Activity scenarios for a new research project

Exercises

1. A methodical approach to literature review
...
Under "SOURCES/Internals" create a "new folder" and name it "Reading List" or "Literature Review"
Add new internal source by dragging a reading (pdf or other file type) into the "Reading List" folder
Code the new source "Code>Code Sources at Existing Node"...
In my case I have a reading lists node with three child nodes (below) that I can use to track what I've read and what I haven't read.

Use Node codes to track my reading to-do list

I find it easier on my screen to configure "View>Detail View>On Right" rather than the default "On Bottom".

My preferred layout arrangement is the one on the right...

Then, for each source, create at least one "Memo"; e.g. "Links>Memo Link>Link to New Memo". But the memo can only be linked to one (or none) source. If confused check the NVivo help item with nice diagram (copied below)...

"Each source or node can have one memo linked to it and that memo cannot be linked to any other item. You can also have memos that are not linked to any item" (link).

Nvivo at UCD

The software is available to members of the institution through virtualisation servers.
The old approach was via Citrix client (for both Windows and OS X users) "link"
The new approach is via Application Jukebox client (only Windows users) "link"
Both require a UCD Connect userid and password to use.
Both suffer from latency delay issues so don't expect a snappy response, wait a while and the application should run ok (sooner or later).

Nvivo Exercises

Notes after attending Ben Meehan's "Nvivo; Analysing your Data" course

• Create Phase folders in the Nodes area to capture the state of the codes at different phases.
• From initial readings develop an initial coding framework. 
• Add the initial coding framework, i.e. add 'nodes' you anticipate using to code your data.
• Gather your Interviews or transcripts in word. Formatting may be used for later auto-coding ('noding'). Applying Header 1 for several standard structured questions (closed or open), and can also apply Header 1 for the completely open ended unstructured lines of questioning. Could also use Header 1 for categorical data, structural data, attributes (e.g. male, female, rural, urban, highest qualification, age range).
• Internal Sources. Add your transcripts, interviews and other data sources as separate files (word documents), ie. imported as internal documents. Organise them into separate folders or not. Folder structure might mimic the structure you've used in a file system. 
• Alternatively you can include them as External Sources. The problem with external sources is that you lose the in-system coding and analysis capability. In this case the actual external source isn't accessible, rather the file/object you add to your Nvivo project is what is used for coding. So you'll need to add your own description or copy/paste some of the data in order to enable node coding and query/search etc.
• Refine and develop the nodes/codes after each phase of coding.
• Annotations are a bit hard to dig out but they are 'findable' via the query. Recommend using a keyword at the beginning of each annotation so that you can retrieve them all quickly. This is particularly handy if you use annotations as a place for developing ideas and your own writing.
• Memos are a kind of 'next step' beyond 'annotations' for your own writing. Memos are handy in terms of being part of the Nvivo interface, they can be organised, subsetted and otherwise subject to global query/search coding/noding etc.
• Memos are for secondary materials that you develop yourself. I use them as the starting point for my written analysis.
• Classifications are a mechanism for associating categorical data, usually categories from tabulations (see above). A classification would match categorical/quantitative values with associated interview/observation or otherwise less structured matching data; done via a matching key as unique data index.
• Query/search is a mechanism for more mechanical questioning of your data. Sifting motivated by defined questioning that can be expressed in terms of more and more complex search queries. Can use boolean and search logic to build up queries. Query/searches can be saved. Results of query/search can also be saved as 'coded' nodes, or as 'Collection' sets. 
• Collection sets are more static versions or results from the data. They aren't usually incorporated into future query/search or dynamic node logic.

Magic step: interview files with same name as index in categorical excel 'table' can be automatically 'joined'. 

Adding Sources: (link)
Adding a new internal.
Q: Can I format the internal within Nvivo Mac? For example, add heading1, heading2 to structure the document or should I do this kind of formatting before bringing it into Nvivo Mac?
A: When in edit mode, click on the 'home' tab and use the 'styles' group. (link)

Nvivo User Group - Intro

This is a starting point for my own NVivo usage. It might be used as a kernel for a local NVivo User Group (NUG).

You work NVivo by assigning attributes to data, linking comments or memos with data, categorising, modelling, searching.
It is a partially recursive and continuous process that eventually reaches saturation.
Using the tool this way embodies the essence of grounded theory, that is, concepts and ideas are grounded in, emerge from, engagement with the field and what we identify as evidence (often misunderstood as data).

NVivo is a rather open ended platform for doing this, particularly as it allows for native annotation of various kinds/types/sources of evidentiary traces. Again, I'm avoiding the term "data".

I am not going to describe NVivo, the menus, ribbon, mechanics of accessing particular functions or any other product feature walk-through stuff. The training courses I've taken were organised just like this, more about using NVivo that carrying out research. So, no boring disconnected stuff like: creating/opening/saving projects, familiarity with the workspace, adding material, nodes, coding with nodes, adding memos and annotations, importing and analysing spreadsheets (i.e. surveys and demographics), framework matrices, queries collections and search, charts, and reports.
For a functional view of how NVivo works review the getting started guides listed below or search for others.

