What is data collection?

Data collection is the systematic process of gathering information like observations or measurements while doing research. When you’re performing research, you’re likely looking for answers to a question you have. When it comes to data collection, digging beyond the surface tells an intriguing story. Collecting data about what you’re researching can help you gain more insight into the details and information that’ll help you answer that question. Although it’s particularly useful in science-related applications, the beauty of data collection is that you can use it to discover answers to almost any query you dream up.

Why learn data collection?

Data are important for helping you (and others, and even computers) make all sorts of different decisions. It helps scientists learn whether their studies are working and assists marketers in sending the right messages to the right people. It's what lets us know if something new we tried is really working. As information becomes digitized, it becomes data that we can use in a variety of ways to accomplish whatever we’ve set out to do. But in order to do that, we need to gather the data first. Without data collection to compile that information, we can’t be truly efficient in analyzing those details — what if something is missing? If you’re aiming to understand how research is conducted and decisions are made, it’s essential to learn about data collection’s role.

What career opportunities can arise from learning data collection?

Almost every career that involves data provides opportunities for collecting those data, even if the primary focus isn’t only collecting data. A multitude of different analyst roles require plenty of time spent gathering data, whether you choose to work in fields like marketing, human resources or business or you’re specifically interested in working as a data scientist — someone who directs their efforts toward compiling data and translating it into information that others can use to make decisions. Even working as an actuary — a professional who assesses risks, often in insurance fields — allows you to focus much of your time on dealing with data. But these careers are just the beginning; dozens more give you the opportunity to collect data, so it’s an important skill to have and concept to understand even if it’s not the primary focus of your work.

How can taking online courses on Coursera help me learn data collection?

If you’re looking to boost your data literacy, taking our online classes provides a worthwhile opportunity to pursue your goals whenever it’s most convenient for you. Online courses give you the time and space you need to complete coursework from home while also providing you access to learning materials created by accomplished instructors and other field experts. You’ll enjoy learning the basic frameworks of data collection and analysis as you’re getting started learning about this topic by discovering the role of research, analysis and collection techniques. As you advance, you might choose to study more complex topics like utilizing the Python programming language to create programs that fetch and analyze data. And with a variety of learning programs, from certificates to specializations to course credits for college degrees, you can formalize your data analysis accomplishments as you continue to build skills.

