Tools for the Doctoral Journey – Research

Google Scholar

• As much as I love my university library, the database search engine function is archaic and requires you to use specific terms. This uses Google’s search engine technology to find articles. 
• General Use
  • After I find articles I like, I check to see if they are peer reviewed using Ulrichsweb (see below) and then click through using to Kopernio (also below) download them. 
• For Literature Review
  • In Atlas.ti, I looked for codes that tagged bibliography items
  • I then copied and pasted them to Google Scholar
  • I then imported the article citations to Mendeley
    • Settings for this
      • Click on hamburger menu, settings, Bibliography menu, Show like to import citations into “RefMan”
      • This creates an “Import into RefMan” link option at the bottom of articles.
      • When I find a research article I like, I click on that link and it will import into Mendeley
• Free
• https://scholar.google.com/

Ulrichsweb

• This uses your university credentials to help verify that research articles come from peer reviewed (refereed) sources. The icon even looks like a referee uniform.
• Free
• http://ulrichsweb.serialssolutions.com/login

Kopernio

• This is a browser plug-in for Chrome that uses your university credentials to simplify access to full research article PDF’s.
• I then add them to a class folder or temp folder in dropbox
• I then add it to Mendeley
• Free
• https://kopernio.com/

Conference and Meeting Rooms: DaVinci Meeting Rooms

• I needed to meet with participants for my study away from campus. This service provided meeting rooms that could be rented for the hour. 
• $25 – $50 / hour
• https://www.davincimeetingrooms.com/

Recorder: Zoom H2n Handy Recorder

• Although I could have used an iPhone or computer to record interviews, I wanted something with a little more horsepower.  This digital recorder had a unidirectional, high gain microphone.
• This was excellent for interviews in any environment. I even did one in a crowded park.
• Additionally, this was excellent for recording thoughts about research and journal articles while I was driving.
• $155.99 one time
• https://www.amazon.com/Zoom-H2N-H2n-Handy-Recorder/dp/B005CQ2ZY6/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=Zoom+H2n+Handy+Recorder&qid=1587953903&sr=8-2

Backup Recorder: Voice Recorder & Audio Editor for the iPhone

• Although I already had a robust digital recorder, I needed to have a trusted backup.  This program worked really well. 
• Free
• https://apps.apple.com/us/app/voice-recorder-audio-editor/id685310398

Qualitative Data Analysis and Coding: Atlas.ti

• For interviews
  • I conducted 11 semi-structured interviews which resulted in seven hours and forty-one minutes of audio.  This in turn resulted in 202 pages of transcripts. 
  • I used a layered, iterative approach to code the interviews using Atlas.ti over several sessions.
  • My first pass was just to review the interview audios while reading the transcripts.
  • My next pass was to highlight sentences and quotations from those transcripts.
  • After that, I assigned keywords or phrases to the highlighted sections.
  • Throughout the process, I eliminated redundancy by condensing codes as much as possible.
• For Literature Review
  • For my Literature Review, I exported all the references I exported my Mendeley (citation manager) articles with metadata to Atlas.ti.
  • https://atlasti.com/product/whats-new-in-atlas-ti-8-4/
  • In Mendeley, I put all the relevant articles into a single folder, highlighted those documents,  right-clicked, and created an export file using “EndNote XML” as the file type.
  • In Atlas.ti, I created a new project, went to the document, import reference manager data menu, adjusted settings for file tagging (I defaulted to all), and chose the Mendeley import file.
  • I then highlighted quotations and created codes as I pored though articles
  • I then grouped and consolidated codes
    • Type of Study – quantitative, qualitative, mixed-methods
    • Definitions – from the article or referred to in article
      • Followed up by a tagging the bibliography reference in that article
    • Instrument – I tagged any instruments or tools the article references in case I wanted to use it
      • Followed up by a tagging the bibliography reference in that article
    • Theoretical frameworks – referenced in the research article
      • Followed up by a tagging the bibliography reference in that article
    • Findings – directly from the research article
    • Findings Other – referenced in the research article
      • Followed up by a tagging the bibliography reference in that article
    • Limitations – of that study
    • Need – recommended follow-up outlined by the study
    • Specific to my study
    • Rationale – Justification
    • Challenges
    • Success Strategy
    • Support
      • Home
      • Institution
      • Recommendations
  • I then looked at the codes to
    • Review the bibliography references
    • Track them down using Google Scholar
    • Add the references (if not the whole PDF) to Mendeley
  • After consolidating codes, I created code groups that eventually became my themes.
  • I then exported the codes and code groups to excel
  • I pivoted out the code groups and imported to MindManager where I further grouped and refined themes
  • I then used his to write out my narrative in Word where I could add in my Mendeley references.
  • I then copied the whole thing back to Scrivener
• $99 for 2 years (normally $750 for an educational license)
• https://atlasti.com/students/

Transcription Services: Rev

• This service transcribed recordings accurately and quickly.  
• There were even options to indicate international or regional accents for a more accurate transcription 
• This was absolutely helpful in doing some quick member-checking as I was able to turn transcripts around in 24 hours.
• $1.25 / minute
• https://www.rev.com/