Overview of Functions of MAXQDA

We want to help you find the right research tool that meets your individual research needs, which is why we created this extensive overview of the essential functions of MAXQDA, MAXQDA+ and MAXReader.

Data Management

Functions The functions highlighted in blue are especially significant for the innovation and user-friendliness of our software.	MAXQDA	MAXQDA+	MAXQDAReader
Import texts in Rich Text, Word, or PDF format or create them directly within the program.
Import image files – .jpg and .gif files can be imported and coded.
Unicode based – ALL languages and characters can be used in every function of the program.
All texts are editable – even in coded state.
Automatic coding for pre-structured texts with the MAXQDA Preprocessor (open questions in surveys, structured interviews, etc).
Insert texts from internet-browsers into MAXQDA via drag & drop.
Organize documents in document groups. Additional option: any given number of alternative text combinations can be created and saved in the form of document sets while the organization of the text groups remains intact.
Document Memos – visualized “Post-It” notes can be attached to any documents (e.g. for noting down contextual information).
Export – export documents, including paragraph numbers, into Word.
Create document specific overviews of assigned codings, codes and memos (also as HTML table) with just one click of the mouse.
ONE Project = ONE File – Maximized safety, thanks to the integration of all project elements into just one file (PDFs and image files can also be linked to instead of imported to keep the project file size manageable.).
External and Internal Links – Linking of document segments to any place outside of or within the project.
Geo-linking – Any location in Google Earth™ can be linked with any part of a MAXQDA document, code, or MAXMaps object.
Link Management – allows an overview of all links at any time.
Weighted coding – The easy use of a fuzzy variable (on a scale of 0 to 100) while coding allows the researcher to define the relevance of any document segment for the selected code. The assigned value will be visualized.
Weight filter – The weight can be used as a sorting or filter criteria in the list of search results.
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Code System and Coding

Functions The functions highlighted in blue are especially significant for the innovation and user-friendliness of our software	MAXQDA	MAXQDA+	MAXQDAReader
Flexible code system – Codes may be moved at will via drag & drop. Selected parts of a Code System may be copied and assigned as subcodes to another code. Sorting of the Code System can be conducted by the researcher or alphabetically.
Hierarchical category systems (up to 10 levels in depth), can be switched into a non-hierarchical one if preferred.
Multiple and overlapping codings of single document segments are possible.
Coding with a color marker – An excellent option for the first coding is the color selection: document segments can be highlighted in blue, green, purple, or red and coded according to these colors.
In-vivo-coding – You can highlight words in a document and having them entered into the Code System as codes automatically.
Code memos – Directly attach definitions and anchor examples as visualized “Post-it” notes to single codes.
Automatic coding – You can search for one or several words and having them coded automatically. The results can easily be adjusted by the researcher.
Extensive support for teamwork – Exchange and merge MAXQDA projects within a team: safely export and import Code Systems, exchange codings, memos, and attributes of all or single documents as mini files within the team.
Color coding – unlimited researcher-driven color selection for the code visualization.
Visibility control – codings can be shown or hidden at any time.
Intercoder agreement – Coder-specific color assignments and the Intercoder tool allow for comparison of multipler coders.
Print what you see – Print out documents with the marked codings in the margins or export them as a Rich Text file.
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Memos and Memo Management

Functions The functions highlighted in blue are especially significant for the innovation and user-friendliness of our software	MAXQDA	MAXQDA+	MAXQDAReader
Keep track of your thoughts, comments, questions, and definitions in the form of memos, which can be attached to your project, code, document, document group, document segment, etc.s “Post-it’s”: Hold on to thoughts or comments as memos on the spot and attach them to text segments or codes.
Various memo types – 11 different memo visualizations allow analytical differentiation of the memos at a glance.
Memo-Networking – Multiple codes can be assigned to a memo for the development of categories.
Memo Manager – all memos are accessible in a table at any time and can be managed, sorted, searched for, and opened. Memos can also be opened and edited directly from the specific document or code.
Mobile Memos – it’s easy to move memos via drag & drop.
Memo-Export – You can export the entire memo overview, or only selected parts, as an HTML or Rich Text file.
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Text Retrieval and Search Function

Functions The functions highlighted in blue are especially significant for the innovation and user-friendliness of our software	MAXQDA	MAXQDA+	MAXQDAReader
Fre Activation – “activation” of codes and documents in any possible combination allows for maximized flexibility in the selective search.
View document segments resulting from selected codes and documents and export them as Rich Text or HTML files.
Never loose the context of document segments and memos – they can be viewed in their original context at any time.
Testing “Hypotheses” – Boolean operators can be used for searching distributions and patterns in the coded document segments (proximity, overlappings, intersections, etc.).
Lexical search function – Searching for words and combinations of words in documents and memos, view the results as keywords-in-context, and, if so desired, code them automatically.			search code
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Mixed Methods Approaches

