NVivo 10: Intermediate

A step-by-step guide

Notes taken from: QSR International

http://www.qsrinternational.com/

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Contents
Move forward with queries and visualizations ....................................................................................... 1
Get started with queries and visualizations........................................................................................ 1
Query and visualize during your literature review ............................................................................. 1
Query and visualize during research design and data collection ....................................................... 2
Query and visualize during data analysis (coding) .............................................................................. 3
Using queries and visualizations during the final write-up................................................................. 4
Run a Coding query ................................................................................................................................. 5
Understand Coding queries ................................................................................................................ 5
Create a Coding query using the Wizard ............................................................................................ 5
Create a Simple Coding query outside the Wizard ............................................................................. 6
Create an Advanced Coding query...................................................................................................... 6
Understand the results .................................................................................................................... 7
View examples of Coding query criteria ............................................................................................. 8
Save the preview results as a node..................................................................................................... 8
Make a set of the sources in your results ........................................................................................... 9
Use a Compound query to refine your Coding query ......................................................................... 9
About framework matrices ..................................................................................................................... 9
How can framework matrices help with my analysis? ....................................................................... 9
An example of a framework matrix .................................................................................................. 10
Creating framework matrices ........................................................................................................... 11
Open and navigate framework matrices .......................................................................................... 11
Understand the associated view....................................................................................................... 11
How do I enter summaries into the matrix? ..................................................................................... 12
Understand how summaries are stored in your NVivo project ................................................ 13
Learn more about the Framework method ...................................................................................... 13
Work with framework matrices ............................................................................................................ 13
Choose what you want to show in the associated view ................................................................... 13
Enter summaries into the matrix cells .............................................................................................. 14
Link summary text to supporting source materials .......................................................................... 14
Summarize and link non-textual materials (video, audio and pictures) ........................................... 15
Format selected text in a summary .................................................................................................. 15
Highlight the location of summary links in summary text ................................................................ 16

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 Highlight summary links in the associated view ........................................................................ 16
Highlight thematic coding in the associated view ............................................................................ 16
Automatically scroll to highlighted content in the associated view ......................................... 16
Automatically create summaries from coding .................................................................................. 17
Work with the content of a node matrix .............................................................................................. 17
Understand what you can display in the cells of a node matrix ....................................................... 17
Change the information shown in the matrix cells ........................................................................... 18
See the content that is coded at a matrix cell ............................................................................ 19
Visualisations ........................................................................................................................................ 19
About charts.......................................................................................................................................... 19
Understanding charts........................................................................................................................ 19
Chart your coding.............................................................................................................................. 20
Chart your sources ............................................................................................................................ 20
Chart your nodes............................................................................................................................... 21
Types of charts .................................................................................................................................. 21
Create a chart........................................................................................................................................ 22
Create a chart using the Chart Wizard .............................................................................................. 22
Other ways you can create a chart ................................................................................................... 22
About cluster analysis ........................................................................................................................... 22
What is cluster analysis? ................................................................................................................... 22
Types of cluster analysis diagrams.................................................................................................... 23
Cluster by word, coding or attribute value similarity ....................................................................... 24
Selecting a similarity metric .............................................................................................................. 24
Create a cluster analysis diagram ......................................................................................................... 25
Create a cluster analysis diagram using the wizard .......................................................................... 25
Generate a cluster analysis diagram for selected sources or nodes ................................................ 25
Visualize patterns in social media datasets ...................................................................................... 25
View Word Frequency query results as a cluster analysis diagram .................................................. 25
About tree maps ................................................................................................................................... 26
What is a tree map? .......................................................................................................................... 26
What can I show in a tree map? ....................................................................................................... 27
How tree map options affect the size and color of the rectangles .................................................. 27
Create a tree map ................................................................................................................................. 28
Create a tree map using the wizard .................................................................................................. 28

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 Understand the tree map options for sources ................................................................................. 28
Understand the tree map options for nodes .................................................................................... 28
Understand the tree map options for attribute value combinations ............................................... 29
Generate a tree map for selected sources or nodes ........................................................................ 29
View Word Frequency query results as a tree map .......................................................................... 29
About graphs ......................................................................................................................................... 29
What is a graph? ............................................................................................................................... 30
How can I use graphs? ...................................................................................................................... 30
Create and work with graphs ................................................................................................................ 31
Generate a graph .............................................................................................................................. 31
Show item colors on a graph ............................................................................................................ 31
Change the items displayed on a graph ............................................................................................ 31
Follow associations in your project by graphing sources and nodes................................................ 31
Convert a graph into a new dynamic model ..................................................................................... 32
About models ........................................................................................................................................ 32
What are models? ............................................................................................................................. 32
Understand linked and unlinked shapes and connectors ................................................................. 33
Dynamic and static models ............................................................................................................... 33
Open and navigate models ............................................................................................................... 33
What can I do in a model? ................................................................................................................ 34
Group project items represented in a model ................................................................................... 34
Use model styles to format shapes and connectors ......................................................................... 34
Preparing for final write-up ................................................................................................................ 34
Continuous writing—memos and your project journal .................................................................... 35
Exporting data to use in the final 'write-up' ..................................................................................... 35
Creating a bibliography ..................................................................................................................... 35
Planning and creating a convincing report ....................................................................................... 35

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Move forward with queries and visualizations
This topic describes some of the ways queries and visualizations can support you at each stage of the research process.
For more detailed information about the different types of queries and how to run them, refer to About Queries or watch the video
Explore your coding.

Get started with queries and visualizations

Queries and visualizations support the iterative nature of qualitative research and help you to investigate hunches as you progress
through your project.
It is a good idea to start running queries early on—they can help you focus on the questions you want to ask (and prompt you to
code accordingly). They can also help you to determine whether you need to gather additional sources of data or re-frame the
questions you are asking.
To start with, you may want to run some simple queries and preview the results—refer to About queries to get up and running. As
you grow in confidence, you can look at building more complex criteria and storing your results in nodes.
When you begin using queries it can help to remember:
 Coding queries rely on the work you have done— patchy or inconsistent coding may yield less useful results.
 Absence may be just as important as presence—search for where sources are NOT coded at a particular node and ask
why.
 Review the query results and make a memo to describe how it contributes to your understanding.
 While queries and visualizations can give you different perspectives on your data, you will still need to use your analytical
skills to interpret the results.
 Saved queries can act as 'signposts' for future investigation, set them up early and rerun them as you progress through
your project.

Query and visualize during your literature review

You can use NVivo for your literature review—and as your project progresses, you may return to the literature to see where your
findings support or contradict those of other authors. As you conduct your literature review, you might use the following queries to
explore the material:

Once you have coded the literature, you could use other queries and visualizations to get an overview of the emerging themes—for
example, you could create a Group query (and generate a connection map from the results).

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You may want to run a Matrix Coding query to see the coding at selected themes:

If you have classified the literature and assigned attributes (like author and publication date), you can use queries to do more
targeted analysis—for example, you could create a chart to check the spread of your literature sources—is a particular author or
institution over-represented, should you review a wider range of literature sources?

Query and visualize during research design and data collection

In order to keep reliable records and enhance transparency, you can import your research design materials into NVivo—for
example, you might import your thesis proposal, project-related timetables, or literature related to methodology.
During research design and data collection, you could create models to:
 Show how you arrived at your approach to data collection and analysis
 Set out and review initial ideas, hunches or theories related to your research question
 Outline your project schedule, including dates and required tasks:

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If you have imported literature related to research methods, you could run a Text Search query to find content based on keywords
or use a Matrix Coding query to explore how different authors or researchers have applied a specific methodology:

As you move into the data collection phase of conducting interviews, surveys or focus groups you may want to collect demographic
information about your respondents—for example, age, gender or location. You can import this 'classification' information or create
it in NVivo—refer to Classify nodes for information about how to do this. After classifying and setting up the attributes for your
respondents, you can use queries or visualizations to explore your data. For example, you could:
 Create a chart to check the spread of your respondents—is a particular demographic under-represented? Do you need to
collect data from a wider range of respondents?
 Import administrative items related to your respondents—like consent forms or email conversations. You can code these
items at the case node for a respondent, and use a Group query to quickly list all the material related to a particular
respondent.

