Using NVivo for Text Analysis

NVivo is a powerful qualitative data analysis software. Here's a guide to help you get started:

Getting Started

1. Import Your Data

• Go to Data → Import


• Supported formats: PDF, Word, text files, audio, video, social media data


• Create folders to organize sources (interviews, focus groups, documents, etc.)

2. Key Features

Coding (Creating Themes)

• Manual coding: Highlight text → right-click → "Code Selection"


• Create nodes (codes/themes) to categorize data


• Use hierarchical structures (parent and child nodes)

Auto-coding

• Use Auto Code for structured data


• Text Search Query to find and code specific terms


• Sentiment Analysis for social media data

Queries

• Text Search: Find specific words/phrases


• Word Frequency: Identify most common terms


• Coding Query: Explore relationships between codes


• Matrix Coding: Compare codes across cases/demographics

3. Visualization Tools

• Word Clouds: Visual representation of frequent terms


• Mind Maps: Show relationships between concepts


• Charts: Visualize coding patterns


• Models: Create conceptual frameworks

Best Practices

✅ Organize data into clear folder structures
✅ Develop a coding framework before starting
✅ Use memos to document analytical decisions
✅ Regularly back up your project
✅ Use case classifications for demographic data

Common Workflows

Thematic Analysis:

• Import data → 2. Initial coding → 3. Group into themes → 4. Review & refine → 5. Generate reports