If they are linked, it is important that the place where the PDFs are saved stays the same. PDFs can be linked to project files, or integrated into project files. Instructions on converting PDFs can be found all over the web here’s a how-to from the University of Iowa. This will heavily influence how your data is represented in retrievals, and it will greatly impact the appearance of the export of your retrievals. If the characters in your files are not already recognized in the PDF, you will be only able to code a PDF as it were a picture (in software in which you can tag/code pictures). journal articles) these days already come like that, but the scan of the copy of your advisor’s advisor’s dissertation microfiche data-set probably won’t. You will only be able to highlight & code text in a PDF if the document ran through OCR (optical character recognition, see Wikipedia) beforehand. Zotero, Mendeley, RefWorks, EndNote etc). Although QDA software can be used as a library for your PDF literature, specialized programs are much more powerful with this task (e.g. PDF support is advertised as a feature in modern QDA software but due to ongoing issues in terms of performance & user-friendliness, I would strongly advise users to convert their files into text documents (e.g. RTF files before importing – due to issues with character recognition, issues with mobility & performance, coding practice, and export. A general note on using PDFsĪlthough MAXQDA, NVIVO & ATLAS.TI offer the import and/or linking of PDFs, users should transform their PDFs into. In this overview I’ll outline general issues with the use of PDFs in QDA software, and I’ll briefly compare import/linking options of PDFs in MAXQDA, NVIVO & ATLAS.TI. She serves on the board of KWALON, the Dutch Network of Qualitative Research, is a member of the Scientific Committee of the European Congress of Qualitative Inquiry and chairs the Rotterdam Exchange Format Initiative (REFI).Using PDFs in QDA software is not a new feature, but working with this particular type of file is still somewhat tricky. In 2004, she started the KWALON course department for short courses in qualitative methods and data analysis software, which has functioned as Evers Research & Training since 2011. She has published several books on qualitative interviewing and qualitative analysis in Dutch (2007-2015) including The Qualitative Interview: Art and Skill. She has held several university positions at Dutch universities since 2001, most recently in the criminology department of Erasmus University Rotterdam. She has extensive experience conducting qualitative research in both The Netherlands and the Dutch Antilles. Evers has a background in cultural anthropology and public administration.

Maxqda vs atlas.ti