Query and visualize during data analysis (coding)

Early on in your project, Text Search and Word Frequency queries can help you to organize your data into broad categories. For
example, you could use a Text Search query to search for real estate development and automatically code all of the occurrences.
As you move into more detailed coding and continue to organize or 'segment' your data by theme—queries and visualizations can
help you to reassemble and examine the themes in ways that address your research question. For example, you may want to
explore the co-occurrence of themes (show me content coded at development AND water quality).
Rather than being a one-step process, querying your coding is iterative—one query or visualization may lead to another as you dig
deeper into your data.
For example, to explore the idea that respondents are pessimistic about real estate development, you might run the following
queries:

If you want to focus on the attitudes and experiences of a particular respondent—you might use the following queries and
visualizations:

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If you have used NCapture to collect social media data—for example, from Facebook or Twitter—you can geovisualize the data to
see where social media commentators are located.

Using queries and visualizations during the final write-up

Rather than leaving it to the end, you can approach 'writing-up' as a continuous task that starts from the very beginning of a project.
As you run queries and visualizations, you can create memos to document your findings—remember to include related
visualizations and links to matrices. If you also code these memos, you can use a Coding query to quickly pull together all your
ideas about a topic or a combination of topics.
During the final writing-up phase, you can also:
 Export your query results—for example, to demonstrate the frequency or coverage of selected themes, you could export
the results of a Matrix coding query to Microsoft Excel and use it in your final write-up.
 Copy visualizations (like charts and graphs) and paste them into your report or presentation. You can also export a
visualization as an image file or copy and paste it as a picture source in NVivo.
 If you have a project journal that describes your path through the project, you can drop it into a model and keep this
nearby as you write—click on a model shape to easily access related information.

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Run a Coding query
Coding queries can help you to test ideas, explore patterns and see the connections between the themes, topics, people and
places in your project. This topic explains how you can create Coding queries and what you can do with the results of the query.

Understand Coding queries

You can use Coding queries to find content coded at selected nodes, a combination of nodes, or nodes with particular attribute
values. For example, you could use a coding query to:
 Gather material coded at combinations of nodes—for example, gather content coded at green policy and conservative
government and explore the associations.
 Gather material from nodes with specific attribute values—for example, what do young farmers say about alternative
energy?
 Search for content coded at multiple nodes and use operators to further refine the query—for example, gather content
coded at coral bleaching where it overlaps with content coded at rising sea temperatures.
 Search for content that is not coded at a specific node—find content coded at solar power but not coded at alternative
energy.

NOTE A coding query will only find content that has been coded. For example, if you ask the question what do fishery employees
say about rising sea levels?—make sure you have coded source content at the node rising sea levels and at nodes with the
attribute fishery employee.

Create a Coding query using the Wizard

1. On the Query tab, in the Create group, click Query Wizard.

The Query Wizard opens.

2. Click Search for content based on how it is coded, and then click Next.

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3. On Step 2 of the Wizard, you can choose to do any of the following:
 Find content that is coded at a particular node that you specify—for example, find content coded at the node economy .
 Find content coded to all the nodes that you specify—for example, find content that has been coded at the nodes
negative and natural environment.
 Find content coded at any of the nodes you specify—for example, find content that has been coded to any of the
nodes habitat, forest or landscape.
 Find content coded at any node with particular attribute values—for example, if you have coded content to case nodes,
you could find all the response of Year 8 students, by finding content coded to nodes with the Year Level attribute
equal to 8.
4. On Step 3 of the Wizard, choose whether you want to look for coded content in all your sources, or restrict the query to
selected items or folders.
5. On Step 4 of the Wizard, choose whether you want to run the query just once or add it to your project (and run it). If you
choose to add it to your project, you must enter a name. You can optionally enter a description.
6. Click Run.
The query is executed and the results are displayed in Detail View.

NOTE If you want to use Coding query features that are not available via the Wizard—for example, find coded content in proximity
to content coded at other nodes—you must create the query outside the Wizard. Refer to Create an Advanced Coding query for
more information.

Create a Simple Coding query outside the Wizard

To see what has been coded at a node, you can simply open the node (double-click in List View). You can use a simple coding
query to see content coded at a node limited by a specific scope—for example, you could find all content coded at coastal habitat in
the Government Reports folder.
If you are not familiar with NVivo queries, you may want to create your coding query using the Wizard—the Wizard guides you
through the process of setting your query criteria. However, not all query features are available in the Wizard, so you may
sometimes want to create your Coding queries outside the Wizard, as described below:
1. On the Query tab, in the Create group, click Coding.

The Coding query dialog box opens with the Simple tab in focus.
2. Under Search for content coded at select:
 Node to search for content coded at specific node—click the Select button to select the node,
 Any node where to search for content coded at classified nodes with specific attribute values—click the Select button
to select the attribute values. For example, you could search for content coded at males aged 25-35.
3. To find content coded by a specific user, select By Any Selected Users—click the Select button to select the user.
4. To change the scope of the query:
 In the In box, select which project items you want to include in the search—click the Select button to choose specific
project items.
 In the Where box, limit the scope of the query by the users who created or modified the items—click the Select button
to select the users.
5. Click Run.

NOTE
 To save the Coding query, select the Add to Project check box and enter the name and description (optional) in the
General tab.
 Click the Query Options tab to define the spread coding options (amount of coding spread around the search
word). Refer to Spread coding for more information.
 The Query Options tab also allows you to set your preferences for storing the results—for example, you might want to
store the results as a node when you run the query. Refer to Query options for detailed information.

Create an Advanced Coding query

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You can use Advanced Coding queries to search for source content that has been coded at multiple nodes—and you can use
operators to further refine the search.
If you are not familiar with NVivo queries, you may want to create your coding query using the Wizard—the Wizard guides you
through the process of setting your query criteria. However, not all query features are available in the Wizard, so you may
sometimes want to create your Coding queries outside the Wizard, as described below.
To run an Advanced Coding query:
1. On the Query tab, in the Create group, click Coding.

The Coding query dialog box opens.

2. Click the Advanced tab.
3. In the Define more criteria box follow the steps to build the query criteria:

a Select whether you are looking for content Coded at or Not Coded at the selected nodes.

b Select whether you are looking for content coded at all or any of the selected nodes. You can also look for content coded
at any classified node with a specific attribute value. Click the Select button to choose the nodes or attribute values.

c (Optional) From the list, select coding done by any user or choose only the coding done by specific users—click the
Select button to choose the users.

d Click the Add to List button. The criteria is added to the Search for content matching these criteria list.
e To combine multiple criteria, choose an option from the list and follow steps a to d.
4. (Optional) Edit the criteria list in the Search for content matching these criteria box:
 To change the order of processing, select an item from the criteria list and click the required arrow button.
 To remove an item in the criteria list, select the item and then click Clear.
 To edit an item in the criteria list, select the item, click Remove. The item is removed from the list and is available for
edit in the Define more criteria box. Edit the required criteria, and then click Add to list.
5. (Optional) To change the default scope for the query:
 From the In list, select the items you want to include in the query. For example, search all sources or selected nodes.
 From the Where list, you can specify to search project items created and/or modified by any or selected users.
6. Click Run.

NOTE
 To save the Coding query, select the Add to Project check box and enter the name and description (optional) in the
General tab.
 Click the Query Options tab to define the spread coding options (amount of coding spread around the search
word). Refer to Spread coding for more information.
 The Query Options tab also allows you to set your preferences for storing the results—for example, you might want to
store the results as a node when you run the query. Refer to Query options for detailed information.

Understand the results

By default, the results of a Coding query are displayed as a node in Detail View—the Reference tab is in focus:

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Click the tabs on the right to see the content that has been coded in text (documents, memos and externals), PDF, audio, video,
picture or dataset sources.
By default the results are displayed in a preview node—you can choose to save this node in the Results folder or in another node
folder, refer to Save the preview results as a node for more information.

NOTE
 If you prefer nodes to open with the Summary tab in focus, you can change the setting in Application Options.
 If you include an 'aggregate' node in the scope of a query, content coded at the node and all its direct children will be
included in the query results—refer to Aggregate nodes for more information.

