AutoMap Help

AutoMap© Help

A) Input

1. Open a text
1.1. Clear
1.2. Exit

Filter the Text

2. Deletion (Reduce data by applying a Delete List)
    2.1. Open a Delete List
   2.2. Create a Delete List
   2.3. Modify a Delete List
   2.4. Apply a Delete List
    2.4.1. Direct Adjacency
    2.4.2. Rhetorical Adjacency
   2.5. Clear or Exit

3. Generalization (Reduce data by applying a Thesaurus)
    3.1. Open a Thesaurus
    3.2. Create a Thesaurus
    3.3. Modify a Thesaurus
   3.4. Apply a Thesaurus
      3.4.1.    Replacing words by corresponding key concepts and maintain the rest of the text
        3.4.2.    Replace words by corresponding key concepts and neglect the rest of the text
           3.4.2.1. Direct Adjacency
         3.4.2.2. Rhetorical Adjacency
        3.5. Clear or Exit

B) Analysis

4. Make the Analysis Settings
    4.1. Analysis Settings
    4.2. Standard Settings
   4.3. Run Analysis
   4.4. Multiple Analysis
   4.5. Clear

C) Output
5.1. The Map
   5.2. Visualization of the Map
   5.3. Statistics

D) Further Tools
   6.1. List of all Concepts, Frequencies and Categories
6.2. Create a Coding List

A) Input

1. Open a text
To open a Text, click the Text menu and select Open from File.
The text will be displayed on the Text Index Card.
You can modify the Text.
Make the modifications directly within the Text on the Text Index Card.
The modifications will be considered in the analysis.
To save the modified Text, click the Text Menu and select Save Text as….

You also can insert a text directly in the Text Index Card.

1.1. Clear
To clear all Index cards, click the Text menu and select Clear.

1.2. Exit
To exit AutoMap, click the Text menu and select Exit.
AutoMap will be closed.

Filter the Text

Filtering a text means to reduce the data to a minimized set of the most relevant, content-bearing terms. Filtering is a semi-automated, iterative process. The size of both text and map is decreased significantly and therefore meaningful comparisons across texts becomes possible. There are no scientific standards for defining information as irrelevant. The user has to determine the most appropriate level of data reduction considering his research question.
AutoMap allows the researcher to use a three step process for data reduction: punctuation (see Analysis Settings), Deletion and Generalization.

Fore more detailed and methodological information about Filtering a Text, see the automap.html file in the root directory of AutoMap, paragraph Coding Choices.

2. Deletion (Reduce data by applying a Delete List)

AutoMap uses the entries in the Delete List to search the text and delete the words specified in the Delete List from the text.
Fore more detailed and methodological information about Deletion, see the automap.html file in the root directory of AutoMap, paragraph Coding Choices.

2.1. Open a Delete List
To open a Delete List, go to the Delete Concepts Index Card .
To open one of the two pre-defined Delete Lists that AutoMap provides, click the small list Combo Box below the Open List Button and choose the small or the extensive list.
To open a Delete List defined by the user click the Open List button and select the file.
The path will be displayed on the Open List button.

The Delete List will be displayed on the Delete Concepts Index Card.

You can modify and save the Delete List if you wish.
AutoMap treates every Delete List as not case sensitive.
To save the modified Delete List, click the Save new List button at the lower end of the Delete Concepts Index Card.

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2.2. Create a Delete List
There are two ways to create a Delete List:

1. Within AutoMap:
Go to the Delete Concepts Index Card.
Modify the Delete List by adding and removing Concepts.
To save the new list, click the Save new List button and choose a location to save the List.

2. Outside of AutoMap:
Use a text editor to create a Delete List.

Please consider the instructions to create a Delete List:
1. The general structure of a Delete List is one single Concept per line.
2. Avoid empty lines.
3. AutoMap treates every Delete List as not case sensitive.

Save the List.
Open the Delete List in AutoMap.
You can modify the Delete List in AutoMap if you wish.

If you wish to apply a Delete List and a Thesaurus please make sure to use the Delete List first and then the Thesaurus.

2.3. Modify a Delete List
You can Add and/or Remove Concepts to/ from the Delete List.
To do so, go to the Delete Concepts Index Card.