What I am going to describe is some basic research workflow or work-activity that just happens to be performed using NVivo.

Activity scenarios for a historical research project

Exercises

1. Having found a new primary source document: a large scanned report of around 100Mb pdf...

Add a reference to the document as an 'external' source

Open this new element and write out a skeletal structure, table of contents etc, as a backbone to add your own (indirect) coding (nodes and memos).

2. Having found a new primary source document: a page on a newspaper's website...

Click on the NCapture widget from the browser.

Choose between article as pdf or webpage as pdf. Supposedly selects between downloading a representation of the whole webpage versus the bare article. Expect it to generate a file up to 5Mb or more depending on how much content is captured.

I only use this if I'm feeling lazy or if the whole document is interesting, including ad placements etc.

3. Importing NCaptured pages into the project

Select Data>NCapture. NVivo monitors NCapture downloads and offers of list of them for you to import.

4. How do I how to go about 'folding' a new item into the research?

Add memos, link them to nodes, edit the memos again and again...

Talking point: Why bother linking a memo with a source item or a node?

Hmm, I'm not really sure why we're limited to one memo 'link'. It means a 'memo' is a kind of floating annotation. A 'link' in NVivo seems to be used for a special, unique relationship. However you can use 'node coding' for multiple relationships between the memo, but not directly to source items (internals or externals). In that case you've got to go 'through' an intermediate 'node' relationship...

Talking point: While coding (linking to nodes) a new item I notice a theme emerging

I can make annotations in-line, but annotations are local to the document. What I'm thinking of is a new global item, a memo.

So make a new memo, give it a meaningful title, and edit it to start building up the idea of this theme.

However don't forget to link it back to the coded (noded) passage in the item I was working on before...

For me memos are kernels of analysis and argument that eventual evolve into my research paper. A scrapbook of partially thought-through ideas the I'll copy/paste into a working article.

Talking point: Adding a document to the project.

First problem, should I add it as an internal or an external? It depends.
If the document is a huge digital object (100s of Mb or Gb in size) or unreadable by NVivo then use external.
If it is small and readable (e.g. text, pdf, jpg, mp3, mp4, etc) then use internal.
Internal is generally better because you can create in-place links (i.e. hyperlinks) between parts of the document and your coding (nodes, memos etc). Coding an internal or in-situ document is easier because the document itself structures the order and location of your nodes, memos etc. Coding an external document implies that you'll create a skeleton, index, table of contents or other indexing structure for linking coding.

Talking point: Coding, once having added a new source document to the project.

Second problem, this kind of implies that you either have some 'nodes' or that you will spontaneously generate some.
As a starting point I took a initial research proposal and 'made up' terms as nodes in the project.
In the first instance you should just lump them all together as top level nodes. They can be organised into hierarchies but leave that job to later. In fact you will definitely reorganise nodes many times over.
A new top level node can be configured to aggregate sub-nodes; just check "aggregate coding from child nodes" if you want this behaviour. You can turn it on or off.

Talking point: Messing around in the project using "find", sets (collections), classifications, node matrices...

A set is just a way of making loose collections or shortcuts within NVivo. Use sets to organise nodes and sources in some way; like a way to collect narrative documents or things node-coded as narrative? You can add or delete set members without affecting the original items.

Talking point: What's the point of Memos if you can only link them once?

I don't know. You might have thought that you could do the same thing with memos, that is, 'link' them with various relevant instances of evidence in multiple items... Well hard luck. You can't. From the help system - Understanding Memo Links; "Each source or node can have one memo linked to it and that memo cannot be linked to any other item. You can also have memos that are not linked to any item". :-(

Questions:
Lucy
Novice?
What do I do? Total novice?
Basic format you want Word documents in?
What if one is on a PC and the other on a Mac?
What does NVivo do for me?

Marius
Total novice. How do I get started?
How to enter data? How to analyse it, coding techniques?
I want something that does the whole thing? Ironic.
How to do intercoder reliability? Is there a system test or report that can provide data on that?


Jury
Total novice, same questions.
Specifically, what are the pitfalls?
If I ask the system to give me evidence for a specific construct? How reliable is that?
How about linking constructs?

Fiona
I have blocks of data, that look disconnected, random. How to translate that into something that will answer my research question (magically).

Betul
Total novice.
I'm a qualitative researcher, want to to translate into a quantitative format. Some kind of quants?
Content or statistical analysis.

Paul
Advanced beginner.
20 case studies, 50 interviews, industry blocks.
Want to do analysis within and across these elements.


Refs
QSR International's YouTube site
Using NVivo: An Unofficial and Unauthorized Primer by Shalin Hai-Jew
Loads of getting started guides:
NVivo 10 for Windows Getting Started (from QSR)
NVivo Introduction Workbook (Finders University)
NVivo Advanced Workbook (Finders University)