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Data analytics is the practice of using statistics to extract meaningful information from raw data. In the social sciences, research has traditionally involved small scale projects wherein researchers gather data through observations, interviews, or other methodologies, and then code and organize that data before analyzing it to determine if any conclusions can be drawn from it, and if the data offers any insights relevant to the research questions being asked. The advent of the Internet and the proliferation of large amounts of information—so-called Big Data—is now forcing researchers in the social sciences to consider other approaches to their work.