Add Concepts to Delete List:
Open a Delete List.
To add a Concept, enter the Concept into the small text field on the right side of the Delete Concepts Index Card.
The Delete List is not case sensitive.
Click the Add Concept button.
The Concepts will be displayed at the lowest line of the List on the left side of the Delete Concepts Index Card.
By double-clicking on a word in the Delete List this word will be yellow highlighted in the Text in the Text Index Card.
AutoMap treates every Delete List as not case sensitive.

To save the modified list, click the Save new List button and choose a location to save the List.

If you wish to apply a Delete List and a Thesaurus please make sure to use the Delete List first and then the Thesaurus.

Remove Concepts from Delete List:
Open a Delete List.
Go to the Delete List on the left side of the Delete Concepts Index Card and click on the Concepts that you would like to remove from the Delete List.
It will be blue highlighted.
Then click the Remove Concept Button.
The Delete List is not case sensitive.
The Concept will be removed from the List but not from the text.
By double-clicking on a word in the Delete List this word will be yellow highlighted in the Text in the Text Index card.
AutoMap treates every Delete List as not case sensitive.

To save the modified list, click the Save new List button and choose a location to save the List.

If you wish to apply a Delete List and a Thesaurus please make sure to use the Delete List first and then the Thesaurus.

2.4. Apply a Delete List
Open a Delete List.
By double-clicking on a word in the Delete List this word will be yellow highlighted in the Text on the Text Index card.
AutoMap treates every Delete List as not case sensitive.

If you wish to apply a Delete List and a Thesaurus please make sure to use the Delete List first and then the Thesaurus.

To delete all the Concepts of the Delete List from the Text, click the Delete Concepts from Text button on the Delete Concepts Index card.
The Text with the Concepts deleted will be displayed on the Concepts deleted Index card.
To save the Text with the Concepts deleted, click the Text Menu and select Save Text with Concepts deleted as….

When the user applies the Delete List, he can decide if the adjacency of the remaining key concepts should be direct or rhetorical .
If the user does not change the adjacency option, AutoMap uses direct adjacency for analysis.

2.4.1. Direct adjacency
Direct adjacency means that only the key concepts are maintained while all the rest of the text will not be considered. AutoMap displays the text that is to be analyzed as the resulting plain string of key concepts.
To do so check the direct adjacency item in the Place statements for analysis box on the Delete Concepts Index Card.
If one applies the direct adjacency method, the resulting map will contain more statements than after using the rhetorical adjacency approach. The direct adjacency approach does not resemble the humans natural language.
If the user does not change the adjacency option, AutoMap uses direct adjacency for analysis.

2.4.2. Rhetorical adjacency
Rhetorical adjacency means that the original distance between the key concepts will be considered for the analysis. In this approach AutoMap displays the resulting text as a string of xxx symbols and key concepts. The xxx symbols can be considered as space holders.
To do so check the rhetorical adjacency item in the Place statements for analysis box on the Delete Concepts Index Card .
If one applies the rhetorical adjacency method, the resulting map will contain less statements than after using the direct adjacency approach. The rhetorical adjacency approach resembles the humans natural language more than the direct adjacency approach.
If the user does not change the adjacency option, AutoMap uses direct adjacency for analysis.

Example:

Input Text
As a visionary full of ambition John Doe spent five years developing his own confidence in what he could do.
Delete List
as a of John Doe five his in what he
Direct Adjacency	Rhetorical Adjacency
visionary full ambition spent years developing own confidence could do	xxx xxx visionary full xxx ambition xxx xxx spent xxx years developing xxx own confidence xxx xxx xxx could do
Statements found by analyzing the text (Window Size 2)
visionary - full full - ambition ambition - spent spent - years years - developing dveloping- own own - confidence confidence - could could - do	visionary - full years - developing own - confidence could - do

2.5. Clear or Exit
To clear all Index cards, click the Text menu and select Clear .
To exit AutoMap, click the Text menu and select Exit.
AutoMap will be closed.

3. Generalization (Reduce data by applying a Thesaurus)

AutoMap uses the entries in the thesaurus to search the text and “translate” specific words and phrases into more basic concepts specified by the researcher.
Fore more detailed and methodological information about Deletion, see the automap.html file in the root directory of AutoMap, paragraph Coding Choices.

