Big Data in Social Sciences. An Introduction to the Automation of Textual Data Analysis Using Natural Language Processing and Machine Learning
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.54790/rccs.51Keywords:
big data, natural language processing, social sciences, machine learning, text miningAbstract
Innovations in the field of computer engineering and artificial intelligence provide new methodological opportunities for scientific research, enabling the study of emerging social phenomena that are born and inhabit virtual spaces. The purpose of this paper is to familiarise the social scientist with the widely established processes in massive text analysis using machine learning techniques that give rise to what we know today as natural language processing (NLP). First, a brief overview of the history of NLP and its relation to text analysis in the social sciences is given. Then, in each section of the text, the steps to follow when applying NLP to social research are assessed, providing information on software, tools, data sources and useful links, with the aim of offering an introductory and simplified guide to serve as an initial approach to this discipline. Finally, the main challenges that the social sciences face when implementing NLP techniques are examined and assessed.
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