View examples of Coding query criteria

The following examples show how you can build query criteria to answer specific questions:
 What do fishery employees say about rising sea levels?

Search for content matching these criteria:

Content Coded At rising sea level

AND Coded at any node where
Occupation = Fishery employee

 Is there a connection between rising sea temperatures and coral bleaching?

Search for content matching these criteria:

Content Coded At rising sea temperatures

NEAR Content Coded at coral bleaching

Refer to Combine criteria in queries for more information.

Save the preview results as a node

If your query has returned interesting content, you may want to save it as a node, so that you can explore it further. For example,
you might find all the content coded at both the nodes water quality and the node development. You can save the results to a new
node that holds your evidence that Development negatively impacts water quality.
The node will contain the content displayed on the Reference tab in the query results in Detail View. If you repeatedly run the same
query, you may want to merge the references into an existing node, rather than create them as a new node.
To save the references as a node:
1. Click on the query results in Detail View.
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 2. On the Query tab, in the Actions group, click Store Query Results.
The Store Query Results dialog box opens.
3. From the Option list, choose what you want to do with the results. You can:
 Create the results as a new node
 Merge the results into an existing node (you must select the node to merge into)
 Create a node hierarchy where the references from each source are in a separate child node
4. If you are creating a new node, enter a name and description.
5. Click OK.

NOTE
 By default new nodes are created in the Results folder, unless you choose another location. Refer to Manage query
results (Understand the Results Folder), for more information.
 If you save the results as a node hierarchy, relevant content from each source is coded to a separate node, under a parent
node.
 You can choose how you want to store the results before you run the query—by setting your preferences on the Query
Options tab in the query properties.

Make a set of the sources in your results

You create a set from the results of a Coding query—the set members are the sources displayed on the Summary tab in the query
results in Detail View.
Saving the sources to a set gathers them together for further analysis. For example, if you are researching community health
policies, you might want to find all the sources that have been coded to the nodes hospital or outpatient, and then save the sources
to a set for further exploration and analysis.
To save the results to set:
1. Click in the query result in Detail View.

2. On the Query tab, in the Actions group, click Store Query Results.
The Store Query Results dialog box opens.
3. From the Option list, choose whether you want to create a new set or add the sources to an existing set.
4. If you are creating a new set, enter a name and description.
5. Click OK.

Use a Compound query to refine your Coding query

You can use a Compound Query to further refine a Coding query, for example you could

 Combine two Coding queries to find content coded at Node A when it precedes content coded at Node B
 Combine a Coding query with a Text Search query to find text in relation to coding—where young women talk about
climate change, do they use the word pessimistic?

About framework matrices

Framework matrices help you to summarize your source materials. This topic introduces framework matrices and describes the
ways you can work with them.

How can framework matrices help with my analysis?

NVivo does not prescribe an analytical approach but provides tools to let you work the way that suits you best. Framework matrices
provide a way to summarize or condense your source materials in a grid that has rows for case nodes (for example, people you

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interviewed) and columns for theme nodes. Each cell in the grid represents the intersection of a case and theme—when you enter
text into the cell you can create a summary of the source content relevant to that case and theme.

Summarizing source content allows you to condense large volumes of interview material into more manageable quantities and can
help you to gain insight and familiarity with your data.
Working with condensed source materials in the framework matrix can make it easier to:
 See everything about a theme by looking down a column
 See how different themes relate to each other for a particular individual by looking across a row
 Compare the experiences of different individuals by comparing one row to another
Once you have condensed your source materials in a framework matrix, you can easily share your data with others by printing
the matrix or exporting the matrix to a spreadsheet.
Refer to Approaches to working with framework matrices, to learn more about how you can use framework matrices within your
NVivo project.

An example of a framework matrix

In this example, a framework matrix has been used to summarize the responses of four different people who were interviewed
about volunteer work:

1 Rows—each row represents a case node. In this example, the cases are people; Anna, Fredric, Bernadette and Mary. The row
headers can display the attributes of the case—in this example, the row headers show the age of the people you interviewed.

2 Columns—each column represents a theme node. In this example, the themes are; experiences of volunteering, images of
volunteers and meanings of volunteer work.

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3 Associated view—a node that (by default) displays source content that is coded at the row (case). In this example, the
associated view is showing Anna's interview transcript. You can change what is displayed in this view (for example, show content
coded to both case and theme nodes) or hide the associated view if you want more space to work with the matrix—refer to Work
with framework matrices for more information.

4 Cells—each cell is the intersection between a case and theme node. For example, the first cell in the matrix contains a
summarized version of what Anna said about her experiences of volunteering.
Cells are blank when no summary has been created for the intersection between the case and themes nodes. When you first
create a framework matrix in your project, all the cells are empty. As you work through your interviews or other source materials,
you will gradually fill in the cells.

Creating framework matrices

NVivo will allow you to use any combination of nodes for the rows and columns in your matrix, however to get the best results, we
recommend you select:
 Case nodes (for example, your interview respondents) for the rows—you can optionally include node attribute values in
the row headers
 Select theme nodes for the columns

If you include attribute values in your row headers, then the rows are ordered by their attribute values—otherwise the case nodes
are listed in the order that they appear in your project. You can change the order of rows in the matrix, by changing the order of
attributes in the row headers.

If you want to be able to print the framework matrix to a single page, then you may need to limit the number of rows and columns
that you include in the matrix.

You can add or remove rows and columns from the framework matrix after you have created it. Summaries are stored separately
in your project—removing rows or columns from the matrix does not affect your summaries. Refer to Understand how summaries
are stored in your NVivo project for more information.

Refer to Create and change framework matrices for more information on how you can create and modify framework matrices.

Open and navigate framework matrices

Framework matrices are stored in the Framework Matrices folder within the Sources group in Navigation View:

You can double-click a framework matrix in List View to open it in Detail View.
When the matrix is open in Detail View, by default the matrix is on the left and the associated view is on the right. You can use
scroll bars to move up, down, left and right in the matrix or in the associated view.
When you click in a cell in the matrix, the text in the cell becomes editable. You can switch edit mode off (or on) for the current cell
by pressing F2. Pressing ESC also switches edit mode off and discards any changes you made to text in the cell.
You can use the arrow keys to move around the matrix. When a cell is editable, using the arrow keys moves the cursor around the
text in the cell.
You can also use keyboard shortcuts to move from the matrix to the associated view and back—refer to Keyboard shortcuts for
more information.

Understand the associated view

The associated view is a node, containing coding references that were created by coding your source materials. By default, the
associated view shows content coded to the row (case) node.
When you first open a framework matrix, the Reference tab of the associated view is displayed. On this tab you can see all the
references that have been coded at the node.

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1 The Reference tab is displayed when you first open a framework matrix

2 Coding information (shaded in grey) shows the name of the source that was coded at the node, the number of references that
are coded and the percentage of the source that the coding represents. You can open the original source by clicking the source
name hyperlink.

3 Textual content that is coded at the node is displayed in the Reference tab. For non-textual content, only the location of the
coded content within the source is shown (for example, the start and end times of a coded section of audio).

4 The associated view has separate tabs for each type of source content that is coded to the node—Text, PDF, Picture, Audio,
Video or Dataset. If you want to work with non-textual content, you will need to use these tabs—for example, if you want to
summarize audio content that has not been transcribed, you will need to click on the Audio tab.

When working with the associated view you can:

 Change what is displayed—you can display row coding, cell coding or summary links. Refer to Work with framework
matrices (Choose what you want to show in the associated view).
 Turn on highlighting to help you identify content that is linked to your summaries, or content that is coded to your theme
nodes. Refer to Work with framework matrices for more information.
You can change the position of the associated view or hide the associated view if you want more space to work with the matrix.
Refer to Customize the display of framework matrices for more information.
Because the associated view is a temporary node, you can use node view settings to:
 Show the context around a coding reference
 Hide reference counts and other coding information
You can also show coding stripes in the associated view—you can use the coding stripes to identify the location of coding, but
clicking on a stripe does not highlight coded content (as it would if you were working in a source or node).
If you have annotated your source materials or added 'see also' links to record connections in your materials, you can view this
information in the associated view—select the Annotations or See Also Links check boxes, in the Links group, on the View tab.