Top Data Collection Courses - Learn Data Collection Online

Explore the Data Collection Course Catalog

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Research Data Management and Sharing
Skills you'll gain: Data Sharing, Data Management, File Management, Data Storage, Information Management, Data Strategy, Metadata Management, Data Governance, Document Management, Data Literacy, Data Quality, Data Integrity, Data Security, Version Control
4.7
Rating, 4.7 out of 5 stars
719 reviews
Mixed · Course · 1 - 3 Months
Status: Free Trial
Macquarie University
Excel Fundamentals for Data Analysis
Skills you'll gain: Excel Formulas, Microsoft Excel, Data Cleansing, Data Manipulation, Spreadsheet Software, Data Transformation, Data Validation, Data Analysis, Pivot Tables And Charts, Automation
4.8
Rating, 4.8 out of 5 stars
4.1K reviews
Intermediate · Course · 1 - 3 Months
Status: Free Trial
University of Colorado Boulder
Introduction to Data Analytics for Business
Skills you'll gain: Data Governance, Data Storage Technologies, Analytics, Business Analytics, Data Storage, Big Data, Databases, Business Intelligence, Data Analysis, Relational Databases, Data Quality, SQL, Organizational Structure, Cloud Computing
4.7
Rating, 4.7 out of 5 stars
3.2K reviews
Beginner · Course · 1 - 4 Weeks
Status: Free Trial
University of California San Diego
Teaching Impacts of Technology: Data Collection, Use, and Privacy
Skills you'll gain: Data Ethics, Big Data, Cybersecurity, Pedagogy, Data Security, Cryptography, Information Privacy, Encryption, AI Personalization, Computer Science, Web Applications, Web Servers, Machine Learning, Artificial Neural Networks
4.6
Rating, 4.6 out of 5 stars
10 reviews
Beginner · Course · 1 - 3 Months
Status: Free Trial
Microsoft
Preparing Data for Analysis with Microsoft Excel
Skills you'll gain: Excel Formulas, Microsoft Excel, Spreadsheet Software, Power BI, Data Analysis, Productivity Software, Data Cleansing, Data Manipulation, Data Management
4.7
Rating, 4.7 out of 5 stars
4.5K reviews
Beginner · Course · 1 - 4 Weeks
Status: Free Trial
Johns Hopkins University
Data Science: Foundations using R
Skills you'll gain: Rmarkdown, Exploratory Data Analysis, Version Control, Statistical Analysis, R Programming, Data Manipulation, Data Cleansing, Data Science, Data Wrangling, Data Visualization, Plot (Graphics), Statistical Programming, Ggplot2, Big Data, Git (Version Control System), Data Integration, Knitr, Data Analysis, Data Sharing, Statistical Reporting
4.6
Rating, 4.6 out of 5 stars
48K reviews
Beginner · Specialization · 3 - 6 Months
Status: Free Trial
University of Michigan
Python Data Structures
Skills you'll gain: Data Structures, Python Programming, Programming Principles, Data Import/Export, Data Manipulation, Development Environment, File Management
4.9
Rating, 4.9 out of 5 stars
97K reviews
Beginner · Course · 1 - 3 Months
Status: Free Trial
University of Michigan
Using Python to Access Web Data
Skills you'll gain: Web Scraping, JSON, Network Protocols, Web Services, Restful API, Application Programming Interface (API), Extensible Markup Language (XML), Data Import/Export, Data Access, TCP/IP, Python Programming, Scripting, Hypertext Markup Language (HTML), Data Capture, Text Mining
4.8
Rating, 4.8 out of 5 stars
44K reviews
Beginner · Course · 1 - 3 Months
Status: Free Trial
University of Pennsylvania
Data Analysis Using Python
Skills you'll gain: Matplotlib, Data Analysis, Pandas (Python Package), Data Cleansing, Pivot Tables And Charts, Data Visualization Software, Data Manipulation, Scatter Plots, NumPy, Data Transformation, Jupyter, Data Validation, Data Import/Export, Histogram, Data Structures, Programming Principles, Scripting Languages
4.5
Rating, 4.5 out of 5 stars
417 reviews
Beginner · Course · 1 - 4 Weeks
Status: Free Trial
University of Colorado System
Data Warehousing for Business Intelligence
Skills you'll gain: Database Design, Data Warehousing, Relational Databases, Decision Support Systems, Business Intelligence, Data Modeling, Database Management Systems, Databases, Dashboard, Business Process Management, SQL, Star Schema, Data Governance, Data Integration, Oracle Databases, Performance Measurement, Extract, Transform, Load, Business Analytics, MicroStrategy, Data Visualization Software
4.5
Rating, 4.5 out of 5 stars
4.1K reviews
Advanced · Specialization · 3 - 6 Months
Status: Free Trial
Johns Hopkins University
Exploratory Data Analysis
Skills you'll gain: Exploratory Data Analysis, Data Visualization, Plot (Graphics), Ggplot2, Dimensionality Reduction, Data Visualization Software, R Programming, Scatter Plots, Graphing, Box Plots, Data Analysis, Histogram, Statistical Analysis, Unsupervised Learning, Color Theory
4.7
Rating, 4.7 out of 5 stars
6.1K reviews
Mixed · Course · 1 - 4 Weeks
Status: Free Trial
Johns Hopkins University
The Data Scientist’s Toolbox
Skills you'll gain: Rmarkdown, Version Control, Data Science, Big Data, Git (Version Control System), GitHub, Data Analysis, R Programming, Statistical Programming, Development Environment, Integrated Development Environments, Software Installation
4.6
Rating, 4.6 out of 5 stars
34K reviews
Mixed · Course · 1 - 4 Weeks