3.1. Open a Thesaurus
To open a Thesaurus, go to the Thesaurus Index Card.
Click the Open List button and choose a Thesaurus.
The Thesaurus will be displayed on the Thesaurus Index Card.
The path will be displayed on the Open Thesaurus button.
You can modify the Thesaurus if you wish.
AutoMap treates every Thesaurus as not case sensitive.

3.2. Create a Thesaurus

There are two ways to create a Thesaurus:

1. Within AutoMap:
Go to the Thesaurus Index Card.
Click on the Text Area on the left side of the Thesaurus Index card.
Modify the Thesaurus.
The general structure of a Thesaurus is the following:
Key Concept/ Synonym or in other words Old Word/ New Word.
A Key Concept is one ore more words or a phrase.
(e.g.:    employee/ business > employee will be replaced by business)
            commitment to customers/ service > commitment to customers will be replaced by service)
A synonym is one word.
Make sure to separate the words by a slash.
Every line contains a Key Concept/ Synonym or in other words Old Word/ New Word.
If you would like to replace the New Word by a further New Word, do it in a single line.
(e.g.: business/ economy > business will be replaced by economy)
You can add or remove lines.
To add a line, please enter a Key Concept/ Synonym or in other words Old Word/ New Word.
To remove a line, select the line by double clicking on it and press the remove key.
The words will be added/ removed from the Thesaurus but not from the text.
AutoMap treates every Thesaurus as not case sensitive.

To save the new Thesaurus, click the Save new Thesaurus button and choose a location to save the Thesaurus.

2. Outside of AutoMap:
Use a text editor to create a Thesaurus.
The general structure of a Thesaurus is the following:
Key Concept/ Synonym or in other words Old Word/ New Word.
A Key Concept is one ore more words or a phrase.
(e.g.:    employee/ business > employee will be replaced by business)
            commitment to customers/ service > commitment to customers will be replaced by service)
A synonym is one word.
Make sure to separate the words by a slash.
Every line contains a Key Concept/ Synonym or in other words Old Word/ New Word.
If you would like to replace the New Word by a further New Word, do it in a single line.
(e.g.: business/ economy > business will be replaced by economy)
AutoMap treates every Thesaurus as not case sensitive.
Save the Thesaurus.

Open the Thesaurus in AutoMap.
You can modify the Thesaurus in AutoMap if you wish.
To save the modified Thesaurus, click the Save new Thesaurus button on the Thesaurus Index card and choose a location to save the Thesaurus.
If you wish to apply a Delete List and a Thesaurus please make sure to use the Delete List first and then the Thesaurus.

3.3. Modify a Thesaurus
Open a Thesaurus.
Enter your modifications directly in the Thesaurus List on the left side of the Thesaurus Index Card.
The general structure of a Thesaurus is the following:
Key Concept/ Synonym or in other words Old Word/ New Word.
A Key Concept is one ore more words or a phrase.
(e.g.:    employee/ business > employee will be replaced by business)
            commitment to customers/ service > commitment to customers will be replaced by service)
A synonym is one word.
Make sure to separate the words by a slash.
Every line contains a Key Concept/ Synonym or in other words Old Word/ New Word.
If you would like to replace the New Word by a further New Word, do it in a single line.
(e.g.: business/ economy > business will be replaced by economy)
You can add or remove lines.
To add a line, enter a Key Concept/ Synonym or in other words Old Word/ New Word.
To remove a line, select the line by double clicking on it and press the remove key.
The words will be added/ removed from the Thesaurus but not from the text.
AutoMap treates every Thesaurus as not case sensitive.

To save the modified Thesaurus, click the Save new Thesaurus button on the Thesaurus Index card and choose a location to save the Thesaurus.
If you wish to apply a Delete List and a Thesaurus please make sure to use the Delete List first and then the Thesaurus.

3.4. Apply a Thesaurus
AutoMap uses the entries in the thesaurus to search the text and “translate” specific words and phrases into more basic concepts specified by the researcher.
AutoMap treates every Thesaurus as not case sensitive.
AutoMap offers two ways to apply a Thesaurus. The user decides if he wants to:

3.4.1.    Replace words by corresponding key concepts and maintain the rest of the text
AutoMap searches the text for the entries of the thesaurus and replaces the “hits” (concepts in the left column of the Thesaurus) by their corresponding key concepts. All other concepts of the text that are not included in (the left column) of the Thesaurus will neither be deleted nor modified in any kind.
The resulting data reduction resulting from this method is much lower than that from the second method.