NOTE When you undock a framework matrix, the associated view is closed. If you always open project items in floating windows
(you can select this setting in NVivo's application options) when you open a framework matrix, you will not see the associated
view. You must dock the window to work with the associated view.

How do I enter summaries into the matrix?

It is a good idea to consider what you want to show in the associated view before you start summarizing. By default, you will see
content coded at the row (case) node—if you have done thematic coding, you might prefer to show content coded at the cell
intersection (at both the case and the theme nodes). Refer to Work with framework matrices (Choose what you want to show in the
associated view) for more information.
As you read through the content displayed in the associated view, you can enter your summaries by typing directly into the cells of
the matrix. You can also copy and paste content from the associated view into the matrix cells.
You can link text in summaries to content that you can see in the associated view. For example, you might want to link a paragraph
in the summary back to the verbatim text in an interview transcript, so you can easily locate the supporting source material.
Refer to Work with framework matrices for information on entering summaries and linking text.
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NOTE If you have coded your sources to thematic nodes, you can create summaries automatically from your coding. Textual
content coded at both row and column nodes is copied into the matrix cell. You can then edit this text to reduce and synthesize
the material.

Understand how summaries are stored in your NVivo project

Summaries are created and viewed within a framework matrix, but each summary is stored separately in your project. If you
delete the framework matrix, the summaries you created within the matrix are not deleted.
Each summary is associated with the intersection of a row and column node (the case node and the theme node):
 The summary can appear in more than one framework matrix—the summary will be displayed in any framework matrix
that includes its row and column nodes.
 If you delete one or both of the nodes, then the summary is also deleted from your project.
 If you copy one or both of the nodes, then the summary is also copied with the newly created nodes.
 If you merge two nodes together, their summaries are also merged.
If you want to identify the nodes in your project that have associated summaries, you can use Advanced Find—refer to Find project
items (Find project items that meet specified criteria). If you want to view the summaries, you will need to create a framework
matrix that includes these nodes.

Learn more about the Framework method

The Framework method was developed by the National Centre for Social Research (NatCen). To find out more about this
methodology, refer to the Framework page on NatCen's website.
If you have a project created in NatCen's FrameWork software application, you can convert it into an NVivo project and continue
working with it in NVivo. Refer to Open (and convert) a FrameWork project for more information.

Work with framework matrices

This topic explains how to enter summaries into framework matrix cells, how to link summary text to supporting source materials,
and how to highlight and adjust the content displayed in the associated view of the framework matrix.

Choose what you want to show in the associated view

You can change the content displayed in the associated view on the right. You can choose to display:
 Row Coding By default, the associated view shows content coded at the row (case) node. When you click in a cell in the
matrix, you will see everything that has been coded to the case node. The content displayed in the associated view
changes as you move from row to row in the matrix.
 Cell Coding Show content coded at both the row (case) and column (theme). This is useful, if you have done thematic
coding and want to see only the source content that is coded at both the case and theme. The content displayed in the
associated view changes as you move from cell to cell in the matrix.
 Summary Links Show content that has been linked to text in the summary. This can be useful, when you are reviewing a
framework matrix and want to see the supporting source materials that are linked to the summary. The content in the
associated view changes as you move from cell to cell in the matrix.

To change the content shown in the associated view:

1. Click in the matrix or the associated view.
2. On the View tab, in the Detail View group, click Framework Matrix.

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3. Under Associated View Content, click Row Coding, Cell Coding or Summary Links.

NOTE:
 If the associated view is empty, check whether there is any source content coded to the row (case) node. If you select to
show Cell Coding, the associated view will be empty if there is no content coded to the column (theme) node. If you
select to show Summary Links, the associated view is empty when there is no source content linked to the current cell in
the matrix.
 You can also use node view options to change what is displayed in the associated view. For example, you can show more
context around a coding reference, or show only coding by particular users. Refer to Review the references in a node for
more information.

Enter summaries into the matrix cells

Before you start summarizing, you should consider what you want to show in the associated view—row coding or cell coding—refer
to Choose what you want to show in the associated view for more information.
To enter summary text into a matrix cell:
1. Click in the cell in which you want to enter the summary.
2. Read the content displayed in the associated view.
3. Type your summary into the cell. You can also copy and paste text from the associated view.
4. (Optional) Link text in the summary to the source content displayed in the associated view. There are several ways to do
this—refer to Link summary text to supporting source materials for more information.

NOTE
 You can apply formatting to text in the summary—for example, you could use green italics on any text that is a verbatim
quote. You can use the commands in the Format group on the Home tab to apply color, italics or other formatting to
summary text. Refer to Format selected text in a summary for more information.
 You can also change the default text style (for example, font, size and color) used for text in all framework matrices in your
project—refer to Customize the display of framework matrices (Change the default size, font and color of text in the cells)
for more information.
 You can insert the current date and time in the summary—on the Home tab, in the Editing group, click Insert, then click
Insert Date/Time.
 To check spelling, click in the matrix and then click Spelling, in the Proofing group, on the Home tab.

Link summary text to supporting source materials

By default, the associated view displays source materials that have been coded to your case nodes. There are several ways you
can link the text in the summaries to the coded source content that is displayed in the associated view.

When you are creating a summary, you can select content in the associated view, type your summary in a matrix cell, and then
link the paragraph you just typed to the content you selected in the associated view:
1. In the associated view, select the content that you want to summarize and link.
2. Enter your summary text into the matrix cell.
3. On the Analyze tab, in the Framework Matrix group, click New Summary Link.
Keyboard Shortcut Press CTRL+L

A summary link is created linking the current paragraph of text (based on your cursor position in the matrix cell) with the
content selected in the associated view.

NOTE If you want to link more or less than a paragraph (in the matrix cell), you should select the summary text before you
create the link.

If you have already created the summary, you can select content in the summary and the associated view and link them:

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 1. In the associated view on the right, select the content that you want to summarize and link
2. In the matrix, select the text you want to link (or click in the paragraph you want to link).
3. On the Analyze tab, in the Framework Matrix group, click New Summary Link.
Keyboard Shortcut Press CTRL+L

A summary link is created linking the selected text (or the current paragraph) in the summary with the content selected in
the associated view.

NOTE

 You can highlight the location of summary links in the matrix cells or highlight linked content in the associated view.

 If you want to remove a summary link, click in the linked text and then click Delete Summary Link, on the Analyze tab, in
the Framework Matrix group.

 You can only create a summary link to content that is coded to the row (case) node. If you create a summary link to
content in the associated view, and then later uncode this content (at the row node), the summary link is deleted along
with the coding.

Summarize and link non-textual materials (video, audio and pictures)

The Reference tab of the associated view can only display coded textual content.
If your project includes video or audio interviews, you can summarize media content. If you have created a transcript, coded
transcript content will be visible in the Reference tab, but coded media is only viewable on the Audio or Video tabs. When you
create summary links, you can link directly to the media (by selecting content on the timeline) or link to text in the transcript.
If you are working with pictures, you can summarize image content. If you have created a picture log, coded log content will be
visible in the Reference tab, but coded image content is only viewable on the Picture tab. When you create summary links, you
can link directly to the picture (click and drag to select a region of the image) or link to text in the transcript.

NOTE For PDF sources, coded textual content is available on the Reference tab, but coded regions (of a page) are only viewable
on the PDF tab. When you are working in the PDF tab you can switch between text and region selection—on the Home tab, in the
Editing group, under PDF Selection, click Text or Region.

Format selected text in a summary

You can italicize or underline text in a summary or change the font, point size and color.

1. Select the text you want to format.

2. On the Home tab, in the Format group, select the format options you want to apply.

NOTE
 If you want to change the font, you can choose from the set of fonts available on your computer.
 If you want to apply (or remove) strikeout for selected text, click the Format dialog box launcher (bottom right), and then
select the Strikeout check box on the Font dialog box.
 The Fill and Line commands are not available in framework matrices.
 The default font, point size and color is determined by settings in your project properties. You can change these settings—
for example, you might prefer a smaller point size—refer to Customize the display of framework matrices (Change the
default size, font and color of text in the cells) for more information.

