From interviews to social network analysis: An approach for revealing social networks embedded in narrative data

Abstract

This article describes the process of discovery used to convert interview data into a format readable into MultiNet for social network analysis. Based on the 2005 doctoral dissertation research of Willie McKether, the authors describe the steps used to collect and store interview data in Microsoft Word, the preparation process for exporting the interviews to ATLAS.ti for coding, the coding process, and the conversion path that allowed them to export the coded qualitative data from ATLAS.ti to SPSS and ultimately to MultiNet for social network analysis. This study is significant because it describes a replicable conversion technique that can be used by experienced scholars and those unfamiliar with the range of network analysis programs and conversion possibilities.