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

Status: Free Trial
University of Pennsylvania
Business Analytics
Skills you'll gain: People Analytics, Data-Driven Decision-Making, Business Analytics, Descriptive Analytics, Business Intelligence, Human Resource Strategy, Financial Data, Marketing Analytics, Analytics, Talent Management, Financial Analysis, Predictive Analytics, Peer Review, Business Analysis, Financial Statement Analysis, Financial Forecasting, Customer Insights, Workforce Planning, Demand Planning, Customer Analysis
4.6
Rating, 4.6 out of 5 stars
18K reviews
Beginner · Specialization · 3 - 6 Months
Status: Free Trial
Google
Data Analysis with R Programming
Skills you'll gain: Rmarkdown, Ggplot2, R Programming, Data Analysis, Tidyverse (R Package), Statistical Programming, Data Visualization Software, Data Cleansing, Data Manipulation, Exploratory Data Analysis, Data Import/Export, Package and Software Management, Data Structures
4.8
Rating, 4.8 out of 5 stars
11K reviews
Beginner · Course · 1 - 3 Months
Status: Free Trial
Johns Hopkins University
Genomic Data Science
Skills you'll gain: Bioinformatics, Unix Commands, Biostatistics, Exploratory Data Analysis, Statistical Analysis, Unix, Data Science, Data Management, Statistical Methods, Molecular Biology, Command-Line Interface, Statistical Hypothesis Testing, Linux Commands, Data Analysis Software, Statistical Modeling, Data Structures, Data Analysis, R Programming, Computational Thinking, Jupyter
4.5
Rating, 4.5 out of 5 stars
6.6K reviews
Intermediate · Specialization · 3 - 6 Months
Status: Free Trial
Google
Google Data Analytics Capstone: Complete a Case Study
Skills you'll gain: Interviewing Skills, Data Analysis, Data Processing, Analytical Skills, Artificial Intelligence, Recruitment, Data-Driven Decision-Making, Data Storytelling, Project Documentation, Presentations, Portfolio Management
4.8
Rating, 4.8 out of 5 stars
18K reviews
Beginner · Course · 1 - 4 Weeks
Status: Free Trial
IBM
Introduction to Data Science
Skills you'll gain: SQL, Jupyter, Data Literacy, Data Mining, Peer Review, Data Modeling, Relational Databases, Stored Procedure, Databases, Data Science, Big Data, Query Languages, Data Cleansing, Data Visualization Software, GitHub, Business Analysis, Cloud Computing, Data Analysis, Digital Transformation, R Programming
Build toward a degree
4.6
Rating, 4.6 out of 5 stars
99K reviews
Beginner · Specialization · 3 - 6 Months
Status: Free Trial
IBM
IBM Generative AI Engineering
Skills you'll gain: Prompt Engineering, Large Language Modeling, Predictive Modeling, Supervised Learning, Feature Engineering, Generative AI, Keras (Neural Network Library), Deep Learning, Flask (Web Framework), Exploratory Data Analysis, Data Wrangling, ChatGPT, Unit Testing, Natural Language Processing, Data Analysis, Jupyter, Artificial Intelligence, Unsupervised Learning, PyTorch (Machine Learning Library), OpenAI
4.6
Rating, 4.6 out of 5 stars
87K reviews
Beginner · Professional Certificate · 3 - 6 Months
Status: Free Trial
IBM
Data Visualization with Python
Skills you'll gain: Data Visualization Software, Plotly, Data Visualization, Dashboard, Interactive Data Visualization, Matplotlib, Seaborn, Data Presentation, Data Analysis, Geospatial Information and Technology, Pandas (Python Package), Scatter Plots, Histogram, Heat Maps, Box Plots
4.5
Rating, 4.5 out of 5 stars
12K reviews
Intermediate · Course · 1 - 3 Months
Status: Free Trial
IBM
Data Science Fundamentals with Python and SQL
Skills you'll gain: Dashboard, SQL, Descriptive Statistics, Jupyter, Statistical Analysis, Data Analysis, Probability Distribution, Pandas (Python Package), Data Visualization Software, Statistics, Data Visualization, Statistical Hypothesis Testing, Web Scraping, Relational Databases, Stored Procedure, Python Programming, Data Structures, Databases, Data Science, GitHub
Build toward a degree
4.6
Rating, 4.6 out of 5 stars
72K reviews
Beginner · Specialization · 3 - 6 Months
Status: Free Trial
Google
The Path to Insights: Data Models and Pipelines
Skills you'll gain: Data Modeling, Database Design, Extract, Transform, Load, Data Warehousing, Performance Tuning, Data Pipelines, Data Integrity, Business Intelligence, Business Process, Data Mart, Data Validation, Statistical Reporting, Data Quality, SQL
4.7
Rating, 4.7 out of 5 stars
643 reviews
Advanced · Course · 1 - 4 Weeks
Status: Free Trial
Google
Share Data Through the Art of Visualization
Skills you'll gain: Data Storytelling, Data Literacy, Data Visualization, Data Presentation, Interactive Data Visualization, Tableau Software, Presentations, Data Visualization Software, Dashboard, Web Content Accessibility Guidelines
4.6
Rating, 4.6 out of 5 stars
9.6K reviews
Beginner · Course · 1 - 4 Weeks
Status: Free Trial
IBM
Data Analysis and Visualization Foundations
Skills you'll gain: Data Storytelling, Big Data, Data Visualization Software, Data Analysis, Dashboard, IBM Cognos Analytics, Statistical Analysis, Data Mining, Apache Hadoop, Tree Maps, Excel Formulas, Data Wrangling, Apache Hive, Data Collection, Data Mart, Microsoft Excel, Data Warehousing, Data Quality, Data Cleansing, Data Import/Export
Build toward a degree
4.7
Rating, 4.7 out of 5 stars
28K reviews
Beginner · Specialization · 3 - 6 Months
Status: Free Trial
Google
Ask Questions to Make Data-Driven Decisions
Skills you'll gain: Spreadsheet Software, Stakeholder Communications, Dashboard, Data-Driven Decision-Making, Data Analysis, Analytical Skills, Data Presentation, Business Analysis, Expectation Management, Quantitative Research, Communication
4.7
Rating, 4.7 out of 5 stars
34K reviews
Beginner · Course · 1 - 4 Weeks