Secondary research is a cost-effective and quick method of data collection that reuses existing data. It can be a starting point for research, but may have limitations such as outdated or biased data. Public agencies, private companies, universities, and internet search engines are sources of existing data.
Secondary research is a method that reuses existing data collected for another project, often by another researcher. This is a relatively inexpensive form of data collection since the costs associated with running the surveys or other tools have already been incurred. It can also be conducted more quickly and with less manpower than primary data collection. Secondary research is used in many disciplines, including market, medical and social policy research.
There are some advantages to using secondary research as a data collection method over primary research. Secondary research can be used as a starting point for a research project. Before a researcher conducts his own data collection, he can analyze existing data on the subject. This helps fine-tune your research hypothesis and questions. The time and cost savings also make it a valuable research tool. Secondary research helps the researcher avoid some of the pitfalls and challenges of primary data collection activities, such as access to a study population or difficulties with administration.
This search method also has some disadvantages. If the original data collection tool was a survey, the original tool may have asked questions in a way that is inappropriate for secondary analysis or may have collected answers in a way that cannot be analyzed properly. Datasets used for secondary analysis may be out of date, making them inappropriate for the current research project. For example, a researcher might not write an article on today’s political climate using data collected in 1980. Also, the original research might not have been rigorously conducted and might have runaway bias.
Many public agencies regularly collect data that can be used for secondary research. The United States Census Bureau provides social and demographic data for the entire country every ten years with provisional data collection in non-census years. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) collects information on crimes and punishments every year. Other agencies such as the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the Department of Labor Statistics and the Bureau of Land Management collect data related to the populations they serve. This data is available for free use or for a nominal fee.
Private companies and universities are also considered good sources of existing data for secondary research. The Pew Research Center and Gallop® are companies that collect and sell public opinion data. Many university professors collect data for research projects and may make their datasets available for secondary research. This data can be free or very expensive depending on the size of the dataset and the source.
Many search engines and websites on the Internet collect data on user behavior. This is sometimes sold to market research agencies for secondary analysis or targeted advertising. In this way, many people are involved in research projects without being aware of it. Users can consult a website’s privacy policy if they are concerned about data collection.
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