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Highlight the location of summary links in summary text
By default, the location of summary links within summaries is highlighted in red. You can turn this highlighting on or off.
To turn on (or turn off) highlighting of summary links in summary text:
1. Click in the matrix.
2. On the View tab, in the Detail View group, click Framework Matrix.

3. Under Summary Links, click Show.

NOTE If you want to remove a summary link, click in the highlighted text and then click Delete Summary Link, on the Analyze
tab, in the Framework Matrix group.

Highlight summary links in the associated view

You can highlight content (in the associated view) that is linked to text in the matrix.
1. Click in the matrix or in the associated view.
2. On the View tab, in the Detail View group, click Framework Matrix.

3. Under Associated View Highlight, click Summary Links (to show all content linked to the cell) or Summary Links from
Position (to show content that is linked at your current position or selection within a matrix cell).
Linked content is highlighted in yellow in the associated view.

NOTE When you highlight summary links, you can use the Next and Previous commands in the Reference group, on the View
tab to move from one highlighted reference to another (in the Reference tab of the associated view).

Highlight thematic coding in the associated view

When you are displaying row coding in the associated view and you have also done thematic coding, you may find it useful to
highlight content coded at the column (theme) nodes. As you move from cell to cell (across the matrix) the highlighting will help
you to identify content coded to the case nodes that has also been coded to the theme.
1. Click in the matrix or in the associated view.
2. On the View tab, in the Detail View group, click Framework Matrix.

3. Under Associated View Highlight, click Column Coding.

Thematic content is highlighted in yellow in the associated view.

NOTE When you highlight column coding, you can use the Next and Previous commands in the Reference group, on the View
tab to move from one highlighted reference to another (in the Reference tab of the associated view).

Automatically scroll to highlighted content in the associated view

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When you highlight summary links or column coding in the associated view, it can be useful to turn on automatic scrolling—as you
click in different parts of a summary, content in the associated view scrolls to show highlighted source content.
To turn on automatic scrolling:
1. Click in the matrix or the associated view.
2. On the View tab, in the Detail View group, click Framework Matrix.

3. Under Associated View Highlight, click Auto Scroll.

Automatically create summaries from coding

If you have coded your sources to theme nodes (as well as case nodes), you can automatically create summaries from the content
coded at the row and column nodes. Textual content coded at both row and column nodes is copied into the corresponding matrix
cells. You can then edit this text to reduce and synthesize the material.
To automatically create summaries from coding:
1. Click in the matrix or the associated view.
2. On the Analyze tab, in the Framework Matrix group, click Auto Summarize.

Summaries are automatically created. When the process finishes, a messages indicates how many summaries (cells) in the
matrix were updated.
3. Click OK.

NOTE
 If cells in the matrix already contain text, then the coded content is added to the end of the existing summary.
 Non-textual coded content is represented by its location. For picture or PDF regions, the coordinates of the region are
added to the matrix cell. For audio or video media, the timespan is added to the matrix cell.

Work with the content of a node matrix

This topic explains the content of a node matrix and describes ways you can customize the display.

Understand what you can display in the cells of a node matrix

By default, the cells in a node matrix display the number of coding references at the intersection of the row and column nodes.

If you have a node matrix open in Detail View, the status bar indicates what information is displayed in the cells.

You can change the cell content and the following options are available:

Matrix cell Description

content

Sources Coded Number of sources coded. You can choose to count sources from all classifications, sources from a
selected classification, or sources that have no classification.

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Nodes Coded Number of nodes coded. You can choose to count nodes from all classifications, nodes from a selected
classification, or nodes that have no classification.

Words Coded Total words coded from a source.

Duration Coded Total time directly coded from the following media items:
 audio
 video

Coding
References Number of separate coding references.
(default)

Row Percentage Number of words as a percentage of total words for row—for example, this matrix shows that, based on
words coded, attitudes toward environmental change were mostly negative.
A: Negative B :Positive

environmental change 85% 15%

infrastructure 90% 10%

development 50% 45%

Column Number of words as a percentage of total words for column—for example, this matrix shows that, based
Percentage on the words coded, most negative comments were related to environmental change.

A: Negative B: Positive

environmental change 60% 80%

infrastructure 20% 10%

development 20% 10%

Coding Presence Presence or absence of coding (Yes/No)

Change the information shown in the matrix cells

1. Display the node matrix in Detail View.
2. On the View tab, in the Detail View group, click Node Matrix, and then, under Cell Content, click the content that you
want to display in the matrix.

The matrix is refreshed to display the selected cell content.

Apply shading to cells to show trends or patterns in the matrix

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 1. Display the node matrix in Detail View.
On the View tab, in the Detail View group, click Node Matrix, and then, under Cell Shading, click the shading that you want to display in the
matrix.

The matrix is refreshed to display the selected shading.

See the content that is coded at a matrix cell

You can open a node from a node matrix cell to view content coded at the intersection of the row and column.
1. Select a cell in the matrix.
2. On the Home tab, in the Item group click the arrow below Open, and then click Open Node Matrix Cell.

The content coded at the intersection of the row and column opens in Detail View.
Shortcut You can also double click the cell to open the node.
NOTE
 Although the cells represent nodes that you can open and explore, you cannot code at matrix nodes.
 You can make nodes from the cells of the matrix by copying the matrix as a hierarchical node structure—refer to Create
nodes automatically (Create nodes from a node matrix).

Visualisations
About charts

You can use charts to present or explore your project. Charts can help you answer questions—for example, Which sources are
most/least coded at the node Habitat? or What is the demographic spread of my survey participants? This topic gets you up and
running with charts and provides links to other useful topics.
You can also watch the video tutorial Visualize your project.

Understanding charts
Charts display in Detail View with two tabs:
 The Chart tab displays the visual representation of your data.

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  The Summary tab displays data values that were used to generate the chart.

Chart your coding

You can create charts to display:
 Coding for a source Shows coding information for a particular source. You can see which nodes are most used to code
a source—for example, the source Competing water uses is most coded by the node Economy. You can also see how
much coding is done on a source and which users coded the source.
 Coding by attribute value for a source Shows how a particular source is coded against one or two classified node
attributes and their corresponding combinations of attribute values. This can help you see which demographic groups are
most/least represented in nodes that code a specific source—for example, Interview about Coastal Flooding is least coded
by nodes representing males aged over 50.
 Coding by attribute value for multiple sources Shows multiple sources as coded against a particular classified node
attribute and its set of attribute values. This can help you determine which demographic groups are most/least represented
in nodes that code a range of sources—for example, Discussion Group 1 is coded mostly at nodes representing
participants under 40 years old, while Discussion Group 2 is coded mostly at nodes representing participants over 50.
 Coding for a node Shows how a particular node is used in coding sources. This can help you see which sources are
most or least coded at a node—for example, the node Habitat has more coding references from the source Interview with
Barbara than from any other source. You can also display the users that did the coding.
 Coding by attribute value for a node Shows how a particular node is matched against one or two classified node
attributes and their corresponding combinations of attribute values. This can help you determine which demographic group
is most coded at a specific node—for example, residents from Riverside have spoken out the most about flood control.
 Coding by attribute value for multiple nodes Shows multiple nodes matched against a particular classified node
attribute and its set of attribute values. This can help you determine which demographic groups have been coded most or
least at a set of nodes—for example, residents from Bayview are most concerned about land reclamation, while residents
from Riverside are most concerned about flood control.

Chart your sources

If you have classified your sources, you can create charts to display:
 Sources by attribute value for an attribute Shows the number of sources that match each value for a particular
attribute. This can help you see the range of journal articles or other source materials in your project—for example, the
year of publication.
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  Sources by attribute value for two attributes Shows the number of sources that match various combinations of two
attributes. This can help you see the range of journal articles or other source materials in your project—for example, year
of publication and journal.

