Free and (Mostly) Open Source Data Analysis Software for Academic Research

Data analysis is a crucial task in knowledge creation in the social sciences. Free resources for data analysis provide researchers with greater freedom and make the research process more accessible and democratic. This is particularly crucial for researchers, students, and institutions in the Majority World (also called Global South), where a lack of access to expensive proprietary software often creates barriers to quality research and training. This article lists some free software that can perform basic and advanced statistical data analysis tasks. Some software that can perform other tasks, such as text mining and qualitative data analysis, is also introduced. It explores critical emerging trends, including the integration of AI into the research workflow. Ease of use and functionality are the major criteria for selecting these software packages.