Aquad

Computer assisted qualitative data analysis software (CAQDAS) supports the content analysis in qualitative research. Qualitative researchers apply open strategies to collect data, that are usually unstructured. The traditional techniques used in qualitative research were observation, introspection, narratives, discussion groups, interviews, etc. The researchers transcribed them and CAQDAS only analysed the written texts. Nowadays, data could be analysed not only as written text but also as audio, photo, or video without transcription (linguistics).

CAQDAS provide powerful means to improve the analysis, to gain rigorousness, to increase speed, and facilitate further contrasts and conclusions. However, CAQDAS do not realise usually automatic analysis: the researcher has to decide which is the best transcription, which is the adequate analysis unit, which are the relevant segments or elements to code, which are the codes and how he/she is organising them, the complexity of the coding strategy, etc. CAQDAS are only a help; a very useful help; but only a help.

Tools
As a general approach, a CAQDAS could have these tools:
 * Content searching
 * Coding
 * Retrieving
 * Writing and annotation
 * Linking
 * Mapping
 * Query

Free / open source software

 * Coding Analysis Toolkit (CAT)
 * WP-QDA Marked Text a Wordpress plugin that allows rudimentary CAQDAS
 * RQDA
 * WEFT QDA
 * Stories Matter
 * Compendium
 * Transana (Is a pay software, though it has a GPL licence) (it needs QuickTime)

Proprietary software

 * A.nnotate
 * Aquad
 * Atlas.ti
 * HyperRESEARCH
 * MAXQDA
 * NVivo
 * XSight
 * Qiqqa

Web-Based

 * Dedoose
 * Coding Analysis Toolkit (CAT)
 * Public Comment Analysis Toolkit (PCAT)
 * DiscoverText