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
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
Generative AI for Data Scientists
Skills you'll gain: Prompt Engineering, Generative AI, ChatGPT, Exploratory Data Analysis, Data Ethics, OpenAI, Feature Engineering, Predictive Modeling, Large Language Modeling, Artificial Intelligence, Data Storytelling, Program Development, Data Modeling, Data Presentation, Predictive Analytics, Data Synthesis, Data Analysis, Data Cleansing, Data Visualization Software, Image Analysis
4.7
Rating, 4.7 out of 5 stars
6.9K reviews
Intermediate · Specialization · 1 - 3 Months
Status: Free Trial
IBM
IBM Business Analyst
Skills you'll gain: Data Storytelling, Requirements Elicitation, Risk Mitigation, Business Analysis, Business Process Modeling, Risk Analysis, Process Mapping, Process Optimization, Requirements Management, Risk Management, Business Requirements, Stakeholder Management, Work Breakdown Structure, Scope Management, Process Analysis, Stakeholder Engagement, Data Visualization Software, Excel Formulas, Microsoft Excel, Analysis
4.7
Rating, 4.7 out of 5 stars
13K reviews
Beginner · Professional Certificate · 3 - 6 Months
Status: Free Trial
University of California, Davis
Data Visualization with Tableau
Skills you'll gain: Data Storytelling, Data Presentation, Data Visualization Software, Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), Data Visualization, Dashboard, Interactive Data Visualization, Data Mapping, Tableau Software, Proposal Development, Graphing, Histogram, Scatter Plots, Tree Maps, Exploratory Data Analysis, Statistical Visualization, Storytelling, Performance Metric, Geospatial Mapping, Heat Maps
4.5
Rating, 4.5 out of 5 stars
8.2K reviews
Beginner · Specialization · 3 - 6 Months
Status: Free Trial
IBM
Applied Data Science
Skills you'll gain: Dashboard, Data Visualization Software, Plotly, Data Visualization, Predictive Modeling, Interactive Data Visualization, Exploratory Data Analysis, Data Wrangling, Data Analysis, Jupyter, Matplotlib, Pandas (Python Package), Seaborn, Data Presentation, Data Import/Export, Web Scraping, Python Programming, Data Structures, Data Science, Data-Driven Decision-Making
Build toward a degree
4.6
Rating, 4.6 out of 5 stars
58K reviews
Beginner · Specialization · 3 - 6 Months
Status: Free Trial
Status: AI skills
Meta
Meta Data Analyst
Skills you'll gain: Data Storytelling, Business Metrics, Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), Data Management, Data Collection, Data Governance, Bayesian Statistics, Data Analysis, Descriptive Statistics, Statistical Hypothesis Testing, Information Privacy, Data Cleansing, Pandas (Python Package), Statistical Inference, Data Visualization Software, Spreadsheet Software, Correlation Analysis, Google Sheets, Exploratory Data Analysis, Data Modeling
4.7
Rating, 4.7 out of 5 stars
1.4K reviews
Beginner · Professional Certificate · 3 - 6 Months
Status: Free Trial
Imperial College London
Mathematics for Machine Learning
Skills you'll gain: Linear Algebra, Dimensionality Reduction, NumPy, Regression Analysis, Calculus, Applied Mathematics, Probability & Statistics, Feature Engineering, Data Transformation, Jupyter, Data Science, Advanced Mathematics, Statistics, Machine Learning Algorithms, Machine Learning Methods, Statistical Analysis, Artificial Neural Networks, Algorithms, Data Manipulation, Python Programming
4.6
Rating, 4.6 out of 5 stars
15K 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
93 reviews
Beginner · Course · 1 - 4 Weeks
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
IBM
Introduction to Data Engineering
Skills you'll gain: Data Store, Extract, Transform, Load, Data Architecture, Data Pipelines, Big Data, Data Warehousing, Data Governance, Apache Hadoop, Relational Databases, Apache Spark, Data Lakes, Databases, SQL, NoSQL, Data Security
4.7
Rating, 4.7 out of 5 stars
3.2K reviews
Beginner · Course · 1 - 4 Weeks
Status: Free Trial
University of California, Davis
Learn SQL Basics for Data Science
Skills you'll gain: Data Governance, Presentations, SQL, Apache Spark, Distributed Computing, Descriptive Statistics, Data Lakes, Data Storytelling, Data Analysis, Peer Review, Exploratory Data Analysis, Data Quality, Data Pipelines, Databricks, Statistical Analysis, Database Design, Complex Problem Solving, Query Languages, Data Visualization, JSON
4.6
Rating, 4.6 out of 5 stars
17K reviews
Beginner · Specialization · 3 - 6 Months
Status: Free Trial
IBM
Generative AI for Data Analysts
Skills you'll gain: Prompt Engineering, Generative AI, ChatGPT, Data Storytelling, OpenAI, Analytics, Data Analysis, Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning (AI/ML), Dashboard, Large Language Modeling, Data Ethics, Artificial Intelligence, Program Development, Data Visualization Software, SQL, Python Programming, Query Languages, Content Creation, Image Analysis, Virtual Environment
4.7
Rating, 4.7 out of 5 stars
6.8K reviews
Intermediate · Specialization · 1 - 3 Months