Section outline

  • Course Overview

    This course provides a comprehensive guide to leveraging social media data for research. It covers the ethical collection, analysis, and interpretation of social media data, helping learners develop robust sampling strategies and effective research plans. By the end of the course, participants will be equipped to use social media data to inform and enhance their research projects.

    Learning Outcomes

    This course will help you to:

    1. Find how social media can provide a good fit for your research 
    2. Assess and implement the specific steps required to conduct ethical social media research 
    3. Evaluate your research needs to choose the type and scope of social media data 
    4. Construct a robust sampling strategy to obtain high-quality social media data 
    5. Identify and use four different ways to extract data from social media platforms 
    6. Develop your social media research plan 

    • Course Instructor: Dr. Nicola Thomas

      • Dr. Nicola Thomas

        Dr. Nicola Thomas is the Director of Disco Analytics, a global learning insights agency. Nicola works with a range of enterprises, large and small, and uses both quantitative and qualitative research to generate valuable insights. Prior to founding Disco Analytics, Nicola was an Associate Professor in Marketing at De Montfort University. Nicola taught several research-oriented modules, including dissertations and research projects, at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels. Given her PhD, awarded 20 years ago, was transdisciplinary, much of her work, past and present, involves systems thinking. Her research work has been applied to various contexts, including sustainability in the global fashion industry, using social media data to discover customer insights, investigating the potential of behavioural change to increase ecosystem health, and more recently, exploring the causal links between learning and development with organisational performance and employee engagement.

        View Bio for Dr. Nicola Thomas

      • Pre-Course Self Assessment

        Before you dive into this course, spend a few moments reflecting on your familiarity with the topic and your current level of skills confidence.

        You will then re-visit the same questions in our Post-Course Self Assessment and reflect on how the course has helped you develop in confidence and grow your skills.

        • Module One: Can Social Media Data Meet My Research Needs? 

          This module will help you to:  

          1. Recognize the value and limitations of social media data 
          2. Identify how social media can provide a good fit for your research 

        • Module Two: How Do I Gather and Use Social Media Data Ethically? 

          This module will help you to:  

          1. Consider the ethical guidelines for collecting, storing, and using social media data 
          2. Assess and implement the specific steps required to conduct ethical social media research 

        • Module Three: What Social Media Data Do I Need? 

          This module will help you to:  

          1. Evaluate your research needs to choose the type and scope of social media data 

        • Module Four: How Do I Build an Effective Sampling Strategy?

          This module will help you to:  

          1. Develop a robust sampling strategy to obtain high-quality social media data 
          2. Identify and reduce a range of sampling biases

        • Module Five: How Do I Extract Data From Social Media Platforms? 

          This module will help you to:  

          1. Identify and use four different ways to extract data from social media platforms 
          2. Evaluate which approach best suits your research needs 

        • Module Six: How Do I Develop My Social Media Research Plan?

          This module will help you to:  

          1. Develop your social media research plan 
          2. Identify any social media data planning gaps 

        • Glossary of Key Terms

          In addition to the glossary you’ll find woven throughout the course, you can find the full glossary collated in one place here.

        • Post-Course Self Assessment

          Now you’ve completed the course, spend a few moments reflecting on where your familiarity with the topics and your confidence skills levels are at now. 

          Has the course helped you develop new skills and grow your confidence?

          You'll need to complete the Post-Course Self Assessment in order to download your certificate. If you didn't do the Pre-Course Self Assessment before starting the course, please go to the top of the page and reflect on your familiarity with the topic and your level of skills confidence before you started the course.

          • Completion: Certificate

            Completing all modules (plus the pre and post-course assessments) will unlock the course certificate, which you can then download here. Your course certificate will only be made available once you have completed all these sections.

            If you have difficulty accessing your certificate, please contact the Sage support team at: onlinesupport@sagepub.co.uk. You can also check out this FAQ page which may be helpful.

            • Give Feedback About This Course

              Did you enjoy the course? Please take two minutes to share your feedback. We use learner feedback in future course updates and developments to provide an excellent learning experience.

            • Accessibility

              We have high standards of accessibility on Sage Campus and as of May/June 2024 all activities within this course are keyboard and screen reader compatible. For more details on accessibility standards, please see the Sage Campus Accessibility Guide.

              For those using assistive technology, please note that within this course:

              • Tab components: JAWS and NVDA behave slightly differently. For NVDA to keep reading, it is best to exit focus mode and go back to browse mode. 
              • Matching: JAWS does not read out question label on dropdown focus.