Totem

Desk Research (Totem)

Offered by Totem project,
Desk Research (Totem)

Outsmart your search engine. In this course on Desk Research for journalism, you will gain knowledge on best ways to use the Internet to collect data for investigations, including: finding documents and numbers; optimizing your Google Search results; and searching for specific sources.

Why should you take this course?Data collection is an important part of journalism and investigations. It allows you to move beyond opinions and unverified facts as well as to investigate and substantiate a story with data from official databases, including a range of viewpoints from different sources.

What will you learn?
You will come away from this course understanding:

  • How to conduct intelligent research online research on databases, people and sources * Best practices and tips for conducting information research beyond a Google search
  • How to search and extract data contained in local, national and international databases.

Totem is an online platform that offers interactive courses to learn how to increase digital security and privacy. The optimal user experience is currently on your desktop computer. The aim is to support journalists, human rights defenders and activists use privacy tools and tactics more effectively in their work. Not a journalist? Don’t worry these courses should work for everyone.
Start today and learn how to protect yourself online.

Go to Class
MOOC List is learner-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Related Courses

Cyber Threat Hunting (Coursera) Coursera
Infosec

Cyber Threat Hunting (Coursera)

Security & Networking

Learn repeatable, documentable cyber threat hunting methodologies and types of tools that will make your threat hunting more effective. This learning path progresses through six courses, in which you will build core hunting skills such as intelligence gathering, investigation techniques and remediation methods. Upon completion, you'll have the knowledge and skills to carry out cyber threat hunting activities with an organization that will ultimately deliver proactive defenses against possible debilitating data compromise.

Sep 14th 2026
5-12 Weeks
Security Cybersecurity Cyber Attacks
Details
Justice and Equity in Technology Policy (Coursera) Coursera
University of Michigan

Justice and Equity in Technology Policy (Coursera)

Social Sciences

More than ever, technology is shaping, and being shaped by, public policy. This has an enormous impact, particularly for marginalized communities. The artificial intelligence and computer algorithms increasingly driving government and industry decisions—from the allocation of social services to hiring—are reflecting and reinforcing social biases towards women, people of color, and disabled people, among others. Global climate change is having a disproportionately negative impact on low- and middle-income countries, and on historically disadvantaged communities of color in the United States. Communities are increasingly concerned they are not benefiting from government research funding, and that the regulation of emerging technologies is inadequate.

Sep 14th 2026
5-12 Weeks
Technology Justice Equity
Details
Field Research (Totem) Totem
Totem project

Field Research (Totem)

CS: Information & Technology Personal and Professional Development

Why field research matters (case study Iran). This course on Field Research for journalists can be taken independently or in tandem with the course on desk research in the field of journalism. The goal of this course is to help address risks inherent in conducting field investigations in a repressive environment. The course is designed for all knowledge levels to help you learn how to gather firsthand evidence, document events, obtain information from experts and interview local residents.

Self Paced
Self-Paced
Online Technology Communication
Details
How to bypass internet censorship (Totem) Totem
Totem project

How to bypass internet censorship (Totem)

CS: Information & Technology

How to stop censorship stopping you... and improve your online privacy and security. Across the world, the internet connects us to each other and to what sometimes seems like an unlimited amount of information. In some countries such as Iran, however, the internet is censored by the State. This means that internet filtering systems regulate what can be seen or published online.

Self Paced
Self-Paced
Online Technology Encryption
Details
Introduction to Applied Cryptography (Coursera) Coursera
University of London

Introduction to Applied Cryptography (Coursera)

Computer Science

This course is a non-mathematical introduction to the role that cryptography plays in providing digital security for everyday applications such as the internet, mobile phones, wireless networks and cryptocurrency. In this introductory course you will develop an understanding of the functionality and purpose of the main cryptographic tools we use today. You will learn how to make decisions about which cryptographic tools are most appropriate to deploy in specific settings. You will also explore the wider infrastructure surrounding cryptography and how this impacts the overall security of systems deploying cryptography.

Sep 14th 2026
4 Weeks
Cryptography Security Digital Security
Details
Chinese Politics Part 2 - China and the World (Coursera) Coursera
The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology - HKUST

Chinese Politics Part 2 - China and the World (Coursera)

Social Sciences

One of the most significant changes in the world in the past 30 years is the opening of China to the outside world and its engagement with that world. In the initial years of the opening, external forces influenced China’s economy, regional balances, bureaucracy, as well as the political authority of local leaders in the coastal areas.

Sep 14th 2026
5-12 Weeks
China Technology Chinese Politics
Details
Muestreo de personas, redes y registros (Coursera) Coursera
University of Michigan

Muestreo de personas, redes y registros (Coursera)

Health & Society Social Sciences

Para hacer una buena recopilación de datos se necesitan buenas muestras. Pero las muestras pueden elegirse de muchas maneras. Pueden ser selecciones fortuitas o convenientes de personas, registros, redes u otras unidades, pero uno se cuestiona la calidad de tales muestras, especialmente cómo se relacionan estos métodos de selección con el hecho de sacar buenas conclusiones sobre una población tras la recopilación y el análisis de los datos. Las muestras pueden seleccionarse con más cuidado según el criterio del investigador, pero entonces uno se pregunta si ese criterio puede estar sesgado por factores personales.

Sep 14th 2026
5-12 Weeks
Research Data Collection Sampling
Details
Electric Utilities Fundamentals and Future (Coursera) Coursera
University of Colorado System

Electric Utilities Fundamentals and Future (Coursera)

Sci: Energy & Earth Sciences Sci: Environment

The approach of this course is truly unique in how it approaches and engages learners. It looks at the electric utility industry, which has remained critical to our quality of life, health and comfort from the eyes of numerous industry experts through on-location interviews, compelling visuals, and animation. You will benefit from having the inside track because you see some behind-the-scenes information not covered in news stories, social media or even if we are in the business ourselves.

Sep 14th 2026
5-12 Weeks
Innovation Energy Electricity
Details
Interpersonal Communication for Engineering Leaders (Coursera) Coursera
Rice University

Interpersonal Communication for Engineering Leaders (Coursera)

Management & Leadership

This course covers communication skills that engineering leaders use every day to motivate, inspire, and support the people in their organizations. Speaking and writing are basic leadership communication skills. (We covered these topics in the Specialization course 1 and 3.) However, leaders also need to be skillful interpersonal communicators.

Sep 14th 2026
4 Weeks
Engineering Leadership Communication
Details
Communication skills for engineering scholars (Coursera) Coursera
Politecnico di Milano

Communication skills for engineering scholars (Coursera)

Personal and Professional Development

The course teaches engineering scholars how to improve their communication skills, based on theory, examples and practical exercises. Topics include basics of rhetoric (how to be clear), basics of argumentation theory (how to be persuasive), public speaking, grant writing, scientific writing. The main target are engineering scholars; the first 3 weeks, though, can be useful to anyone wishing to improve their communication skills.

Sep 14th 2026
5-12 Weeks
Communication Public Speaking Grant Writing
Details