Qualitative Research Pro

Academic Qualitative Research Squad for Claude Code

Qualitative Research Pro transforms your AI assistant into a specialized academic qualitative research team — 30 agents and 46 skills covering grounded theory methodology, qualitative analysis, academic writing, research ethics, and more. Built specifically for Glaser's classic grounded theory but extensible to other qualitative traditions.

Quick Start

# Clone and install
git clone https://github.com/ccashwell/qualitative-research-pro.git
cd qualitative-research-pro
./install.sh

# Or install via npm
npx qualitative-research-pro init

What's Inside

| Component | Count | Description | |-----------|-------|-------------| | Agents | 30 | Specialist researchers: GT methodologist, coders, memo writers, reviewers, writers | | Skills | 46 | Deep methodology knowledge: coding techniques, sampling, saturation, writing styles | | Rules | 10 | Research standards: ethics, rigor, citation, data handling | | Hooks | 8 | Automated checks: citation validation, methodology consistency, formatting |

Agent Squads

Methodology Core

The heart of the system. Agents that understand Glaser's classic grounded theory from open coding through theoretical integration.

• grounded-theorist — The authoritative methodological guide for classic GT
• research-designer — Study design, methodology selection, research questions
• analysis-orchestrator — Coordinates multi-phase analysis pipelines
• constant-comparator — Drives the constant comparative method
• theoretical-sampler — Guides theoretical sampling decisions
• literature-integrator — Integrates literature as data post-emergence

Coding & Analysis

Agents that do the analytical work of qualitative research.

• open-coder — Line-by-line and incident-to-incident open coding
• selective-coder — Core category identification and delimiting
• theoretical-coder — Theoretical coding using Glaser's 18 coding families
• memo-writer — Theoretical memos, code notes, operational notes, sorting
• pattern-analyst — Cross-case pattern identification
• category-developer — Category densification with properties and dimensions

Quality & Rigor

Agents that ensure methodological integrity.

• saturation-assessor — Evaluates theoretical saturation
• fit-assessor — Applies Glaser's four criteria: fit, work, relevance, modifiability
• reflexivity-auditor — Examines researcher bias and positionality
• methodology-critic — Devil's advocate for methodological decisions
• audit-trail-builder — Documents decision trails for transparency

Data Work

Agents that prepare and manage qualitative data.

• transcript-analyst — Interview transcript analysis and preparation
• field-note-analyst — Field note processing and structuring
• document-analyst — Document and artifact analysis
• data-manager — Data organization, security, and retrieval

Writing & Output

Agents that produce polished academic text.

• research-writer — Findings sections with grounded evidence
• methods-writer — Methodology sections that satisfy reviewers
• discussion-writer — Discussion, implications, and contributions
• proposal-writer — Grant and research proposals
• literature-reviewer — Systematic literature review and synthesis
• citation-manager — APA 7th, Chicago, and other formats

Cross-Cutting

Agents that support the entire research process.

• ethics-reviewer — IRB compliance, informed consent, ethical review
• peer-reviewer — Simulated peer review with journal-quality feedback
• planner — Research project planning, timelines, milestones

Analysis Pipeline

Qualitative Research Pro orchestrates a structured analysis pipeline modeled on Glaser's classic GT process:

1. Preparation     → data-manager organizes data for analysis
2. Open Coding     → open-coder conducts line-by-line coding
3. Comparison      → constant-comparator drives incident-to-incident comparison
4. Memoing         → memo-writer captures theoretical ideas (runs continuously)
5. Selective Coding → selective-coder identifies the core category
6. Theoretical Coding → theoretical-coder integrates using coding families
7. Sampling        → theoretical-sampler directs next data collection
8. Saturation      → saturation-assessor evaluates category completeness
9. Sorting         → memo-writer sorts memos into theoretical outline
10. Write-Up       → research-writer + discussion-writer produce the theory

Three analysis modes scale the depth:

| Mode | Agents | Use Case | |------|--------|----------| | Exploratory | ~8 | Pilot studies, early data, initial orientation | | Standard | ~15 | Dissertation, journal article, typical GT study | | Comprehensive | ~25 | Book-length, multi-site, complex phenomena |

Methodological Foundation

Qualitative Research Pro is built on Glaser's classic grounded theory (CGT), which emphasizes:

• Emergence over forcing — Let patterns emerge from data rather than imposing preconceived frameworks
• Constant comparison — The fundamental analytical operation at every stage
• Theoretical sensitivity — The researcher's ability to see conceptual possibilities in data
• Theoretical sampling — Data collection guided by emerging theory, not predetermined quotas
• Memoing — The intellectual core of GT; stop and memo when ideas strike
• Parsimony — A good GT is parsimonious — maximum explanatory power with minimum concepts
• Fit, work, relevance, modifiability — The four criteria for evaluating a grounded theory

While CGT is the primary framework, agents and skills also support:

• Charmaz's constructivist grounded theory
• Clarke's situational analysis
• Braun & Clarke's reflexive thematic analysis
• Interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA)
• Yin's case study methodology
• Ethnographic methods
• Narrative inquiry
• Action research

Prerequisites

• Python 3.10+ — For data processing utilities
• pandoc (optional) — brew install pandoc for document conversion
• Zotero (optional) — Reference management

Project Structure

qualitative-research-pro/
├── agents/              # 30 agent definitions (.md with YAML frontmatter)
├── skills/              # 46 skill directories (each with SKILL.md)
├── hooks/               # Automated research workflow hooks
│   ├── src/             # TypeScript source
│   └── dist/            # Built .mjs bundles
├── rules/               # 10 research methodology rules
├── .cursor/rules/       # Cursor IDE rule files
├── CLAUDE.md            # Orchestrator — agent routing, pipeline, rules
├── AGENTS.md            # Codex CLI instructions
├── install.sh           # Claude Code installer
└── package.json         # npm package metadata

Key References

• Glaser, B. G. (1978). Theoretical Sensitivity. Sociology Press.
• Glaser, B. G. (1992). Basics of Grounded Theory Analysis. Sociology Press.
• Glaser, B. G. (1998). Doing Grounded Theory: Issues and Discussions. Sociology Press.
• Glaser, B. G. (2005). The Grounded Theory Perspective III: Theoretical Coding. Sociology Press.
• Glaser, B. G., & Strauss, A. L. (1967). The Discovery of Grounded Theory. Aldine.
• Charmaz, K. (2014). Constructing Grounded Theory (2nd ed.). Sage.
• Lincoln, Y. S., & Guba, E. G. (1985). Naturalistic Inquiry. Sage.

License

MIT