Qualitative Analytic Software

Qualitative research is an integral part of industrial and organizational psychology, having made foundational contributions since the field gained popularity with the Hawthorne studies. Like their quantitative counterparts, researchers conducting qualitative research often support their analyses using software. Such software, collectively known as computer-assisted qualitative data analysis software (CAQDAS), is becoming increasingly popular in research in industrial and organizational psychology. It is thus important to understand qualitative analytic software in order to conduct and evaluate the studies it supports. This entry defines CAQDAS, introduces different types of software researchers may draw on, reviews the typical functionality of such software, gives a brief overview of the evolution of the software and its use in qualitative data analysis, and critiques the use of software in qualitative research.