Chart your nodes

If you have classified your nodes, you can create charts to display:
 Nodes by attribute value for an attribute Shows the number of nodes that match each value for a particular attribute.
This can help you see the demographic spread of your survey participants by a single attribute—for example age group.
 Nodes by attribute value for two attributes Shows the number of nodes that match various combinations of two
attributes. This can help you see the demographic spread of your survey participants by two attributes—for example, age
group and education

Types of charts
NVivo provides a range of chart types—the available chart types vary depending on the data you have chosen to view in the chart:

Type Description Example

Bar charts are useful when comparing quantity or analyzing an increasing/decreasing trend.
Variations on this type of chart include:
 3-axes bar chart
Bar
 Stacked bar chart
 100% stacked bar chart
 Grouped bar chart

Column charts are useful when comparing quantity or analyzing an increasing/decreasing trend.
Variations on this type of chart include:
 3-axes column chart
Column
 Stacked column chart
 100% stacked column chart
 Grouped column chart

Pie Pie charts effectively show the proportion of different parts that make up a whole.

Bubble charts Bubble charts show varying density of data when comparing combinations of variables.

Heat maps Heat maps show varying density of data when comparing combinations of variables or matrices.

Radar charts Radar effectively displays direction or trend when comparing several variables.

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Create a chart

You can use charts to explore your project or present your findings. This topic explains the ways you can create a chart.

Create a chart using the Chart Wizard

1. On the Explore tab, in the Visualizations group, click the Chart image.

2. Follow the steps in the Wizard, and then click Finish.

The chart is generated and displayed in Detail View. You can use the options on the Chart tab to change the appearance of
your chart—refer to Change the appearance or content of a chart for more information.

NOTE For more information on charts, refer to About charts.

Other ways you can create a chart

You can create charts while working on other areas of your project—for example, you can create a chart when you are:
 Reviewing references in a node—for example, what are the main sources coded at rising sea levels?
 Considering the coding references in a source—for example, what are the main themes coding Panel Discussion on
Water Quality Regulations?
To create a chart while working in your project, select the source, node or matrix in List View, and then click the arrow below Chart
in the Visualizations group on the Explore tab to see the available chart options.
You can also display a chart by clicking the Chart tab when you are viewing
 The results of a matrix coding query—refer to About node matrices for more information.
 A Twitter dataset—refer to Approaches to analyzing Twitter data for more information.

About cluster analysis

Cluster analysis can help you to see patterns in your data. This topic introduces the cluster analysis technique and provides links to
other useful topics.
You can also watch the video tutorial Visualize your project.

What is cluster analysis?

Cluster analysis is an exploratory technique that you can use to visualize patterns in your project by grouping sources or nodes that
share similar words, similar attribute values, or are coded similarly by nodes. Cluster analysis diagrams provide a graphical
representation of sources or nodes to make it easy to see similarities and differences. Sources or nodes in the cluster analysis
diagram that appear close together are more similar than those that are far apart.
You can use cluster analysis diagrams to visualize:
 The similarities and differences across your sources—for example, how similar are the submissions from the various
community members?
 The similarities and differences across your nodes—for example, how similar is the coding at rising sea levels, flood
control, soil erosion, and land reclamation?
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  The demographic spread of your survey respondents based on attribute value.
In the image below, the cluster of three documents indicates a close similarity. The other three documents are shown further apart
which indicates that they are dissimilar.
When you create a cluster analysis diagram in NVivo, it displays in Detail View with two tabs:
 The Diagram tab displays the visual representation of your data.

 The Summary tab displays the similarity index values used to generate the diagram.

1 Items compared—each possible pair of selected items is listed as a row in the table.

2 Similarity Index—displays a value that indicates the degree of similarity for each pair of items based on the similarity
metric selected. Items with a high similarity index (maximum=1) indicate a strong similarity and are displayed closer
together on the cluster analysis diagram.

Types of cluster analysis diagrams

When you create a cluster analysis diagram, by default it is displayed as a horizontal dendrogram. You can select from a gallery of
cluster analysis diagrams—experiment with the diagram types to find the one that best fits the project items you are exploring.

Type Description Example

2D Cluster Map A two-dimensional diagram where similar items are clustered together and different
items are further apart.

A three-dimensional diagram where similar items are clustered together and different
3D Cluster Map items are further apart.
The diagram can be rotated in three dimensions.

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Horizontal A horizontal branching diagram where similar items are clustered together on the
Dendrogram same branch and different items are further apart.
Dendrograms can be useful for comparing pairs of items.

Vertical A vertical branching diagram where similar items are clustered together on the same
Dendrogram branch and different items are further apart.
Dendrograms can be useful for comparing pairs of items.

A circle where all the items are represented as points on the perimeter. Similarity
Circle Graph between items is indicated by connecting lines of varying thickness and color.
Similarity is indicated by blue lines—thicker lines indicate stronger similarity.
Dissimilarity is indicated by red lines—thicker lines indicate stronger dissimilarity.

Cluster by word, coding or attribute value similarity

The sources or nodes in a cluster analysis diagram, can be clustered by word similarity, coding similarity or attribute value
similarity.

Cluster by Description

The words contained in the selected sources or nodes are compared.

Sources or nodes that have a higher degree of similarity based on the occurrence and frequency of words
Word
are shown clustered together. Sources or nodes that have a lower degree of similarity based on the
similarity occurrence and frequency of words are displayed further apart.

Stop words are excluded when using this measure of similarity—refer to Set the text content language and
stop words for more information.

The coding at the selected sources or nodes is compared.

Coding
Sources or nodes that have been coded similarly are clustered together on the cluster analysis diagram.
similarity
Sources or nodes that have been coded differently are displayed further apart on the cluster analysis
diagram.

The attribute values of the selected sources or nodes are compared.

Attribute value
Sources or nodes that have similar attribute values are clustered together on the cluster analysis diagram.
similarity
Sources or nodes that have different attribute values are displayed further apart on the cluster analysis
diagram.

Selecting a similarity metric

A similarity metric is a statistical method used to calculate correlation between items. When you create a cluster analysis diagram
using the Cluster Analysis Wizard, you can choose from the following similarity metrics:
 Pearson correlation coefficient
 Jaccard's coefficient
 Sørensen's coefficient
For more information on how similarity is measured, refer to How are cluster analysis diagrams generated?

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Create a cluster analysis diagram

Cluster analysis can help you to see patterns in your data. This topic explains the ways you can create a cluster analysis diagram.

Create a cluster analysis diagram using the wizard

1. On the Explore tab in the Visualizations group, click the Cluster Analysis image.

The Cluster Analysis Wizard opens.

2. Follow the steps in the wizard, and then click Finish.

NOTE Refer to About cluster analysis (Cluster by word, coding or attribute value similarity) or About cluster analysis (Selecting a
similarity metric) for more information about the options in the wizard..

Generate a cluster analysis diagram for selected sources or nodes

You can also create a cluster analysis diagram while working with sources or nodes in List View.
1. In List View, select the sources or nodes that you want to compare in a cluster analysis diagram.
2. On the Explore tab, in the Visualizations group, click the arrow below Cluster Analysis, and then click Cluster Analysis
of Sources or Cluster Analysis of Nodes.

The Cluster Analysis Options dialog box opens.

3. (Optional) Change the default options—refer to About cluster analysis (Cluster by word, coding or attribute value similarity)
or About cluster analysis (Selecting a similarity metric) for more information.
4. Click OK.

Visualize patterns in social media datasets

Cluster analysis enables you to compare similarity of words in social media datasets. For example, you can visualize the similarities
and differences across users in a:
 Facebook dataset You may discover new insights—for example, how similar are the posts or comments from various
users? For more information, refer to Approaches to analyzing Facebook data.
 Twitter dataset You may find other Twitter users that share similar views—for example, what other Twitter users use
similar words to world_wildlife? For more information, refer to Approaches to analyzing Twitter data.
 LinkedIn dataset You may notice similarities between users in a LinkedIn discussion—for example, which users have
posted similar comments? For more information, refer to Approaches to analyzing LinkedIn data.
 YouTube datasets If you have collected comments on a YouTube video, you can find users who posted comments with
similar words. For more information, refer to Approaches to analyzing YouTube comments.

View Word Frequency query results as a cluster analysis diagram

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You can also view Word Frequency query results as a cluster analysis diagram. This type of cluster analysis diagram displays the
up to 100 most frequently occurring words in the selected sources or nodes. Refer to Run a Word Frequency query for more
details.

