MAXQDA (Qualitative data analysis)

MAXQDA is used for the qualitative and quantitative analysis of text, audio, video and image data. It is particularly suitable for scientific research in the humanities, social sciences and education, but also for interdisciplinary projects.

The software is available to all university members with a UniAccount - especially researchers, teachers and students who work empirically with qualitative or mixed methods.

The provision of licenses and access to the software is organized by the IT Service Centre. The content of the software is the responsibility of the user.

MAXQDA is professional software for the computer-aided analysis of qualitative and quantitative data. It enables, for example, the coding of texts, the recording of categories, the visualization of results and working in a mixed methods approach. The university provides a campus license.

There are various alternatives to MAXQDA, which are available both free of charge and for a fee, depending on your requirements.

Free alternatives:

• QualCoder [external]

• Taguette [external]

• RQDA [external]

Paid alternative:

• ATLAS.ti [external]

• Coding and categorization
  Content from interviews, focus groups or documents can be systematically coded and evaluated.

• Analysis of different media types
  In addition to texts, MAXQDA also supports image, audio and video files as well as PDF documents.

• Mixed methods functionalities
  Combination of qualitative and quantitative evaluations, e.g. via frequency comparisons, cross tables and visualizations.

• Memo and comment functions
  Researchers can accompany analyses with memos, notes and annotations.

• Visualization and export
  Results can be prepared graphically and exported in various formats - for example for reports or publications.

• A master's thesis in sociology evaluates qualitative interviews on social movements using categories and coding in MAXQDA.

• In a teaching research project, students analyze media education video recordings together and document their evaluations using memos and code systems.

• A research team combines qualitative text analyses with quantitative survey data and visualizes the results in diagrams.

• Connection to the university network via LAN or VPN connection for software download and subsequent use
  • Use via eduroam is not possible.

It is used via a license server that is maintained. Information on the license server and the installation of the clients can be found under Download and license activation.

• MAXQDA manufacturer page [external]

No training courses are currently offered. However, numerous tutorials, webinars and manuals are available on the manufacturer's website.

The software processes locally stored data. Users are responsible for handling research data in compliance with data protection regulations - especially when processing personal content. It is recommended that data be analyzed pseudonymously and secured appropriately.

MAXQDA is covered by a campus license. Use is permitted exclusively for teaching, study and research within the university. Commercial use is excluded. The license is only valid for persons with a valid UniAccount.

Unfortunately, the AI module of MAXQDA for the transcription of texts/videos, as well as for the data filling function, can no longer be offered as part of the campus license, as the associated cloud storage is not permitted under data protection law.