linux, I found out - I'm installing it as I type this. TAMS Analyzer also works on Linux, I found out – I’m installing it as I type this.

]]> By: John http://www.concurringopinions.com/archives/2007/02/can_nvivo_quali.html/comment-page-1#comment-55472 John Fri, 02 Feb 2007 08:18:19 +0000 http://www.solove.org/archives/2007/02/can-nvivo-qualitative-empirical-software-help-manage-oceans-of-research.html#comment-55472 I often use NVivo for my social science research, and I'm surprised that legal scholars and litigators don't use it more often. Aside from its research purposes, it can make for a great document and information manager. By the way, there are other options out there too. While I prefer NVivo, Atlas.TI is another handy application if you want to directly code up multimedia files. There's also TAMS Analyzer for Macs, which is a bit rougher, but free. (NVivo and Atlas.Ti are Windows apps, though they both run just fine on Intel Macs doing Windows emulation). I often use NVivo for my social science research, and I’m surprised that legal scholars and litigators don’t use it more often. Aside from its research purposes, it can make for a great document and information manager.

By the way, there are other options out there too. While I prefer NVivo, Atlas.TI is another handy application if you want to directly code up multimedia files. There’s also TAMS Analyzer for Macs, which is a bit rougher, but free. (NVivo and Atlas.Ti are Windows apps, though they both run just fine on Intel Macs doing Windows emulation).

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