To replace words by corresponding key concepts and maintain the rest of the text, click the Replace Concepts in Text button on the Thesaurus Index card.
Do not check Thesaurus content only. The Text with the replaced Concepts will be displayed on the Concepts replaced Index card.

To save the Text with the Concepts replaced, click the Text Menu and select Save Text with Concepts replaced as….

3.4.2.    Replace words by corresponding key concepts and neglect the rest of the text
AutoMap searches the text for the entries of the thesaurus and replaces the “hits” (concepts in the left column of the Thesaurus) by their corresponding key concepts. All other concepts of the text that are not included in (the left column) of the Thesaurus will be deleted from the filtered version of the text and therefore not be considered for the analysis. Then AutoMap automatically inserts an xxx as a space holder to keep the original distance of the concepts.
The resulting data reduction of this method is much higher than with the second method.
Before running analysis the user can decide if the adjacency of the remaining key concepts should be direct or rhetorical .

To replace words by corresponding key concepts and neglect the rest of the text, first click the Thesaurus content only item on the Thesaurus Index card and then click the Replace Concepts in Text button.

To save the Text with the Concepts replaced, click the Text Menu and select Save Text with Concepts replaced as….

Example:

3.4.1. Replace words by corresponding key concepts and maintain the rest of the text	3.4.2. Replace words by corresponding key concepts and neglect the rest of the text
Input text
As a visionary full of ambition John Doe spent five years developing his own confidence in what he could do. He met and married his wife, had a child and bought a house. Now with everything going so well John Doe decided to take a chance. With everything to risk he followed his dreams of starting his own company.
Thesaurus
visionary/ vision full of ambition/ motivated wife/ family child/ family take a chance/ risk to risk/ risk dreams/ dream
Resulting text after replacing words by key concepts and maintaining the rest of the text:	Resulting text after replacing words by corresponding key concepts and neglecting the rest of the text: (AutoMap automatically inserts an xxx as a space holder to keep the original distance of the concepts.)
As a vision motivated John Doe spent five years developing his own confidence in what he could do. He met and married his family, had a family and bought a house. Now with everything going so well John Doe decided risk. With everything risk he followed his dream of starting his own company.	xxx xxx vision motivated xxx xxx xxx xxx xxx xxx xxx xxx xxx xxx xxx xxx xxx xxx. xxx xxx xxx xxx xxx family xxx xxx family xxx xxx xxx xxx. xxx xxx xxx xxx xxx xxx xxx xxx xxx risk. xxx xxx risk xxx xxx xxx dream xxx xxx xxx xxx xxx.

3.4.2.1. Direct adjacency
Direct adjacency means that only the key concepts are maintained while all the rest of the text will not be considered. AutoMap displays the text that is to be analyzed as the resulting plain string of key concepts.
To do so check the direct adjacency item in the Place statements for analysis box on the Thesaurus Index Card.
If one applies the direct adjacency method, the resulting map will contain more statements than after using the rhetorical adjacency approach. The direct adjacency approach does not resemble the humans natural language.
If the user does not change the adjacency option, AutoMap uses direct adjacency for analysis.

3.4.2.2. Rhetorical adjacency
Rhetorical adjacency means that the original distance between the key concepts will be considered for the analysis. In this approach AutoMap displays the resulting text as a string of xxx symbols and key concepts. The xxx symbols can be considered as space holders.
To do so check the rhetorical adjacency item in the Place statements for analysis box on the Thesaurus Index Card .
If one applies the rhetorical adjacency method, the resulting map will contain less statements than after using the direct adjacency approach. The rhetorical adjacency approach resembles the humans natural language more than the direct adjacency approach.
If the user does not change the adjacency option, AutoMap uses direct adjacency for analysis.

