What is data?

The word 'data' often appears in research papers but it can sometimes be hard to determine exactly what the author is using the term 'data' to mean. The simplest definition is that data are information that have been collected and recorded ( Herzog 2016).

Within midwifery practice data are collected constantly, from simple information like birth weights to more complex statistics on staffing ratios. Data help to answer questions, establish baselines or determine trends and can take many forms.