Qualitative Data Analysis: An Expanded Sourcebook

Don't let the date published scare you away from this book. The guides are applicable to any person wishing to perform qualitative data analysis.

As a first time qualitative researcher, I found this book indispensible during my data analysis. It clearly explains multiple analytic techniques, providing the researcher with many alternatives to use in developing conclusions. The descriptions are easy to understand and supported by insightful examples. If you are looking for a roadmap to guide you through qualitative research, this is the GPS of qualitative data analysis.

I am working on my dissertation. This book got me out of my thinking chair and to my writing desk. The philosophical approach to qualitative research is very contemporary and will take us into whole new areas of research to improve and 'polish' humanity. My only objection is the cost. Does a book like this really have to cost over $60? Too much.

When one thinks of qualitaitve research one tends to think immediately of focus groups and face to face interviews - but increasingly with research the game is shifting toward online surveys that generate wonderful amounts of open-ended content, and research projects may also involve ethnography and content analysis to gain rich insights. In other words the focus of the professional must shift toward that quesiton: "what on earth do we do with all this 'soft' data?" Those verbatims, those observation notes... there's a huge amount of data waiting for interpretation. Can you systematically analyse it? Here in 13 comprehensive chapters, over 338 pages the issues are explored from multiple angles, and what Miles & Huberman have achieved in this sourcebook is a thorough starting point for researchers who want to reliably and systematically - dare I say, scientifically - interpret the soft data they must work with. This book is by turns brilliant and inspiring - helped along by clear prose that talks to us as professional colleagues. I recommend this one very strongly. Your colleagues will blanche when they see you carrying this big grey book - but if they get over the seemingly dry subject matter, they see that these authors have prepared a pathway along which serious qualitative researchers ought to travel.

As an advisor of doctoral students, I keep several copies of this book on the shelf so I always have one on hand to loan to students. I find it a very useful resource for students who are planning qualitative research.