Example:

Resulting text after replacing words by key concepts and neglecting the rest of the text: (AutoMap automatically inserts an xxx as a space holder to keep the original distance of the concepts.)
xxx xxx vision motivated xxx xxx xxx xxx xxx xxx xxx xxx xxx xxx xxx xxx xxx xxx. xxx xxx xxx xxx xxx family xxx xxx family xxx xxx xxx xxx. xxx xxx xxx xxx xxx xxx xxx xxx xxx risk. xxx xxx risk xxx xxx xxx dream xxx xxx xxx xxx xxx.
Direct adjacency	Rhetorical adjacency
vision motivated. family family. risk. risk dream.	xxx xxx vision motivated xxx xxx xxx xxx xxx xxx xxx xxx xxx xxx xxx xxx xxx xxx. xxx xxx xxx xxx xxx family xxx xxx family xxx xxx xxx xxx. xxx xxx xxx xxx xxx xxx xxx xxx xxx risk. xxx xxx risk xxx xxx xxx dream xxx xxx xxx xxx xxx.
Statements found by analyzing the text (Window Size 2)
vision - motivated	vision - motivated motivated - family family - family family - risk risk – risk risk - dream

3.5. Clear or Exit
To clear all Index cards, click the Text menu and select Clear .
To exit AutoMap, click the Text menu and select Exit .
AutoMap will be closed.

B) Analysis

4. Analyze texts

Make sure to open a text before making the analysis settings.
You can filter the text before analyzing it.

4.1. Analysis Settings
To make the Analysis Settings, use the Analysis Settings Index Card .
Your settings will be automatically applied in the analysis, you do not need to confirm them.
If you do not want to change any of the suggested options a set of standard settings will be applied.

Overview on the possible Settings:

Output Defaults
Name (optional)	Enter a name in the text field.
Date (optional)	Enter the date in the text field.
Windowing Windowing is a method that codes the text as a map by placing relationships between pairs of Concepts that occur within a window. For more information about Windowing, see the AutoMap.html file in the root directory of AutoMap.
Window Size	Select a window size between 2 and 100 by clicking on it. The Window Size is the number of contiguous words examined to locate a statement. A statement is two concepts and a link between them. Only concepts in same window can be in same statement.
Punctuation	Select one of the given options by clicking on it: Ignore punctuation completely (According to the window size statements will be placed between all concepts.) Reset window at end of paragraphs only (Statements will be placed only within every single one paragraph.) Reset window at end of paragraphs and sentences (Statements will be placed only within every single one sentence.
Coding Ties
Directionality	Check on of the two Items: Uni-directional (When coding a tie, only 1st->2nd concept should be noted) Bi-directional (When coding a tie, both 1st <-> 2nd concept shall be noted)
Strength	With every analysis one runs strength will be based on existence of statements. (Every statement displayed in the map output.) If you wish to see the frequency of the statements too, check the frequency item: Frequency (The frequency of every existing statement will be calculated.)

4.2. Standard Settings
If you do not want to change any of the suggested options the analysis will be done with the following Standard Settings:

Output Defaults
Name (optional)	none
Date (optional)	none
Windowing
Window Size	2
Punctuation	Ignore punctuation completely
Coding Ties
Directionality	Uni-directional
Strength

4.3. Run Analysis
Open a text.
You can filter the text.
Make the Analysis settings that are to be are applied to all texts.
If you do not want to change any of the suggested options the analysis will be done with the a set of Standard Settings .

To run analysis, click the Analysis menu and select Run Analysis .
The outputs will be displayed on the Map Index card and the Statistics Index card.

4.4. Multiple Analysis
To analyze multiple text, put all texts you wish to analyze in one folder.
To open the folder, click the Text menu and Select Open Folder (for Multiple Analysis).
Open the folder but not the file!
There will be no text displayed on the Text Index Card.
You can filter the text.
Make the Analysis settings that are to be are applied to all texts.
If you do not want to change any of the suggested options the analysis will be done with the a set of Standard Settings .

To run multiple analysis, click the Analysis menu and select Multiple Analysis.
When the analysis is done the last analyzed text and any results will be displayed on the Text Index Card, the Map Index Card and the Statistics Index Card
The analysis results of all texts will be saved automatically in .txt.map and .txt.stat format in a folder named output under the selected input directory.
All statistical results (.mat files) will be saved automatically in a file named analyse-results.csv under the current directory. This file can be opened with MS - Excel.

