- Is an expanded literature review that tries to collect and summarize ALL of the primary research studies that have previously been conducted by others as they try to answer their own research question.
- Is when the author of a systematic review uses statistical methods to summarize the results of the data from the studies s/he found. No new data is being generated because of primary research - the author of the meta-analysis is using statistics to enhance her/his analysis of other researchers' data.
It is also often used in other types of resources such as non-research based articles, books, documentaries, et cetera to provide background information that ties back to primary research that the person using the source can locate if they want to see the actual primary research study.
The further away the reader gets from the original research source, the more likely the reader will lose or misinterpret the original context of the data being used.
For example:
I publish a research study (primary research) in 2014 that is focused on parent monitoring of there child's cell phone usage. In my study I said I surveyed 800 ninth graders in Massachusetts and that data I gathered for a specific question I asked showed that 10% don't have a cell phone, 70% have a cell phone on their parents plan and 20% have a cell phone on their own individual plan.
Another researcher uses my research in their literature review published in 2018 and summarizes my findings as "one survey found that 90% of ninth graders have cell phones".
You find the 2018 article and generalize that author's summary of my findings to state that "a 2014 survey found that 10% of ninth graders don't have a cell phone".
How accurate is the context in which you interpret my data? How accurate is the context of the data for the person who reads your literature review? By the time you are using my data from the secondary resource neither you or your reader have any idea that this was a study of 800 participants, that it was focused in only one state, or that it included data for those with a phone as to whether they have their own phone plan or on their parents' plan.
Tips when first evaluating a source: Once you find a research-based source, read the abstract and/or methodologies section and ask yourself who conducted the actual research process to gather the data?
Common sources where primary research in the field of Education is published are:
Any of the above sources may also be peer-reviewed, meaning that the content is reviewed by other professionals in the field before it is published. Peer-reviewed, scholarly journals are considered to be high quality and often are a requirement in your research assignments because they are produced by experts and professionals in the field and all primary research articles are put through a peer-reviewed vetting process that is detailed by the journal publisher. It is also where professionals in the field in turn tend to publish their research for those same reasons. It is important to keep a couple of things in mind:
Research Databases are a great tool for finding and accessing primary research articles published in scholarly/academic, peer-reviewed journals. In the field of Education our library provides access to ERIC, Education Source, Proquest Education Database and Academic Search Ultimate. Each of these databases have search functions to help you narrow your results list down to scholarly/academic, peer-reviewed journals.
Depending on your topic and research question you may need to explore research databases in other disciplines as well. Here are two examples:
Primary research is research conducted by you or your team that examines and collects information directly from the context of the design problem.
Simply put, primary research is research that is your own original work.
For example, if a researcher is interested in learning about the dietary habits of people in a particular region, he or she could administer a survey to residents of that region inquiring about what types of food they typically eat.
Here, the researcher would be performing primary research.
Contrary to primary research, secondary research is research that was originally conducted by someone else.
Using our example from above, if after doing some investigation the researcher learns that a similar study has already been performed, he or she could utilize the results and findings from that study to assist him with his overall goal.
Here the researcher would be performing secondary research.
Related: Why You Should Consider Secondary Data Analysis for Your Next Study
Use secondary research as a starting point for your research process. .
Imagine that you’ve been tasked with developing an exercise program for elderly people.
The goal of the program is to outline and schedule exercises and workouts in order to promote healthy lifestyles amongst senior citizens.
But there’s a catch — You don’t have any experience in exercise science or developing this kind of program.
The best place to start in order to kick off the project would be to leverage existing research.
You could review publicly available materials on exercise regimens optimized for the age of your target audience. This could involve reading published research reports, books, or articles.
Your findings from this secondary research could then help you define your own approach for how you plan to create the fitness plan for senior citizens. Additionally, starting with secondary research gives you an understanding of what's already been done, and it alerts you of where there may be gaps.
Continuing on with our example above, you may realize that after researching existing materials on senior citizens and exercising that you know very little about what will motivate elderly people to exercise.
