Secondary data

Secondary data is data collected by someone other than the user. Common sources of secondary
data for social science include censuses, surveys, organizational records and data collected
through qualitative methodologies or qualitative research. Primary data, by contrast, are collected
by the investigator conducting the research.

Secondary data analysis saves time that would otherwise be spent collecting data and,
particularly in the case of quantitative data, provides larger and higher-quality databases than
would be unfeasible for any individual researcher to collect on their own. In addition to that,
analysts of social and economic change consider secondary data essential, since it is impossible
to conduct a new survey that can adequately capture past change and/or developments.

Sources of secondary data

As is the case in primary research, secondary data can be obtained from two different research
strands:

 Quantitative: Census, housing, social security as well as electoral statistics and other
related databases.

 Qualitative: Semi-structured and structured interviews, focus groups transcripts, field

notes, observation records and other personal, research-related documents.
A clear benefit of using secondary data is that much of the background work needed has been
already been carried out, for example: literature reviews, case studies might have been carried
out, published texts and statistic could have been already used elsewhere, media promotion and
personal contacts have also been utilized.

This wealth of background work means that secondary data generally have a pre-established
degree of validity and reliability which need not be re-examined by the researcher who is re-
using such data.

Furthermore, secondary data can also be helpful in the research design of subsequent primary
research and can provide a baseline with which the collected primary data results can be
compared to. Therefore, it is always wise to begin any research activity with a review of the
secondary data.

[edit]Secondary analysis or re-use of qualitative data

Qualitative data re-use provides a unique opportunity to study the raw materials of the recent or
more distant past to gain insights for both methodological and theoretical purposes.
In the secondary analysis of qualitative data, good documentation can not be underestimated as it
provides necessary background and much needed context both of which make re-use a more
worthwhile and systematic endeavour [1]. Actually one could go as far as claim that qualitative
secondary data analysis “can be understood, not so much as the analysis of pre-existing data;
rather as involving a process of re-contextualising, and re-constructing, data”[2].

[edit]Overall challenges of secondary data analysis

There are several things to take into consideration when using pre-existing data. Secondary data
does not permit the progression from formulating a research question to designing methods to
answer that question. It is also not feasible for a secondary data analyst to engage in the habitual
process of making observations and developing concepts. These limitations hinder the ability of
the researcher to focus on the original research question.

Data quality is always a concern because its source may not be trusted. Even data from official
records may be unreliable because the data is only as good as the records themselves, in terms of
methodological validity and reliability.

Furthermore, in the case of qualitative material, primary researchers are often reluctant to share
“their less-than-polished early and intermediary materials, not wanting to expose false starts,
mistakes, etc.” [1].

So overall, there are six questions that a secondary analyst should be able to answer about the
data they wish to analyze.

1. What were the agency's or researcher's goals when collecting the data?

2. What data was collected and what is it supposed to measure?

3. When was the data collected?

4. What methods were used? Who was responsible and are they available for questions?

5. How is the data organized?

6. What information is known about the success of that data collection? How consistent is the
data with data from other sources?
 

In today's world correct information is the key to success. Data or information is of two types;
primary data and secondary data. Primary data is information collected by the researcher or
person himself where as secondary data is collected by others but utilized or used by the
researcher.
Secondary data is data that has already been collected and collated by somebody for some reason
other than the current study. It can be used to get a new perspective on the current study, to
supplement or compare the work or to use parts of it, as another study may prove costly and time
consuming e.g. the census.

Secondary data can further be divided into two parts. Qualitative data includes biographies,
personal letters, diaries, records, documents, published material, computer database, policy
statements, etc. Quantitative data would have market research, census, and Economic documents,
planning documents or specimens. The list is endless and once the type of secondary data is
identified, it becomes easy to locate the source. 

Since the data has been collected for another purpose by somebody else, it may not be fully
useful, the context could have changed or data could have been doctored.
 

Secondary data: 
Secondary data is data that is neither collected directly by the user nor specifically for the user,
often under conditions not known to the user. Examples includeGovernment reports.
Secondary information has already been collected for some other purposes. It may be available
from internal sources, or may have been collected and published by another organization.
Secondary data is cheaper and more quickly available than primary data, but likely to need
processing before it is useful.
For example, secondary sources of market penetration of an organization are data collected
already for accountancy and operational purposes. Total industry sales may already been
collected and published by some external body such as thegovernment, trade association as
secondary source of information.
A company who wants to know the users of its products may have following secondary sources:

•Published reports
•Government statistics
•Scientific and technical Abstracts
•Company's financial statements
•Banks reports
•Trade AOP's

However, besides its advantages it has certain disadvantages as follows:

•Problem of being defined differently
•More prone to error
•Copy right problem

Secondary data can be used differently such as:

•To create new ideas
•To compare two statistics
•Where direct collection of data is impossible
 

You need some data and you go and collect that information; it is called primary data. When
your friend needs that same data, he collects it from you to be reused, it is called secondary data,
or the data collected by others to be reused called secondary data.
Secondary data can be collected from different resources, by Qualitative and by Quantitative
sources.
In Qualitative source it was collected by the diaries, by memories, by newspapers etc.
In Quantities sources it was collected by published Statistics from national government sources,
government surveys by general household survey etc.
The purpose of collecting secondary data is to make some changes, or to review the needs. To
make solutions based on normal database management. It was also collect for editing purpose.
To get some new ideas or it was also for the purpose of time saving. If you have short time and
you have to complete an object secondary data in this regard is the best way to save time and
complete your task.
There are some limitations on collecting secondary data: that it should be valid, or has the data
been massaged? You can search the data from electronic sources, or from published statistics.
 

