Methods of Automated Text Analysis

Graesser, A.C., McNamara, D.S., & Louwerse, M.M. (in press). Methods of automated text analysis. In M.L. Kamil, D. Pearson, E.B. Moje, & P. Afflerbach (Eds.), Handbook of Reading Research, Volume IV. Mahwah, NJ: Routledge/Erlbaum.

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This chapter describes methods of analyzing the structures, functions, and representations of text. The lens is on the text, but we will selectively identify salient implications for cognitive processes and educational practice. The primary emphasis is also on automated methods of text analysis. That is, a computer system receives the text, performs processes that implement computational algorithms, and produces a text analysis on various levels of language and discourse structure. However, sometimes there are theoretical components of text that cannot be handled by computers so it is necessary to have human experts annotate or structure the text systematically. Human annotation schemes are identified in cases when it is beyond the scope of computer technologies to perform such text processing mechanisms.