Keyword in Context (KWIC)

Often, you wish to determine the context in which a given term is used. In this case, you can create and print a so-called KWIC (KeyWord In Context) listing. The procedure is as follows:

  1. Perform a lexical search by keyword.
  2. In the results window, click the Autocode search results with new code  symbol and set the range, for example 10 words before and 10 words after.
  3. After the autocoding is complete, double-click the newly created code in the “Code System”.

In the next step, you have several options:

  • Either you can generate and print the output data in XLS/X, HTML or RTF format by clicking the Export icon in the toolbar, or
  • Create a new code in the “Code System,” transfer it to the quick list, and autocode the search results with this code.

The second method is more flexible, since you can then load the KWIC list into the “Retrieved Segments” window, check the list, and remove any undesired segments (by right-clicking on the information box on the left of the segment and selecting Delete from the context menu).

The final result, the corrected KWIC list, can be printed by selecting the menu option Print > Retrieved Segments from the Project drop-down menu. It is also possible to export or copy the KWIC list to the clipboard. A table view is also available. To view the results as a table, double-click on the newly inserted code, whereupon MAXQDA will open the overview of coded segments. This can be exported as an Excel or HTML table or in RTF format.

The KWIC list has the following structure: each hit starts with the source data (document group, document name, and the paragraph number containing the hit). The next line indicates the search word or search string that has been found in that paragraph. Finally the text segment itself is listed.

New YorkMilly (23-23)

family

family

Family, 09 : My family my parents, my children, are very close. We share dreams and holidays and have much warmth with each other.

 

New YorkMary (7-7)

family

I am pretty happy with my health situation. I get sick very rarely and when I do, it is only for a short amount of time. I think this can be attributed to the fact that I eat right and exercise semi-regularly. However, my family has a history of breast cancer and diabetes and I worry very much about contracting them.

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