Software Training

Navigating the digital landscape has become essential for social scientists, as data analysis, visualization, and management increasingly underpin research in this field. To support this shift, we’ve curated a list of software training resources tailored specifically to social scientists. Whether you're new to data analysis or looking to expand your skills in advanced techniques, these resources cover a range of tools and platforms that are vital for modern social science research. This collection is designed to help you efficiently manage and analyze data, enhance the rigor of your research, and ultimately, make more informed contributions to your field. Additional software training resources are available via the UChicago Library.

Python is a high-level, general-purpose programming language, supporting multiple programming paradigms, including structured, object-oriented and functional programming. Python can be used to build websites, create software applications, automate tasks, and perform data analysis, visualization, and machine learning.

 

 

MATLAB is a programming and numeric computing platform used to analyze data, develop algorithms, and create models. MATLAB’s Simulink package supports simulation and Model-Based Design, which are integral for multidisciplinary projects in control systems, computational finance, and other fields.

Recommended Tutorials: 

Structured    query    language    (SQL)    is    a    domain    specific    language    used    to    manage    data,    especially    in    a    relational    database management system. It is most useful for handling structured data. 

 

Recommended Tutorials: 

  • Basic SQL Commands (LinkedIn Learning)
    • Length: 1 hour, 50 minutes
    • What You Learn: how to query data from databases, aggregate data, transform and perform mathematical operations on data, and apply SQL commands to edit data.

       

High-performance computing (HPC) is the process of aggregating computing resources in order to gain greater performance than what is achieved from using a single workstation/server. It uses clusters of computers to solve advanced computing tasks. 
 

Recommended Tutorials: 

Geographic Information Systems (GIS) are powerful tools used for mapping and analyzing spatial data, enabling users to visualize, question, and interpret data to understand relationships, patterns, and trends across geographies.

Recommended Tutorials