4.5. Clear or Exit
To do a further analysis, click the Analysis menu and select Clear.
All Index Cards will be cleared.
To exit AutoMap, click the Text menu and select Exit.
AutoMap will be closed.

C) Output

When analyses was run, AutoMap displays the Outputs on the Map and Statistics Index Card.
When multiple analyses was run, AutoMap additionally creates files in .csv format that can be opened in Excel.

5.1. The Map
After running the analysis, a raw Map file will be displayed on the Map Index Card.
The map output file is saved automatically in .txt.map format under the root directory of AutoMap.
The output contains one coded statement per line.
If the frequency item was checked on the Analysis Settings Card the first column of the map indicates the frequency of every displayed (and therefore existing) statement.

If running multiple analysis, all outputs files will be saved automatically in a folder named output under the root directory of AutoMap.
The output filder contains all of the .txt.map and .txt.stat files as well as four files in .csv format:
- statistics.csv (see 5.3. Statistics)

- map_entries: Lists all statements from all map files. If one statement occurs in two or more texts, it will be displayed two or more times.
The frequency refers to the corrsponding statement.

Frequency of Statement

1st Concept

2nd Concept

Filename

- unique_concepts: Lists all statements from all map files. EveryIf one statement occurs in two or more texts, it will be displayed two or more times.
The frequency refers to the corrsponding statement.

Concept

Overall Frequency of Statement

Number of Files

File names

- unique_statement:

1st Concept

2nd Concept

Overall Frequency of Statement

Number of Files

File names

5.2. Visualization of the Map
To see a graphical representation of the map, click the Map menu and select View Map.
The map shows the network of the analyzed concepts.
To save the visualized Map, first click the Map Menu and select View Map.
Then click the Map Menu and select Save as File….
The map will be saved in .jpg format.

5.3. Statistics
After running the analysis, the Mat file will be displayed on the Statistics Index Card. For details see example below.
The mat output is saved automatically in .txt.stat format under the root directory of AutoMap.

If running multiple analysis, all outputs files will be saved automatically in a folder named output under the root directory of AutoMap.
The output filder contains all of the .txt.map and .txt.stat files as well as four files in .csv format:

- statistics.csv: contains the kernel elements of all stat outputs:
these elements are:

file

Window Size

Number of Concepts: Input Text

Number of Concepts: Unique

Number of Concepts: Total

Number of Statements: Unique

Number of Concepts: Total

Density: Unique

Density: Total

- map_entries (see 5.1. Map)
- unique_concepts (see 5.1. Map)
- unique_statement (see 5.1. Map)

The stat output contains:

Entry	Entry	Explainaition
Name:		(optional)
Date:		(optional)
File:		Name of the analysed text file. The name is retrieved automatically from the file chooser when a text will be opened.
Window Size:		Setting from the Analysis Settings
Filtering:	Thesaurus:	Name of the Delete List if one was applied. Otherwise none.
	Delete List:	Name of the Thesaurus if one was applied. Otherwise none.
Number of Concepts:	Input text:	number of words in the input text
	unique:	number of all unique Concepts
	total:	number of words that were analysed
Statements:	unique:	frequency of every singular statement
	total:	number of all statements that AutoMap had coded
Density:	unique:	based on unique Statements
	total:	based on total Statements
Punctuation Option:		Setting from the Analysis Settings
Directionality:		Setting from the Analysis Settings

D) Further Tools

6.1. List of all Concepts, Frequencies and Categories
When a Text is opened, the columns “Concept” and “Frequency” of the table in the Concept List Index Card are filled automatically.
To order the table alphabetically or by frequencies (ascending) of the Concepts, double-click on the column head.
To resort the Concepts, press the Shift key and at the same time click the table head "Concepts".
To view the frequencies in a descending order, press the Shift key and at the same time click the table head "Frequencies".
To assign a Category to a Concept, enter a category in the “Category” column.
To save the table, click the Save Table Button below the Table.

6.2. Create a Coding List
To create a list of “Category” and the belonging “Concepts” semi automatically, use the Concept List Index card.
To assign a Category to each Concept enter a .word in the "Category" column left to the Concept.
To save the table, click the Save Table button below the table and select a location to save it.