How Do I Activate Documents and Codes in MAXQDA?

MAXQDA is powerful software that helps researchers and students analyze data. Working with MAXQDA is often characterized by organizing data using documents and codes. But how does one actually use these documents and codes in MAXQDA? This begs the question: How do I activate documents and codes in MAXQDA?

In this article, we show you how to activate and work with documents and codes more straightforwardly using MAXQDA. By the end of this article, you will know how to initiate your analysis efficiently and organize your data well.

What are the Documents and Codes in MAXQDA?

Before talking about activating documents and codes in MAXQDA, let us first understand what they are.

What are Documents?

In MAXQDA, a document is any file that contains the data you want to analyze. For example:

• Text files: this could be interviews or surveys.
• Audio files: these are files you want to listen to.
• Video files: if you have recordings.

Everything you import into MAXQDA is a document, and you will almost certainly need to subdivide what it contains into smaller units in some detail for analysis purposes.

What are Codes?

Codes are labels or tags that you use to mark specific parts of your documents. You apply codes to parts of the text that share the same topic or idea.

For example:

• If your interview discusses “school,” you might code parts of the interview with the label “school.”
• If the interview discusses “homework,” you could code that with the label “homework.”

These codes allow you to file and locate specific parts of your data much more quickly. After you have used codes, you can sort the text according to the various ideas and topics.

Why Activate Documents and Codes?

In MAXQDA, you must first activate documents and codes before you can work with them. You can think of activation as a way of turning on or selecting the items you want to focus on; otherwise, you cannot carry out some tasks or view the codes and documents you want to analyze.

Now, let us look at activating documents and codes in MAXQDA.

How to Activate Documents in MAXQDA?

To begin working with your data, you must activate the documents you want to analyze. Here is how to do that:

1. Select the Document You Want to Activate

When you open a project in MAXQDA, you will see your documents listed in the Document System. This is the view where all the files you have imported are presented. To activate a document, you need to click on it.

For instance, to work with a text document entitled “Interview 1”, click on it in the Document System. The document will become active.

2. Activate Several Documents (If You Need To)

If you are working with more than a single document, activating several documents is possible. To do this:

• Hold the Ctrl key if you use Windows or the Command key for a Mac.
• Once you have selected the documents, you can now edit them at the same time.

3. Activate a Document for Coding

Once you have opened your document, you are now ready to code.

To begin coding a document:

Double-click the document to open it

Click and highlight the text you want to code in your document.

Drag the highlighted code to the selected text from your Code System list.

If you coded a document, it means that you began the analysis.

4. Deactivate a Document

If you no longer want to work with a document, click on another document to deactivate the first one. You can also completely deactivate a document by clicking anywhere outside the document in the workspace.

Activating Codes in MAXQDA

You use codes to label important information in your documents. If you activate a code, you use it to organize and label your data. Here is how to do it in MAXQDA:

1. Activate a Code

To activate a code, open the ‘Code System’ in MAXQDA. The ‘Code System’ shows all the code you created for your project.

To activate a code, select the code you want to work with from the coding system. If you have a code-named “Stress” and want to mark all parts of your data about stress, you must click on that code in the Code System.

2. Activate Multiple Codes

You can also select more than one code. Hold down the Ctrl key (in Windows) or the Command key (in a Mac), and while that is down, click on the codes you want to select and activate.

You will see the activated codes shaded

Use those codes you activated on parts of your documents

3. Applying codes to your data

As you have seen above, when you select an activated code, you will see an Apply button:

• Open the document you want to work on.
• Select the text that corresponds to the code, such as a passage in which someone discusses “stress.”
• Then, drag the code from the Code System onto the selected text. This will apply the code to that portion of the document so that your data is well organized.

4. Deactivate Codes

If you no longer wish to use a code, you can switch it off. To do this, click on another code or click outside of the Code System. The code is now turned off, and any new parts of the document cannot have that code applied to them.

Quick Navigation: Activating Documents and Codes

Once you have activated documents and codes, you can easily switch between them to view your work. This allows you to analyze data, identify trends, and compare different ideas in your documents.

Use the Document Browser for Quick Access

In MAXQDA, you efficiently use the Document Browser to see what is inside your activated documents. Use it to:

• Scroll through your data.
• Apply codes to highlighted sections.
• See the codes you have already applied.

This makes it easier to keep track of your work and quickly find information.

Use the Code System for Easy Code Access

The Code System is a location where all your codes are stored. You can rapidly activate a code here and start applying it to various parts of your documents. The Code System also allows you to organize your codes into categories to make retrieving the codes easier.

Why Activating Documents and Codes is Important

Activation of documents and codes is vital for you to:

1. Focus on the correct data: Opening the files will ensure you work on the correct file.
2. Apply the right codes: By applying codes to data, you can promptly identify relevant topics or themes.
3. Organize your work: By activating both documents and codes, you will simplify tracking your progress in identifying patterns within your data.
4. Efficiently conduct your research: Turning on these features makes you work more quickly and concentrate on the most valuable areas of your data.

Conclusion

Activation of documents and codes in MAXQDA is an organizational step toward the ability to analyze your data. A document is activated by clicking on it from the Document System, while a code gets activated by clicking from the Code System. In activation, they allow data to be coded so that an analysis can be made for your research study.

Activating documents and codes lets you focus on the correct data, apply the proper labels, and organize your research. Follow these steps to get the most out of MAXQDA and improve your research process.