This is an authoritative, thoughtful and consistently useful treatment of digital resources for qualitative researchers. It is grounded in the authors' wealth of practical experience and unlike other texts in this field, it guides the reader right through the whole range of ways in which digital tools can support the contemporary researcher across the qualitative research process in its entirety.
-- Professor Nigel Fielding
This book is both thought-provoking and challenging as it constantly invites you to reflect on your actions by providing exercises, reflective questions, and an accompanying website with information, references, examples and links. I found a lot of recognition in the text - I consider myself to be an early adopter of digital tools - and yet, lots of new and inspiring examples of the use of digital tools were available to me in Digital tools. As technology is rapidly changing our research possibilities, opportunities and procedures, this book is both interesting and worthwile to students in all phases of their education as well as junior and senior researchers. -- Jeanine Evers
Digital Tools for Qualitative Research is the first book on the digital technologies of qualitative research to go beyond the limits of the earlier era of stand-alone qualitative data analysis software packages. This book acknowledges those earlier tools as it goes on to explore the potential of the internet and other digital tools, filling a critical gap in the universe of qualitative research methodology texts. Strengths of this volume include its focus on all components of the research process and ways digital tools can be brought to bear to improve the robustness of qualitative research. Just as in many other fields, where contained software packages had to make way for the wide open spaces of the Internet, here, too, the authors demonstrate the opportunities and challenges that come with the next generation of digital tools-a place where there is possibility, fragmentation, and remixing. What I found particularly helpful was the ongoing consideration of ethical issues across the volume and the probing end-of-chapter questions. The authors have opened up new space for qualitative researchers. I will definitely use this text to work through my own challenges regarding conducting qualitative research in a digital world and will recommend it to students who are developing their own methodological paths. -- Judith Davidson
This is a comprehensive introduction to digital tools relevant for both novice and more experienced qualitative researchers and a valuable contribution to the field.
It is refreshing to see discussion of the role of digital tools across the entirety of the qualitative research process; from tools to engage in and foster reflexive practice and collaboration, tools to review literature, generate, transcribe and analyse data, through to the writing about and representation of findings. The book is well laid out and clearly written, with repeated sections across chapters helping the reader navigate the content.
The use of affordances theory to contextualise tools is particularly helpful. This book is much more than a summary of available tools; designed to foster reflexive engagement in the implications of using digital tools as well as raising awareness of their scope.
The explicit encouragement of the reader to consider the affordances and constraints of specific digital tools and their role in the research process is particularly valuable. This book will be a welcome addition to the researchers' tool chest and the teacher's resources. -- Christina Silver
A pleasure to read, encouraging a reflexive and ethical approach to research without sounding restrictive or judgmental... What is enduring about this text is that it deals with the theory and execution of projects that utilise digital tools, encouraging good research management using these tools without too much emphasis on the technical nature of the specific tools themselves. In this respect, whatever new digital tools emerge, this book will remain a useful and relevant text. -- Victoria Pagan, Newcastle University
