How to use FrameWork
FrameWork can be used with longitudinal qualitative research, secondary analysis of qualitative data, and systematic reviews – with any activity, in fact, that requires the navigation of large bodies of textual data.
Network and single versions
You can use FrameWork alone or as part of a team:
- The networked version creates a secure repository of qualitative data that members of a team can access simultaneously. They can view and amend data in real time from different locations.
- The single-user version has the same functionality but without the data sharing capabilities. You can still collaborate on projects and share data by using the import and export functions.
Extra benefits
In addition to the two key features of summarisation and the matrix output, there are many other benefits to using FrameWork. You can:
- Develop analytical queries and save them for future use.
- Use traditional code and retrieve approaches in conjunction with the FrameWork approach.
- Print FrameWork matrices to use in analysis and presentations.
Controlling, recording and managing data
Researchers who have been using the FrameWork methodology on paper can now do so electronically, making searching and organisation of data more efficient. FrameWork also allows researchers to:
- Work with all forms of textual data from transcripts to field notes in a variety of formats (.txt, .doc, .docx and .pdf).
- Apply socio-demographic or analytical labels (such as typological classifications) to data units at any point in the process. This gives more precision and creativity to the interpretative process.
- Create an audit trail of revisions and changes to the data set, enabling better project management.
- Record analytical thoughts using the notebook function. With the networked version, you can share analytical hunches and developments with other team members in real time.
- Organise data using a ‘drag and drop’ facility to transfer data to new categories as required.
- Have greater data security by setting rules on who can access and modify different data sets.
