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
PwC
Data Analysis and Presentation Skills: the PwC Approach
Skills you'll gain: Analytics, Business Analytics, Data Analysis, Microsoft PowerPoint, Data Presentation, Presentations, Excel Formulas, Data-Driven Decision-Making, Dashboard, Data Storytelling, Business Intelligence, Microsoft Excel, Customer Analysis, Data Visualization, Data Visualization Software, Data Literacy, Big Data, Verbal Communication Skills, Data Cleansing, Spreadsheet Software
4.6
Rating, 4.6 out of 5 stars
11K reviews
Beginner · Specialization · 3 - 6 Months
Status: Free Trial
IBM
Data Engineering Foundations
Skills you'll gain: SQL, Web Scraping, Database Design, MySQL, Data Transformation, Data Store, Extract, Transform, Load, IBM DB2, Relational Databases, Data Architecture, Jupyter, Data Pipelines, Big Data, Data Warehousing, Data Governance, Databases, Stored Procedure, Data Manipulation, Automation, Python Programming
4.6
Rating, 4.6 out of 5 stars
56K reviews
Beginner · Specialization · 3 - 6 Months
Status: Free Trial
Meta
Introduction to Data Management
Skills you'll gain: Data Management, Data Collection, Data Governance, Data Analysis, Information Privacy, Data Quality, Data Storage, Data Security, Data-Driven Decision-Making, Data Architecture, Data Visualization Software, Big Data, Machine Learning
4.8
Rating, 4.8 out of 5 stars
91 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
27K reviews
Beginner · Specialization · 3 - 6 Months
Status: Free Trial
Status: New AI skills
Google
Google Digital Marketing & E-commerce
Skills you'll gain: Media Planning, Search Engine Marketing, Email Marketing, Data Storytelling, Social Media Strategy, Search Engine Optimization, Social Media Marketing, Content Creation, Order Fulfillment, Google Ads, Professional Networking, Online Advertising, A/B Testing, Social Media Campaigns, E-Commerce, Customer Retention, Customer experience strategy (CX), Customer Relationship Management, Campaign Management, Interviewing Skills
Build toward a degree
4.8
Rating, 4.8 out of 5 stars
39K reviews
Beginner · Professional Certificate · 3 - 6 Months
Status: Free Trial
IBM
Python Project for Data Engineering
Skills you'll gain: Web Scraping, Data Transformation, Extract, Transform, Load, Data Manipulation, SQL, Integrated Development Environments, Data Processing, Databases, Application Programming Interface (API), Code Review, Restful API, Python Programming, Unit Testing, Style Guides
4.6
Rating, 4.6 out of 5 stars
769 reviews
Intermediate · Course · 1 - 4 Weeks
Status: Free Trial
Multiple educators
Data Science Foundations
Skills you'll gain: Dashboard, Pseudocode, Jupyter, Algorithms, Data Literacy, Data Mining, Pandas (Python Package), Correlation Analysis, Web Scraping, NumPy, Probability & Statistics, Predictive Modeling, Big Data, Automation, Data Visualization Software, Data Collection, Data Science, GitHub, Machine Learning Algorithms, Unsupervised Learning
4.6
Rating, 4.6 out of 5 stars
113K reviews
Beginner · Specialization · 3 - 6 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, Databases, Stored Procedure, Web Scraping, Relational Databases, Automation, Data Science, GitHub, Python Programming
Build toward a degree
4.6
Rating, 4.6 out of 5 stars
71K reviews
Beginner · Specialization · 3 - 6 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
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
Duke University
Data Science Math Skills
Skills you'll gain: Probability, Bayesian Statistics, General Mathematics, Calculus, Graphing, Statistics, Data Science, Data Analysis, Plot (Graphics), Algebra, Geometry, Arithmetic, Derivatives
4.5
Rating, 4.5 out of 5 stars
13K reviews
Beginner · Course · 1 - 3 Months
Status: Free Trial
University of Michigan
Applied Data Science with Python
Skills you'll gain: Matplotlib, Network Analysis, Feature Engineering, Data Visualization Software, Interactive Data Visualization, Scientific Visualization, Pandas (Python Package), Applied Machine Learning, Supervised Learning, Text Mining, Visualization (Computer Graphics), Statistical Visualization, Scikit Learn (Machine Learning Library), Network Model, Jupyter, NumPy, Graph Theory, Data Manipulation, Natural Language Processing, Data Analysis
4.5
Rating, 4.5 out of 5 stars
34K reviews
Intermediate · Specialization · 3 - 6 Months