Functions The functions highlighted in blue are especially significant for the innovation and user-friendliness of our software	MAXQDA	MAXQDA+	MAXQDAReader
Logical activation – define attributes in MAXQDA or import them from SPSS and use them to trigger a selection of documents and codes (e.g. what are the statements of women under the age of 40, single, with one child, in a leading position (=attributes) concerning life satisfaction and recreational behavior (=codes)).
Converting code frequencies into attributes and export them to quantitative analysis software.
Export and import of attributes from and to SPSS/Excel or other statistical software.			Imp Exp
Transformation of codes into attributes – code frequencies can be transformed into attributes and used for the quantitative analysis with statistical software.
Export and import of a data matrix offers an efficient connection between quantitative and qualitative data (attributes and codings), e.g. the evaluation of open questions in surveys in combination with a quantitative data matrix; the shared entry of attribute values within a team of researchers; or the application of the results of statistical analysis’ in MAXQDA (e.g. cluster analysis).
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Dictionary Based Content Analysis/Vocabulary Analysis

The following are essential functions of the MAXQDA add-on module MAXDictio, a component of MAXQDA+. This software offers a variety of functions inspired by classical quantitative content analysis. MAXDictio makes these techniques available for the qualitative data analysis and gives you this additional easy-to-use methodical option.

Functions The functions highlighted in blue are especially significant for the innovation and user-friendliness of our software	MAXQDA	MAXQDA+	MAXQDAReader
Creating word frequency lists for a freely selectable combination of data sets (single document, multiple documents, or selected, coded document segments).
Creating an index of selected words from one or multiple documents.
Stop- and Go-lists allow the targeted exclusion or inclusion of words in a word frequency analysis.
Selective evaluation according to your criteria (e.g. socio-demographic attributes); filtering through numerical data.
Dictionaries (simple or hierarchical) – can be created directly from the word frequency list and used for the current search or further quantitative analysis. Categories within the dictionary can be moved via drag & drop.
Transfer of words (by simply clicking on them) from the word frequency table into the dictionary.
Automatic coding of single or multiple terms directly from dictionaries.
The Coder conducts an automatic quantitative content analysis on the basis of categories and search terms within the dictionaries.
Interactive Coder Result Matrix – it is possible to jump directly from the search results listed in the matrix to the appropriate section of a document.
Export code book – the entire dictionary with all its search keys can be exported as a Rich Text file, containing a complete code book.
Easy further processing of results with SPSS and Excel.
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Visualizations and Graphical Tools

Functions The functions highlighted in blue are especially significant for the innovation and user-friendliness of our software	MAXQDA	MAXQDA+	MAXQDAReader
With the Code-Matrix- and Code Relations-Browser, you can create visual overviews of the distribution of codings throughout the entire data set – incorporating the overlapping of codings and document segments – with a single mouse click; export them to Excel/SPSS; and alternate between graphical and numerical display.
Crosstabs give you an overview of the relationship between codes (rows) and attributes (columns). The values presented in the matrix can be displayed as absolute numbers, or as row or column percentages.
Document Portrait displays a selected document as a “picture” of all (or just of a selection) of its coded segments within the document.
Document Comparison Chart visually compares all codings from selected documents.
Codeline visualizes the development of themes (codings) within a document as a colored line. The presentation is interactive; clicking on any part of the line displays the respective document segment in the Document Browser. In this way, Codeline allows for an immediate impression of the participation of single members of a group discussion, for example.
Mark documents with markers just like with a highlighter.
MAXMaps – visualize all elements within MAXQDA in order to illustrate complex connections graphically in a model.
Free graphics in MAXMaps – MAXMaps allows for the creation of graphical presentations independent of existing MAXQDA project data. This way any given pictures, graphics, or documents can be imported into a map and connected to each other.
Live connection to all MAXQDA Data – immediate interaction between the map and your data (documents, memos, codings, attributes) allows for a graphically-supported sorting and data analysis.
Sequential presentation in “layers” – MAXMaps allows you to assign elements of a graphic to single layers, which can be blended in or out.
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Teamwork, Support and Other Advantages

Functions The functions highlighted in blue are especially significant for the innovation and user-friendliness of our software	MAXQDA	MAXQDA+	MAXQDAReader
Teamwork functions – with specially designed functions for working together on one project or merging different projects (e.g. for longitudinal studies).
Coder Management – different coders can use the same project, and codings can be shown or hidden in order to coordinate the coding behavior and increase the coding reliability.
MAX Reader allows for the sharing of project data with read-only and search function restriction. It is not possible to interfere with the data.
Author management – when opening a MAXQDA project, the user can “log-in” in order to personalize all steps of the analysis (creating codings, memos, attributes, etc.).
The Online-Manual and Online-Tutorial offer an introduction to the software as well as numerous publications and an annual user-conference (www.caqd.de).
Creating a backup of your entire study and send it to your research partners via the internet.
Logbook allows for continuous logging of the steps in your research project.
Ten different languages – MAXQDA is available in: German, English, French, Spanish, Italian, Russian, Turkish, Chinese (traditional and simplified) and Japanese.
Shortcuts and fast-access – dozens of shortcuts and toolbar buttons in the different windows allow for quick access to frequently-used functions.
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