Mac

On this part of the website, you have free access to up to date click-by-click instructions for NVivo on Mac. Simply click on the headings below to reveal the instructions.

Use the index of click-by-click instructions as a companion guide to help you find the instructions you need, or browse through the instructions below that accompany this chapter.

As there are some functions in NVivo that can only be carried out in Windows, there are deliberate gaps in the Mac instructions numbering system when a tool is not available. This is so that the numbering system matches the book and the index of instructions.

4.a. Exporting an overview of your Nodes

The next two options will generate output that matches your customization.

Exporting a list of Nodes

  • List View: Select a Node.
  • Ribbon: Data > Export List.

Printing a list of Nodes

  • List View: Select a Node.
  • Menu bar: File > Print List.

Exporting a Codebook

  • List View: Select a Node.
  • Ribbon: Data > Export Codebook.

4.b. Creating a Memo Link to a Node

  • Navigation View: Codes > Nodes.
  • List View: Right-click on a Node > Memo Link > Link to New Memo.
  • Name the Memo > Done.
  • Date and time stamp your entry > Cmd + Shift + T.
  • Record your ideas about that Node in the Memo and come back to it any time to review and revisit your interpretations.
    • List View: Right-click on the Node > Memo Link > Open Linked Memo (or Cmd + Shift + M).
    •  Click to Edit if you want to edit or augment your existing thoughts.

4.c. Using a Concept map to sort Nodes into groups (Figure 4.6)

  • Ribbon: Explore > Concept Map > provide a name > Done.
  • + Project Item, selecting all your thematic Nodes. Existing connections between them will be ignored > Select.
  • Select a Node or Nodes to move them around the screen, forming groups based on their being ‘the same kind of thing.’
  • Right-click on a Node to Open if you need to check what is coded there.
  • Label each group of Nodes:
    • + Shape > Select a Shape and drag to the Map.
    • Double-click on a Shape to Name it.

4.d. Rearranging and Creating Nodes in hierarchies

Before making drastic changes to your project, make a backup copy.

  • Select the red symbol on the top left of the Project.
  • Open your Finder and Duplicate as you would any other file.

Moving Nodes into hierarchies

Nodes can be dragged from one parent to another:

  • List View: Click once on a Node to select it > click and drag to the parent Node, or
  • List View: Right-click on a Node > Copy > select the desired parent Node > Right-click > Paste.
  • Delete the original Node.

To place an existing Node at the top level:

  • List View: Select a Node > release your click and return to drag it to the Navigation View: Codes: Nodes, or
  • List View: Right-click on a Node > Copy.
    • Navigation View: Codes > Nodes > Right-click > Paste.
    • Delete the original Node.

Creating Nodes in hierarchies

  • List View: Right-click on the Node under which you want to create a child Node > New Node > add a Name and Description > Done (Figure 4.8).

4.e. Aggregate child Nodes

To automatically Aggregate child Node(s) into the parent Node as you continue coding

  • Navigation View: Codes > Nodes.
  • List View: Right-click on a (preferably empty) parent Node > Aggregate Coding from Child Nodes.

To undo Aggregation

  • List View: Right-click on the Aggregated Node > Aggregate Coding from Child Nodes.

4.g. Auto Coding a File by speaker name

  • Navigation View: Data: File.
  • List View: Select the File(s) > Right-click > Auto Code > By Speaker.
    • Enter Speaker names (or question numbers) in the lines provided (see the highlight below the names for visual feedback. But, wait until all names are entered to see the distinction between all speakers).
    • Create new classification > provide a name (e.g., Person) > Auto Code.

If your question Nodes ended up as Cases, simply create a new folder in your Nodes (e.g., Interview responses by question), and cut/paste them into this new folder.

4.h. Running a Word Frequency Query

  • Ribbon: Query > Word Frequency (Figure 4.12).
  • Search in > leave as Files & Externals to search in everything (or go to Selected Items to scope the search to a narrower focus).
  • Display words > leave at 1000 most frequent or set to a lower number.
  • With minimum length > leave at 3 (increase to only find longer words; decrease to include shorter words).
  • Combine different forms of the same word into the same “Find” as shown in Figure 4.12).
    • Finding matches > Include stemmed words.
  • Run Query.

4.i. Viewing and adjusting Stop Words

Select the text search language and view the default list of Stop Words

  • Menu bar: File: Project Properties (Stop Words are Project-specific) > General.
    • Text content language.
    • Stop Words.

Modify the Stop Words

  • Change words directly from the Stop Words List (in Project Properties), or
  • Right-click on any Word in the results > Add to Stop Words List.

4.j. Running a Text Search Query

  • Ribbon: Query > Text Search.
  • Search in > leave as Files & Externals to search in all Files (or go to Selected Items to scope the search to a narrower focus, such as one of your Sets).
  • Search For > enter the word(s) of interest (as in Figure 4.13. use the Special button to add your own synonyms with OR as an alternator between words; use quotations marks for phrases). See the NVivo Help for additional explanations.
    • As an alternative, use Finding matches > Include stemmed words or any of the other options.
  • Run Query.