There are two kinds of data used in any research. These are:

1. Primary Data
2. Secondary Data

1.Primary Data is the data that is not already available. The researcher collects is first-hand. 
Methods used for the collection of Primary Data can be: 

i.Questionnaires.
ii.Interviews.
iii.Focus Groups.
iv.Observation.
v.others.

2.Secondary Data: 

Secondary Data is data or information that is already available. This data is collected by a person
or organization other than the use of the data. 

Advantages of secondary data are that it is cheap and inexpensive. It is easilyaccessible. It is

already available. It saves time and efforts. It is unobtrusive. It avoid data collection problems
and it provides a basis for comparison.

Disadvantages are related to the credibility of the source who has published this info and the
small nuances that may not fit into your research objectives. Another disadvantage can be that
the data might be outdated. Similarly you have no control over the quality of data and you do not
know how authentic the measures used for data collection have been.

Secondary Data can be collected from various sources, which include, but are not limited to:

Books, Magazines, websites, Already published reports, TV, Radio, Newspapers, Films, Journals
and publications, Research papers etc.

Secondary Data can be of two types. These are:

1.Cross Sectional Data.
2.Longitudinal Data.

1.Cross Sectional Data: It is the data collected at the same time from different places
2.Longitudinal Data: It is the data collected at regular time intervals. Longitudinal Data can be
further divided into two types:
i.Data collected through Panel Study.
ii.Data collected through Repeated Design.

What is secondary data and sources of collection of data

 Introduction 
Secondary research can be described as the most widely used method for data collection. This
process involves accessing information that is already gathered from either the originator or a
distributor of primary research. Secondary research includes collecting information from third-
party sources such as company websites, sales and accounting records, magazine articles and
marketing research reports. It also includes any previously gathered information used by the
marketer from any internal or external source.

Advantages: 

Ease of Access
There are many advantages to using secondary research. This includes the relative ease of access
to many sources of secondary data. In the past secondary data accumulation required marketers
to visit libraries, or wait for reports to be shipped by mail. Now with the availability of online
access, secondary research is more openly accessed. This offers convenience and generally
standardized usage methods for all sources of secondary research.

Low Cost to Acquire

The use of secondary data has allowed researchers access to valuable information for little or no
cost to acquire. Therefore, this information is much less expensive then if the researchers had to
carry out the research themselves.

Clarification of Research Question

The use of secondary research may help the researcher to clarify the research question.
Secondary research is often used prior to primary research to help clarify the research focus.

May Answer Research Question

The use of secondary data collection is often used to help align the focus of large scale primary
research. When focusing on secondary research, the researcher may realize that the exact
information they were looking to uncover is already available through secondary sources. This
would effectively eliminate the need and expense to carry out there own primary research.

May Show Difficulties in Conducting Primary Research

In many cases, the originators of secondary research include details of how the information was
collected. This may include information detailing the procedures used in data collection and
difficulties encountered in conducting the primary research. Therefore, the detailed difficulties
may persuade the researcher to decide that the potential information obtained is not worth the
potential difficulties in conducting the research.

Disadvantages:

Quality of Research
There are some disadvantages to using secondary research. The originators of the primary
research are largely self-governed and controlled by the marketer. Therefore, the secondary
research used must be scrutinized closely since the origins of the information may be
questionable. Moreover, the researcher needs to take sufficient steps to critically evaluate the
validity and reliability of the information provided.

Not Specific to Researcher’s Needs

In many cases, secondary data is not presented in a form that exactly meets the researcher’s
needs. Therefore, the researcher needs to rely on secondary data that is presented and classified
in a way that is similar to their needs.

Incomplete Information
In many cases, researchers find information that appears valuable and promising. The researcher
may not get the full version of the research to gain the full value of the study. This is because
many research suppliers offer free portions of their research and then charge expensive fees for
their full reports.

Not Timely
When using secondary research, one must exercise caution when using dated information from
the past. With companies competing in fast changing industries, an out-of-date research reports
many have little or no relevance to the current market situation.

Conclusion
In conclusion, the use of secondary research offers many significant advantages to the
researcher. It is important for the researcher to identify, reduce, and manage the disadvantages
that are accompanied by the use of secondary research.