ResearchTalk
ResearchTalk, Inc. is a privately held qualitative research consulting firm founded in 1996 that provides professional development courses, co-analysis, consultation, and organizational capacity building to academic researchers, government agencies, not-for-profits, and corporate clients.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1996
- HeadquartersCary, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What ResearchTalk does
ResearchTalk, Inc. is a privately held qualitative research consulting and professional development firm founded in 1996 by Ray Maietta, Ph.D. and headquartered in Cary, North Carolina, with the president's base in Long Island, New York. The firm partners with qualitative researchers across academia, government, not-for-profit, and corporate sectors to deliver methodological expertise through three service lines: professional development courses (including the flagship 23rd Annual Qualitative Research Summer Intensive and the Fall Qualitative Inquiry Seminars), co-analysis and consultation services, and longer-term organizational capacity building engagements.
The company's core intellectual property is the proprietary 'Sort and Sift, Think and Shift' qualitative data analysis method, an iterative three-phase process (Deep Dive into Data, Thinking in Storyboards via memoing and diagramming, and The Synergistic Shift) developed and refined over more than 30 years of consultation. This method is documented in published articles and a chapter contribution to a Jones & Bartlett Learning edited volume. Courses are taught by a mentor team with over 100 years of combined qualitative research experience and are delivered exclusively online via Zoom, with registration managed through events.researchtalk.com.
ResearchTalk operates a fee-for-service revenue model. Course pricing is publicly disclosed at $315 per one-day course and $630 per two-day course for QRSI 2026, and $500 (early registration) to $600 (standard) for the Fall Qualitative Inquiry Seminars. Co-analysis, consultation, and organizational capacity building engagements are sold on a direct, custom basis to organizations, including retainers for capacity-building work. The firm maintains an extensive ecosystem of partnerships with qualitative publishers (Guilford Press, Oxford University Press, SAGE, Routledge, Wiley, and others) and official qualitative software vendors (Dedoose and MAXQDA), and co-hosts the summer intensive with UNC Odum Institute for Research in Social Science under a relationship that has persisted since the company's founding.
ResearchTalk firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- ResearchTalk
- Legal name
- ResearchTalk, Inc.
- Website
- https://researchtalk.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1996
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- ResearchTalk, Inc. is a privately held qualitative research consulting firm founded in 1996 that provides professional development courses, co-analysis, consultation, and organizational capacity building to academic researchers, government agencies, not-for-profits, and corporate clients.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
ResearchTalk industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Qualitative Research Consulting
- NAICS
- Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (54172), Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (541720), Other Scientific and Technical Consulting Services (54169), Management Consulting Services (54161)
- SIC
- Services-Management Consulting Services (8742), Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700), Services-Educational Services (8200)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Industry & Sector Research (Syndicated/Custom) (BPAHALAE)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Academic & Scientific Conferences (MPAGAGAD), Research & Lab-Based Short-Term Programs (Undergraduate/Graduate) (EDAIAIAF), Scholarly Societies & Conference Proceedings Publishing (MPAJABAK), Conference Proceedings & Research Reports Publishing (EDAGAFAL)
Keywords
Where ResearchTalk is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Cary
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
ResearchTalk business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others
Revenue model
- Professional Development Courses: Short courses taught by leading qualitative scholars, offered as multi-day intensives. Revenue generated through course registration fees per participant.
- Qualitative Research Consulting: Co-analysis services and consultation on qualitative research projects, working with clients as part of their research team.
- Organizational Capacity Building: Longer-term retainer-based relationships helping organizations build internal capacity for qualitative projects.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | One time/ perpetual license | QRSI 2026 One-Day Course |
| Subscription | One time/ perpetual license | QRSI 2026 Two-Day Course |
| Subscription | One time/ perpetual license | FQIS 2026 Early Registration |
| Subscription | One time/ perpetual license | FQIS 2026 Standard Registration |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels5 records
ResearchTalk product offering
Product offeringCore offering
ResearchTalk is a qualitative research consulting and professional development firm that partners with researchers across academia, government, nonprofit, and corporate sectors. The firm delivers multi-day intensive course programs (QRSI and Fall Qualitative Inquiry Seminars) plus co-analysis, consultation, and longer-term organizational capacity building engagements grounded in its proprietary Sort and Sift, Think and Shift qualitative analysis method.
Product overview
ResearchTalk is a qualitative research consulting and professional development company offering a portfolio of educational programs and research services. The core offerings include: (1) Professional Development Courses - including the annual Qualitative Research Summer Intensive (QRSI) with 18 courses and the Fall Qualitative Inquiry Seminars with 4 courses, both delivered online; (2) Consulting Services - encompassing Co-Analysis (using the proprietary Sort and Sift, Think and Shift method), Consultation, and Organizational Capacity Building. The company partners with qualitative researchers across industries and disciplines to complement their substantive insight with qualitative methods expertise. The proprietary Sort and Sift, Think and Shift qualitative inquiry method informs both their consulting services and course offerings.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Qualitative Research Summer Intensive (QRSI)
Companies that use ResearchTalk
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
ResearchTalk technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature1 record
ResearchTalk partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- UNC Odum Institute for Research in Social SciencecoreFounded in 1924, UNC Odum Institute co-hosts the Qualitative Research Summer Intensive with ResearchTalk. Provides qualitative research short courses and consultation services. Long-standing partnership since ResearchTalk's founding.
- ARCH-III Center at Prairie View A&M UniversityminorAchievement, Research, Creativity, and High-Ability Center focused on contemporary issues impacting critical populations across P-20 spectrum and workplace contexts.
- Guilford PresscoreMajor qualitative research publisher. Featured as essential publisher for qualitative researchers with books promoted through QRSI course listings and discounts.
