As part of your research plan and design, you will select a data collection method to address your research problems. This page provides information on quantitative, qualitative, and combined methods.
If you are planning to use an exisiting dataset from other researcher or organization, visit the Finding Datasets guide for information of public datasets, data platforms available through the UNT Libraries, and analytic tools available to use directly from certain data providers.
Data Collection: Key Debates and Methods in Social Research by 
SAGE Handbook of Mixed Methods in Social and Behavioral Research by Quantitative methods to collect data involve measures and numerical information that can be further tested and analyzed with statistical methods. The most common forms of quantitative data collection methods are:
Below are some resources from the UNT Libraries that provide guidance on quantitative data collection methods and sampling techniques commonly used in social science research.
An Introduction to Survey Research, Vol.1 by 
An Introduction to Survey Research, Vol.2 by 
Survey Methodology and Missing Data by Qualitative data collection focuses on collecting information based on experience, thoughts, and feelings from your subjects or representations from artifacts in your discipline. The most common ways to collect qualitative data are:
Below are some resources from the UNT Libraries that provide guidance on qualitative data collection methods and sampling techniques commonly used in social science research.
The Active Interview by 
Collecting Qualitative Data by 
Focus Group Methodology: Principles and Practice by 
The SAGE Handbook of Qualitative Data Collection by 
The Oxford Encyclopedia of Qualitative Research Methods in Education by 
