Research Software

IBM® SPSS® Statistics is a comprehensive, easy-to-use set of data and predictive analytics tools for business users, analysts and statistical programmers. 

Availability at Mason: SPSS is a statistical software application. The University has an agreement with SPSS that allows installation and usage on only university owned or leased equipment in a Windows platform. The University also has a limited license for SPSS-Mac (25-users). Additionally, SPSS is accessible via University's Central System (mason.gmu.edu) in a UNIX environment. Please contact the Support Center 703-9933-8870 for an installation work order.  Availability at S-CAR: Stata is available to S-CAR faculty and students on a Windows PC Desktop in the Burton Library and  through Mason's Virtual Computing Lab.  

Stata is a complete, integrated statistical package that provides everything you need for data analysis, data management, and graphics.  Availability at S-CAR: Stata is available to S-CAR faculty and students through Mason's Virtual Computing Lab. 

QDA Miner is an easy-to-use mixed-model qualitative data analysis software package for coding, annotating, retrieving and analyzing small and large collections of documents and images.

WordStat provides computer assisted text analysis.  Whether you need a text mining tool for fast extraction of themes and trends or achieve careful and precise measurement with a state-of-the-art quantitative content analysis method, WordStat provides a unique combination of both approaches in a flexible and easy to use text analysis software.

Simstat goes beyond mere statistical analysis. It offers output management features not found in any other program as well as its own scripting language to automate statistical analysis and to write small applications, interactive tutorials with multimedia capabilities, as well as computer assisted interviewing systems.

Availability at S-CAR: QDA Miner, WordStat and SimStat are available to S-CAR faculty and sutdents on a Windows PC Desktop in the Burton Library.

NVivo is a qualitative data analysis (QDA) computer software package produced by QSR International. It has been designed for qualitative researchers working with very rich text-based and/or multimedia information, where deep levels of analysis on small or large volumes of data are required.

NVivo is intended to help users organize and analyze non-numerical or unstructured data. The software allows users to classify, sort and arrange information; examine relationships in the data; and combine analysis with linking, shaping, searching and modeling.

The researcher or analyst can test theories, identify trends and cross-examine information in a multitude of ways using its search engine and query functions. They can make observations in the software and build a body of evidence to support their case or project.

NVivo accommodates a wide range of research methods, including network and organizational analysis, action or evidence-based research, discourse analysis, grounded theory, conversation analysis, ethnography, literature reviews, phenomenology and mixed methods research. NVivo can handle materials in any language and supports data formats such as audio files, videos, digital photos, Word, PDF, spreadsheets, rich text and plain text.

Availability at S-CAR: NVivo is available on a Windows PC Desktop in the Burton Library.

Mason Library's Data Services has a list of reviews and comparisons of software packages.

Adobe InDesign, Photoshop, Dreamweaver, and Acrobat Pro are available on a dedicated computer in the Burton Library.

Learn More about Adobe CS5 Design.

Inqscribe is Simple Software for Transcription and Subtitling.  An accompanying foot pedal is in the Burton Library.  Learn more about inqscribe.

Mason Library Data Services can provide training in NVivo, SPSS, R, SAS and Stata and possibly a few others. Free tutorials are also usually available on Lynda.

Mason Library Data Services will come to the Arlington Campus Library to hold workshops. 

You can request a workshop. As it is difficult to provide a singular training on all of the software, they are usually offered in separate sessions. If you would like to talk to someone in Data Services about these trainings before arranging them, please email [email protected].