Introduction to Using MAXQDA for Qualitative Data Analysis

This is an introductory tutorial for MAXQDA. The goal of this tutorial is to learn about the basic features in MAXQDA that will allow you to organize and analyze qualitative data. Part 1 will teach you to use MAXQDA, to load information, code documents, make notes, and export information. Part 2 will explore some of MAXQDA’s more advanced features, such as document variables, and analysis and visual tools. If you already have a grasp of the basics and are just interested in learning about the more advanced features, you can jump right to Part 2.

Before you begin, make sure you have MAXQDA installed. If you don’t, you can consult our tutorial on the ways you can access MAXQDA.

You’ll also need to download some datasets that we’ve provided for this tutorial. Create a new folder on your computer to store the tutorial files, separated into Part 1 and 2. For Part 1, download the part 1 zip file containing all the datasets you will need for the tutorial to that new Part 1 folder. Finally, extract the files into that folder. For Part 2, do something similar, but download the part 2 zip file instead into that new Part 2 folder, and extract.

To extract a zip file, on a Mac, just double-click on the file to extract its files. On Windows, you should be able to right click and select Extract All… Look at where the files are extracting and click on Browse if you need to adjust it. Then select Extract.

This tutorial is adapted from a MAXQDA 2-Part live workshop series.

Technique: Qualitative Data Analysis | Tools: MAXQDA