About tree maps

Tree maps can help you to see patterns in your coding or make comparisons based on attribute values. This topic introduces tree
maps and provides links to other useful topics.
You can also watch the video tutorial Visualize your project.

What is a tree map?

A tree map is a diagram that shows hierarchical data as a set of nested rectangles of varying sizes. You could create a tree map of
nodes to compare the number of coding references. A node with a large number of coding references would display as a large
rectangle. The tree map is scaled to best fit the available space, so the sizes of the rectangles should be considered in relation to
each other, rather than as an absolute number.
In the tree map below, solar power, wind power and fossil fuels have more coding references than the other nodes. Also, there are
more coding references for the child nodes of alternate energy nodes than either fossil fuels or nuclear power.

When you create a tree map in NVivo, it displays in Detail View with two tabs:
 The Tree Map tab displays the visual representation of your data.

 The Summary tab displays the underlying data in a table format.

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What can I show in a tree map?
You can use tree maps to see patterns of coding in your project, or compare sources or nodes based on their attribute values.
Sources With a tree map of sources, you can:
 Compare the amount of coding of your sources—are some sources more heavily coded than others?
 Identify sources with most coding references at specific nodes—for example, which sources contain the most coding
references to wind power?
Nodes With a tree map of nodes, you can:
 Compare the amount of coding at your nodes—do some nodes contain more coding references than others?
 Visualize prominent themes in your project
 Identify areas that need further investigation or research
Attribute value combinations If you have classified your sources or classified your nodes, you can:
 View the demographic spread of your survey respondents
 Check that you have consulted a variety of sources—for example, have I relied too heavily on journal articles that are
more than ten years old?

How tree map options affect the size and color of the rectangles
When you create a tree map using the Tree Map Wizard, you select what you want to compare in the tree map, and whether you
want to use color to show additional information. The choices you make, will affect the size and color of the rectangles displayed on
the tree map.
The examples below show how your choices can affect size and color in a tree map of sources:

Compare by
Example Use color to show
(size)

The size of the rectangles reflects the number of coding references. Color is not used.

Number of coding
Color not selected
references

Both color and size of the rectangles shows the number of coding references.

Number of coding Number of coding

references references

The size of the rectangles shows the number of coding references. The color of the Number of coding Number of nodes

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rectangles shows the number of nodes coding the source. references coding the sources

The size of the rectangles shows the number of coding references. The colors of the
rectangles reflect colors of the sources. Sources with no color are white.
Number of coding
Item colors
references

Create a tree map

Tree maps can help you to explore your coding or make comparisons based on attribute values. This topic describes the ways you
can create a tree map.

Create a tree map using the wizard

1. On the Explore tab in the Visualizations group, click the Tree Map image.

The Tree Map Wizard opens.

2. Follow the instructions in the Tree Map Wizard. For more information about the options, refer to:

 Understand the tree map options for sources

 Understand the tree map options for nodes
 Understand the tree map options for attribute value combinations

Understand the tree map options for sources

A tree map of sources allows you to visualize your sources based on the amount of coding they contain. When you create a tree
map of sources, you can select the following options:
 Display items You can display all sources or selected sources on the tree map. If you choose a large number of sources,
you will see a large number of rectangles in the tree map.
 Compared by You can use the size of the rectangles to show the number of nodes that code the source, or the number
of coding references in the source. Content coded by more than one user is counted once for each user.
 From scope items You can choose which nodes to include in the calculation of the size of the rectangles. By default all
nodes are selected. If a source is not coded at the selected nodes, it will not be displayed in the tree map.
 Use color to show You can optionally use color to show additional information in the tree map—you can show the
number of nodes coding the source, the number of coding references in the source, or the color of the source.

Understand the tree map options for nodes

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A tree map of nodes allows you to visualize your nodes based on the number of sources coded or number of coding references.
When you create a tree map of nodes, you can select the following options:
 Display items You can display all nodes or selected nodes on the tree map. If you choose a large number of nodes, you
will see a large number of boxes in the tree map.
 Compared by You can use the size of the rectangles to show the number of sources coded, or the number of coding
references.
 From scope items You can choose which sources to include in the calculation of the size of the boxes. By default all
sources are selected.
 Use color to show You can optionally use color to show additional information in the tree map—you can show the
number of items coded at the node, the number of coding references in the node, or the color of the node.

Understand the tree map options for attribute value combinations

A tree map of attribute value combinations allows you to visualize the spread of your classified sources or nodes. You can only
create tree maps of attribute value combinations if you have classified your sources or nodes. For more information, refer to About
classifications.
When you create a tree map of attribute value combinations, you can select the following options:
 Classification You can select a single source or node classification.
 Show attributes Select the attributes you want to show on the tree map. If two or more attributes are selected, the order
of attributes in the Selected Attributes box determines the nesting of the boxes in the tree map.
NOTE The default order is based on the order that the attributes occur in the classification. You can reorder the attributes—
refer to Manage classifications for more information.
 From scope items You can choose sources or nodes that belong to the selected source or node classification.
 Use color to show You can optionally show attribute value colors on the tree map.

Generate a tree map for selected sources or nodes

You can generate tree maps while working with your sources or nodes in List View.
1. Select the sources or nodes in List View that you want to display as a tree map.
2. On the Explore tab in the Visualizations group, click the arrow below Tree Map and then click Tree Map of Sources or
Tree Map of Nodes.

The tree map is generated using the default options.

NOTE You can make changes to the tree map—including changing the colors or changing the data used to generate the
diagram—refer to Change the appearance or content of a tree map for more information.

View Word Frequency query results as a tree map

You can also view Word Frequency query results as a tree map. This type of tree map displays the up to 100 most frequently
occurring words in the selected sources or nodes. Refer to Run a Word Frequency query for more details.

About graphs

Graphs can show you the connections between your project items. This topic gets you started with graphs and provides links to
other useful topics.
You can also watch the video tutorial Visualize your project.

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What is a graph?
You can generate a graph to show how project items are connected to a selected source or node.

You can choose to show more or fewer associated items on a graph—for example, if you have graphed a node, you may want to
see only the sources coded at the node or only the parent or child nodes.
Graphs are not retained in your project when you close NVivo. However, you can convert a graph to a dynamic model that is stored
in your project. You can then make changes to the model—for example, add comments, change the layout, resize the shapes, or
change the fill color.

How can I use graphs?

You can use graphs to see:
 Connections between a selected source, or node and other project items.
 Nodes that have coded a particular source—for example, what nodes have coded 'Competing water uses'?
 Parent or child nodes for a selected node in a graphical display.

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Create and work with graphs

This topic explains how to create and work with graphs—a useful feature for exploring the connections between your project items.

Generate a graph
You can select a source or node and generate a graph to show how it is connected to other items in your project.
1. In List View, click the source or node you want to graph.
2. On the Explore tab, in the Visualizations group, click Graph.

The graph is displayed in Detail View.

Show item colors on a graph

If you have assigned colors to sources, nodes or attribute values that are displayed in the graph, you can display the item color
indicator on the graph shapes.
 On the View tab, in the Visualization group, click Color Scheme, and then click Item Colors.

NOTE You can also set the application options to display item colors by default when you create a graph—refer to Set application
options (Display tab options) for more information.

Change the items displayed on a graph

You can choose to show more or fewer associated items on a graph—for example, if you have graphed a source, you may want to
see only the nodes that code the source or only the 'see also' links and memos.
To show more or fewer associated items on a graph:
 On the Graph tab, in the Display group, select or clear the check box for the items you want to show or hide.

Follow associations in your project by graphing sources and nodes

You can select an item in a graph and then generate another graph to see this item's associations—this allows you to follow the
associations in your project.
To create a graph of an item displayed on a graph:
1. In the graph displayed in Detail View, click the source or node you want to graph.
2. On the Explore tab, in the Visualizations group, click Graph.

The graph is displayed in Detail View.

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Convert a graph into a new dynamic model
You can create a new dynamic model from the graph displayed in Detail view.
1. On the Graph tab, in the Create group, click Create Model from Graph.

The New Model dialog box opens.

2. (Optional) Change the Name or add a Description.
3. Click OK.

NOTE If you have created your own folders, you can click Select and select an alternate location—refer to Work with folders
(Create a new folder) for more information.

