What Are Common Data Collection Methods?

Whether getting feedback on a product or taking guesswork out of the decision-making process, data collection empowers companies with the information they otherwise wouldn’t have access to. The specific method chosen for data collection typically varies depending on factors such as the information you’re trying to obtain and your field of study. You also need to make additional considerations when collecting data to ensure the process is legal, ethical, and accurate. 

Prior to beginning the data collection process, you should have four things already established. These include the question you're answering, who you'll collect data from, when you will collect it, and the method you’ll use. 

Keep reading to explore the various data collection methods and how to pursue a career in the field.

What is data collection, and why is it important?

Data collection describes activities designed to get information from sources for evaluation, answering questions, and identifying trends. Professionals across many industries use data collection to drive decisions, support goals, and propel businesses forward.

Having as much relevant information as possible allows companies to develop informed plans and strategies based on facts rather than making assumptions about what might work or what people could want. With technological advances, we have access to more data than ever, leading to various collection methods. While data collection can include complex approaches such as analyzing big data accessed through data mining, simpler strategies such as surveys still hold significant value. 

For companies to succeed, they look for strategies to develop competitive advantages that drive growth. For example, collecting customer data allows businesses to learn more about their consumers and tailor offerings to better meet their needs. In other applications, including social and physical sciences, data collection helps answer questions, validate studies, and properly allocate resources.

Read more: What Is Data Analysis? (With Examples)

Data collection jobs: Who performs data collection?

Various positions use data collection as part of their job responsibilities. For example, data collection specialists’ primary responsibilities involve collecting and organizing data. Other data collection roles include:

• Biostatisticians

• Sata support specialists

• Bioinformatics scientists

• Data scientists

• Data analysts

• UX researchers

Qualitative vs. quantitative data

Data is either qualitative or quantitative. Both types of data are valuable and are accessible through different methods of collection. Qualitative data is data you can’t assign a numerical value; it is information you can express in descriptive terms. For example, if you observe the color of someone's hair, you classify it with qualitative data since you’re describing a characteristic. 

Quantitative data is measurable and results in a numerical value. Therefore, quantitative data is universal since it represents an objective fact, whereas qualitative data is more subjective. Each type of data serves a different purpose and delivers different insights. Qualitative data allows you to develop new hypotheses, and quantitative data directly tests a hypothesis.

Common data collection methods

Data collection methods are either qualitative or quantitative. Quantitative methods include conducting experiments, observing well-defined situations or events, and gathering data from computer systems like customer relationship management (CRM) or management information systems (MIS). Qualitative methods help you understand the driving forces behind the results. Methods include open-ended questions, interactive interviews, and using multiple collection methods.

In either case, each data collection method has its benefits and use cases. When collecting data, you have two potential sources: primary and secondary. Primary data is data you collect directly from its original source, such as an interview or survey you performed. Secondary data is data sourced from research previously completed, such as published papers and journals. 

The following explores six data collection methods researchers use today in greater detail.

1. Forms and surveys

Forms and surveys allow you to gather information from a specific group of people. This strategy collects qualitative data about people's opinions, preferences, experiences, knowledge, or behavior. You can distribute surveys through email, phone, and in-person interviews, among other strategies. When creating your surveys, be careful to word your questions in a way that doesn’t elicit any bias to ensure you collect usable, high-quality data. 

2. Observation

Using this data collection method, the researcher observes the subject to record and note how they engage with certain variables or objectives. For example, you could use the observation method to test a new website design and gain insight into how easy or challenging navigating the site is for users.

3. Interviews

Interviews fall into three categories depending on how they're conducted:

• Structured interviews follow the same set of questions, asked in the same order for each participant.

• Unstructured interviews are more open and don’t follow a predetermined list of questions.

• Semi-structured interviews have predetermined questions, but the order in which you ask them can differ, and spontaneous questions are also acceptable.

4. Social media monitoring

Data from social media is great for gaining insights about your industry, consudmers and the success of a marketing campaign. Data you can collect from social media includes demographic information, likes, follows, and other engagement metrics that allow you to understand people’s interests and the type of content they interact with.

Read more: Social Listening: Definition, Tools, and Strategies for Business Growth

5. Documents and records

Secondary data from documents and records, such as research journals, is a great way to collect accurate and easily accessible data since they have already fulfilled scientific purposes. Unbiased records from hospitals are another example of quality data sources you can use in health care settings, provided you can obtain legal access to records.

6. Transactional tracking

You can learn more about consumers by collecting transactional data from their purchases. When someone buys a product from your website, you can learn things such as what items people are buying, the time of the purchase, and what items people are buying together. You can develop more specifically targeted marketing plans with consumer tendencies in mind from this information.

Things to consider

Data collection can come with challenges. For example, when collecting and using qualitative data, it’s essential to understand the potential for bias inherent when relying on subjective information. The collection process can also be highly time-consuming. Limitations exist when working with quantitative data as well. Quantitative data can struggle to provide context about why something happened. It simply tells you what has happened. 

How to get started in data collection

When seeking an entry-level data collection position, some valuable skills employers seek include data entry experience, surveying skills, and experience in a medical facility. This experience can be helpful since you will have worked with a significant amount of records and data. Forward-facing roles such as customer service representative can also be beneficial in preparing you for a job in data collection.

Next steps

Data collection allows you to perform research and assess outcomes. Some of the strategies for collecting data include surveys, observation, interviews, and social media monitoring. 

Continue learning about data collection and honing your skills with highly-rated courses on Coursera. For example, Emory University offers a Qualitative Data Collection Methods course where you can learn the specifics of implementing observational, interview, and group discussions for data collection. Data Collection: Online, Telephone, and Face-to-face from the University of Michigan is another excellent option to learn more about gathering high-quality data.