- Jones & Bartlett LearningcorePublisher featuring Qualitative Research in Physical Education and Sport Pedagogy book with chapter by ResearchTalk team on Sort and Sift, Think and Shift approach.
- Oxford University PresscoreFeatures books by QRSI Scholars Tony Adams, Carolyn Ellis, Johnny Saldaña, and Mario Small. Offers 30% discount with promo code.
- Penn State University PressminorFeatures Journal of Minority Achievement, Creativity, and Leadership edited by QRSI Scholar Fred A. Bonner, II.
- RoutledgecoreFeatures multiple books by QRSI scholars including Elaine Keane's Routledge International Handbook of Constructivist Grounded Theory, Mark Vagle's Crafting Phenomenological Research, and Fred A. Bonner II's Diverse Faculty series.
- SAGE PublicationscoreFeatures books by QRSI Scholars Leslie Curry, Elaine Keane, Robert Kozinets, Paul Mihas, Matt Omasta, Cheryl Poth, Johnny Saldaña, and more.
- Temple University PressminorFeatures Final Negotiations by QRSI Scholar Carolyn Ellis with 30% discount promo code T30P.
- WileycoreFeatures Qualitative Research Methods 3rd Edition by QRSI Scholar Sarah Tracy.
- DedoosecoreOfficial qualitative data analysis software partner. Dedoose Version 10 offers auto-coding and text analytics. ResearchTalk features Dedoose textbooks and promotes software in courses. Dedoose co-founder Eli Lieber co-authored SAGE books featured by ResearchTalk.
- MAXQDAcoreOfficial qualitative data analysis software partner. MAXQDA AI Assist features are used in courses for Reflexive Thematic Analysis. Free trial promotions featured.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights4 records
ResearchTalk competitors and assessment
Company assessmentEmerging players
- Methods@Manchester: University of Manchester's methods training unit offering courses and workshops across qualitative and quantitative methods for external researchers. Regional player with comparable online methods training offerings aimed at a similar academic and applied audience.
- The Analysis Factor: Online training and consulting firm specializing in statistical and qualitative research methods, particularly for social scientists and health researchers. Competes for a portion of ResearchTalk's academic and applied researcher training budget with online workshops and courses.
Direct peers
- ATLAS.ti: Qualitative data analysis software platform offering its own training, certifications, and methodological resources. Competes for the same academic, government, and corporate qualitative researcher segment, including an AI-assisted coding suite that could pressure traditional instructor-led training.
- Dedoose: Cloud-based qualitative and mixed-methods data analysis software. Although Dedoose is an official partner of ResearchTalk (co-authored textbooks and product promotion), it also serves the same researcher persona with overlapping training and method-dissemination activities, making it both an ally and adjacent competitor.
- QSR International (NVivo): Developer of NVivo, one of the most widely used qualitative analysis tools. Offers its own training, certifications, and learning pathways that compete directly with ResearchTalk's course catalog for the same researcher base.
- UNC Odum Institute for Research in Social Science: Co-host of the Qualitative Research Summer Intensive and a direct partner of ResearchTalk since its 1996 founding. Offers its own qualitative research short courses, consultation, and education — serving overlapping academic and applied researcher audiences.
- MAXQDA: Qualitative data analysis software used widely in social science research. Like Dedoose, MAXQDA is a ResearchTalk technology partner but also runs its own training, webinars, and methodological content — directly overlapping with ResearchTalk's professional development mission.
Broad incumbents
- Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR): University-based social science research training organization offering summer programs, workshops, and methodological resources. Overlaps with ResearchTalk's academic training segment and represents a well-funded institutional alternative for researcher professional development.
- SAGE Research Methods: Publisher-led research methods platform with thousands of methods videos, datasets, and books. Although SAGE is a ResearchTalk publishing partner, its platform competes for the same qualitative methods training budget, particularly at universities with institutional subscriptions.
Others
- Qualitative Research Consultants Association (QRCA): Industry association for qualitative market research consultants. Slightly different audience (commercial market research rather than academic/social science), but it overlaps in qualitative methods training, networking, and best-practice dissemination — an adjacent ecosystem participant.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
ResearchTalk social profiles
Digital presenceResearchTalk financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
ResearchTalk leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
ResearchTalk funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
ResearchTalk M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about ResearchTalk
What does ResearchTalk do?
ResearchTalk is a qualitative research consulting and professional development firm that partners with researchers across academia, government, nonprofit, and corporate sectors. The firm delivers multi-day intensive course programs (QRSI and Fall Qualitative Inquiry Seminars) plus co-analysis, consultation, and longer-term organizational capacity building engagements grounded in its proprietary Sort and Sift, Think and Shift qualitative analysis method.
Is ResearchTalk a public or private company?
ResearchTalk is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was ResearchTalk founded?
ResearchTalk was founded in 1996. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is ResearchTalk based?
ResearchTalk is headquartered in Cary, United States, in the North America region.
How does ResearchTalk make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Professional Development Courses are the primary driver. The others are qualitative Research Consulting and organizational Capacity Building.
Who are ResearchTalk's main competitors?
Emerging players on record are Methods@Manchester and The Analysis Factor. Direct peers are ATLAS.ti, Dedoose, QSR International (NVivo), UNC Odum Institute for Research in Social Science and MAXQDA. Broad incumbents are Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR) and SAGE Research Methods. Qualitative Research Consultants Association (QRCA) is listed as an others.
Does ResearchTalk have an API?
No public API is recorded for ResearchTalk.
What industry is ResearchTalk in?
ResearchTalk's product category is Qualitative Research Consulting. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAHALAE, Industry & Sector Research (Syndicated/Custom), with a secondary code of MPAGAGAD, Academic & Scientific Conferences. Its NAICS code is 54172 and its SIC code is 8742.