About models

You can use a model to map out your ideas or to explore and present the connections in your data. This topic gives you a feel for
what you can do with models and provides links to other useful topics.
You may also want to watch the video tutorial Visualize your project.

What are models?

Models are a way of visually exploring or presenting the data in your project.

You can use models:

 To set out and review initial ideas or theories about the topic or question of your project
 To visually represent the relationships between project items
 To identify emerging patterns, theories and explanations
 To provide a record of stages in a project

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At the beginning of your project, you might use a model to plan your project and sketch your expectations or initial ideas. Later on,
models can help to show links between concepts or items in your project.

Understand linked and unlinked shapes and connectors

Models are made up of shapes and connectors. A model can contain linked shapes, unlinked shapes or a mixture of both.
Unlinked shapes are not linked to project item (useful for early ideas). Unlinked shapes are not affected by changes in your project.
If you convert an unlinked shape to a project item—it will become a linked shape in your model.

Linked shapes are linked to project items. You can create a linked shape by adding a project item to your model, or converting an
unlinked shape to a project item. The project item icons on the shapes indicate that they are 'live' to the data. If you change the
name and description of the shape, you change the name and description of the project item. If you delete a project item that is
linked to a shape, the shape remains in the model but is displayed with a red cross and you can no longer open the linked item.
You can delete project items directly from the model—refer to Interact with your project via a model for more information.

Linked connectors represent relationships, 'see also' links and memo links that have been added as associated data to project
items in your model. You can convert a connector from unlinked to linked or from linked to unlinked.

Dynamic and static models

When you create a new model in NVivo, you create a 'dynamic' model. Dynamic models can be changed—for example, you can
add shapes, add project items, convert unlinked shapes to project items and so on.
A static model is a read-only 'snapshot' of a dynamic model. Creating a static model can be useful if you want to keep a record of
your project at a particular point in time. By regularly creating static versions of your dynamic models, you can record the
development of ideas, concepts and node hierarchies.
When you create a static version of a dynamic model, all links to project items are removed, so the static model is not affected by
changes to your project. A static model cannot be changed, and you cannot enter edit mode when you have a static model open in
Detail View.
You can identify the dynamic and static models in your project by their icons:

Description
Icon

Dynamic model

Static model

Open and navigate models

You can double-click a model in List View to open it in Detail View.

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1 The model canvas.
2 The Model Groups Pane. This pane can be hidden to give more space to work with your model. For more information, refer to
Use groups to show or hide items in a model.
When the model is open in Detail View, you can use the horizontal and vertical scroll bars to move around the model. You can use
Zoom to focus on an area of the model, or Zoom out to see the whole model at a reduced size.
If you want to change the model, you must enter edit mode. You cannot change a static model.

What can I do in a model?

When working with a dynamic model you can:
 Arrange shapes and connectors—manually or with automatic layouts. Refer to Change the layout of shapes and
connectors for more information.
 Add shapes and connectors.
 Add project items (as linked shapes) to your model.
 Convert unlinked shapes in your model to project items.
 See associations between the project items represented in your model. Refer to Interact with your project via a model for
more information.
 Group project items and then show or hide the groups as required. This allows you to show stages or different views on
the same model. Refer to Use groups to show or hide items in a model, for more information.

Group project items represented in a model

You can use model groups to select, show or hide project items based on classification, attribute value, relationship type or item
color. For example, if your model includes linked shapes representing survey participants, you could hide the shapes that represent
participants of a particular age group.
You can also create custom groups to break a model into simpler views—for example, group nodes in your model that represent
negative opinions, positive opinions and neutral opinions. Refer to Use groups to show or hide items in a model for more
information about grouping items in models.

Use model styles to format shapes and connectors

You can create and apply custom model styles to differentiate elements in your model. For example, you could create a model style
for nodes representing negative attitudes, and another style for nodes representing positive attitudes. Then you can apply these
styles to shapes in your model to visually emphasize the different attitudes of your survey participants.
Refer to Change the appearance of shapes and connectors for more information on using model styles.

Preparing for final write-up

This topic describes the ways that NVivo can help during the writing-up or presentation stage of your project.

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Continuous writing—memos and your project journal
Throughout your project you have been writing regularly—creating memos and perhaps recording your progress in a project
journal. You can use all of this material as the basis for your final 'write-up'. For example, you might export your memos as
Microsoft Word documents and these may eventually evolve into chapters of your thesis.
If you used a project journal to record the significant stages of your project, you can draw from this when it is time to 'write-up' your
project. For example, your journal might include
 Static models of key concepts and categories at various stages in your project.
 Details of the results of the queries you have run at various stages of your project and their contribution to your analysis
 Details of projects which have been merged to comprise the current project.
 Links to reports created at various stages in your project to show the progression of ideas, concepts and the state of your
data.

Exporting data to use in the final 'write-up'

Qualitative researchers share their findings in a variety of ways—from traditional reports to video documentaries and conference
presentations. NVivo lets you export your data in many formats so that you can include it in whatever medium you decide to use—
for example you could:
 Export your memos or to Microsoft Word.
 Export the text content of a node to Microsoft Word or export the entire node as a HTML page—this is a great way to
share your findings (including audio and video clips) with colleagues who don't have NVivo.
 Export node matrices or classification sheets to use in statistical applications like Microsoft Excel or IBM SPSS Statistics.
 Copy a chart or export it as an image file and include it in your presentation—you can also do this with other visualizations
like cluster analysis diagrams, tree maps or graphs.
Refer to Export project items for more information.

Creating a bibliography
If you have gathered bibliographical data in NVivo, you can export and then open it in a reference management tool (such as
EndNote or Zotero) and use its features to insert citations and format your references.
For more information about exporting bibliographical data—refer to Exchange data between NVivo and reference management
tools.

Planning and creating a convincing report

As your project matures, it may be time to consolidate your emerging ideas and insights. For example, you might want to review
the memos, annotations and models you have created. Are your ideas beginning to crystallize? Can you identify gaps in your
knowledge—and plan how you will fix or explain them? If you feel you can confidently address your research question, then you
may be ready to write your final report.
There is no standard template for creating a qualitative report and your approach will depend on your particular discipline or
methodology—but this table provides a basic outline and helps you to see how the work you have done in NVivo can support the
writing-up process.

Section Possible Content Materials you might review

Introduction Project purpose and goals Project journal, early memos and models

Contribution to Why is this research needed? Review items created during the literature review
literature What gaps does it fill? process, including:
 Memos related to articles, books and other
literature
 Annotations in articles and other literature
 Quotes, descriptions or abstracts stored in
Externals (which represent and link to
literature outside the project)

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Methodology What methods or theoretical framework did you use
and why?
Context Describe the research setting including the places
and people that are part of your study. Why did you
choose this setting?
Central There are many approaches you could take—
analysis depending on your methodology. For example, you
might have chapters that focus on particular
hypotheses, themes or case studies.
Conclusion Discuss the impact of your research including ideas,
recommendations, unresolved issues and areas for
future investigation.
References A list of all references and citations.
 Models and other visualizations you
created to explore the ideas covered in the
literature
Review items created during the research design,
including:
 Methodological memos
 Annotations in articles and other literature
related to qualitative methodologies
 Matrix coding queries comparing the use of
different methods
 Models demonstrating your approach
Review the materials created during research
design and data collection:
 Memos related to people, places or other
cases
 Queries that explore cases based on their
demographic attributes
 Charts showing the spread of respondents
Review the materials created during the coding and
analysis phase—these might include:
 Thematic memos that describe the
significance of nodes or sources
 Coding queries that explore the co-
occurrence of themes
 Matrix coding queries that compare
respondent attitudes across a range of
themes
 Illustrative quotes that have been coded to
a great quotes node.
 Word Frequency and Text search queries
that explore the use of language
 Visualizations (like charts or tree maps)
that show the frequency and coverage of
particular themes
 Models that illustrate your growing
understanding of the data
 Reports that summarize your data at
various points in your project
Return again to review your project journal, memos
and models.
Export your bibliographical data to a reference
management tool like EndNote, and use its features
to insert citations and format references.
For information about citing NVivo in your report,
refer to the FAQs on the QSR website.
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