What the study analysed
The study examines how identity is created and fragmented within the social media landscape, and how the resulting "fragmented Self" figures in propaganda and public opinion formation. It takes a social constructionist stance and draws on soft power, public diplomacy, social identity, network, and agenda-setting theory.
Methodologically it combines qualitative content analysis with grounded theory elements, applied in sequence. The sample of literature sources included 51 items.
AI for category formulation, humans for theory building
Evidano was used to formulate the categories that were then carried into the constructed theory and modelling. The authors describe automatic theme extraction from qualitative data as the capability that let them move quickly from sources to candidate categories and concepts.
The inductive theory-development process itself was carried out manually, as grounded theory requires. The split is stated plainly in the methodology section.
How Evidano fit the workflow
Category formulation accelerated, theory construction kept manual.
- 151 literature sources assembled
A qualitative corpus drawn from prior research on identity, social media, and propaganda.
- 2Processed with Evidano
Themes were surfaced from the corpus and turned into candidate categories.
- 3Categories carried into the theory
The formulated categories were included in the constructed theory and its modelling.
- 4Inductive theory development done manually
The grounded theory process itself remained a methodical, human-led exercise.
“The sample of literature sources included 51 items, and their processing was carried out with the help of AILYZE an AI-powered solution for grounded theory, with formulation of categories, which were further included in the constructed theory and modelling.”
“While AILYZE was employed for concentrating on the more complex and interpretive facets of developing theories, a methodical process for inductively developing theories from qualitative evidence was carried out manually, as it is implied in grounded theory.”
Categories and concepts surfaced from the corpus, ready for the researcher to test.
The same analysis applies to published sources, reports, and documents.
The study names the tool and states exactly which step it supported.
About Evidano (previously AILYZE)
Evidano is AI-assisted qualitative data analysis software for interviews, focus groups, open-ended survey responses, and documents. It supports AI-assisted thematic analysis with your own or an AI-suggested codebook, transcription and translation in 100+ languages, clickable quotes and citations, and exportable visual reports. End-to-end encryption, no third-party data sharing, and your data is not used to train AI. From USD 50/month for unlimited analysis.
Run the first pass in days, not weeks
Keep the judgment with you. Let Evidano do the heavy lifting on your interviews, focus groups, open-ended responses, and documents.
More case studies
AcademiaResearchers at Oxford and Melbourne used AI to analyse their interview data
Evidano helped analyse interview transcripts in a peer-reviewed study, then was checked against manual coding.
AcademiaA Stanford-led study used AI to cross-check its qualitative coding
A published mixed-methods study uploaded deidentified transcripts into Evidano to cross-check themes. Every AI code was reviewed by the researcher.
AcademiaResearchers used AI for qualitative analysis. Human experts reached the same conclusions.
A published Cornell study used Evidano (previously AILYZE) for thematic analysis, and human experts reached the same conclusions.
Related published evidence
Researcher interviews and published citations covering comparable studies.
- Published research2026
A UCLA dissertation ran three separate AI-assisted analyses of its qualitative data
A UCLA dissertation used Evidano for initial coding and theme generation across journals and interviews, then reviewed and refined every result.
18 students in the qualitative sample
UCLA Electronic Theses and Dissertations (eScholarship, University of California)
- Published research2026
A Braun & Clarke thematic analysis, AI-assisted and verified by researchers
Published in Frontiers in Education (2026): encrypted data, human-verified themes, and a transparent AI coding workflow.
9 Teachers interviewed
Frontiers in Education
- Published research2026
A conservation study analysed its government interviews with Evidano
In-depth interviews with 15 local government officials were analysed thematically in Evidano, using valence coding to classify responses.
15 local government officials interviewed
Preprints.org (preprint, not peer-reviewed)
Explore more evidence
Researcher interviews, the wording authors published when citing Evidano, and accuracy comparisons against manual coding.
- Resource
Research spotlights: researchers in their own words
Interviews with researchers at leading universities and institutes about how they actually used Evidano in work they went on to publish.
- Resource
How Evidano was used, in published methods sections
Verbatim excerpts from 20 published studies describing what Evidano did in their analysis — as a thought partner, a second coder, for initial coding, or for synthesis.
- Resource
Methodology guides and research writing
Practical guides to qualitative methods — thematic analysis, grounded theory, evidence synthesis and more — alongside the wider Evidano article library.
- Resource
Human vs AI: validated accuracy benchmarks
Three head-to-head comparisons against expert human analysis — 371 interview transcripts with Arizona State and Penn State, 298 evaluation reports for a UN evaluation group, and UNICEF’s manual-coding review.