If you find yourself in a similar situation, continue to identify resources to educate yourself on the matter at hand.
In this case, secondary research has already saved you some time. If you had opted to not perform secondary research, and instead had made an attempt to build the exercise program from scratch using gut instinct, you would have spent a considerable amount of time banging your head against a theoretical wall to no avail.
If after digging into the available secondary sources, you realize that you still don’t have the precise knowledge needed to develop an effective program, you might then decide that primary research is the only viable way for you to move forward.
Once you have a deep understanding of the problem at hand thanks to your secondary research, you can then plan your primary research efforts accordingly, so that you can fill in any gaps and obtain any information that was previously missing.
Both methods are most effective when they work together.
Surveys are one of the most commonly used ways in which original data not found through secondary research is collected.
This is because surveys are context-specific, meaning that the data collected from the survey comes directly from your exact target audience. Plus, there are essentially limitless ways to customize and tailor your survey to resonate with your target audience, which allows you to collect only the most pertinent data for your project.
To start building and administering powerful surveys today, start a trial with Alchemer!
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Know the Differences & Comparisons
On the contrary, Secondary research is a research method which involves the use of data, already collected through primary research. The main difference between primary and secondary research lies in the fact that whether the research is conducted previously or not.
Comparison chart.
Basis for Comparison | Primary Research | Secondary Research |
---|---|---|
Meaning | Research conducted to gather first-hand information, for the current problem is called Primary Research. | Secondary Research is one that involves use of information gathered originally by primary research. |
Based on | Raw data | Analysed and interpreted information |
Carried on by | Researcher himself | Someone else |
Data | Specific to the needs of researcher. | May or may not be specific to the needs of researcher. |
Process | Very Involved | Rapid and Easy |
Cost | High | Low |
Time | Long | Short |
A type of research, wherein the research aims at acquiring new and original data by primary sources, is known as Primary Data. As the term ‘primary’ implies ‘first and foremost’ and when it is linked with research, it means an in-depth exploration of facts by the researcher himself and that too with the one to one communication with the people, who know about the subject.
It is a bit difficult to conduct primary research because it requires a lot of time, money, resources and some prior information about the subject. With a view to getting needed information, the researcher has to start from scratch. The research can be performed through interviews, questionnaires, observations, etc.
The research which involves analysis, interpretation and summarization of primary research, is called secondary research. In finer terms, the research in which data is obtained from readily available sources is secondary. As the data available is already analysed and interpreted, the researcher only needs to figure out the data of his choice, i.e. the relevant information for the project.
In this type of research, the researcher uses information gathered by government agencies, associations, labour unions media sources and so on. The data assembled is primarily published in newsletters, magazines, pamphlets, newspapers, journals, reports, encyclopaedias etc.
You can find out the difference between primary and secondary research, in the following points in detail:
Both primary and secondary research have their advantages and disadvantages. While primary data is need-specific and quality is also up to the mark, but it is expensive and consumes more time. Secondary research, on the other hand, is cheap, and the data collection is easy, but it is also possible that the data may be outdated and does not suit your requirements. So, before choosing any of these two, first examine your requirements, sources, costs, etc. to choose the best research type for your project.
Dr. Patrick Okobi says
September 10, 2016 at 12:17 am
That was a very good summary of the concepts of research.
George Dunham says
May 11, 2020 at 8:12 am
Athumani says
February 4, 2021 at 11:53 am
GOD bless you beloved
Gladys PATRICK-PhD Student says
January 22, 2023 at 3:18 am
I am so blessed with this information-May you be blessed and thank you so much.
September 3, 2023 at 9:16 pm
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Learning Objectives
Market research is essential during the planning phases of any start-up; otherwise, you’re shooting in the dark. On a basic level, market research is the collection and analysis of data related to a business’s target market. Market research can entail everything from information on competitors’ products to the interpretation of demographic data related to potential customers.
The main purpose of market research is to gain an understanding of customer needs and wants in an effort to reveal potential business opportunities. When you have a clear picture of what your target market is and what it wants, you can more effectively design your marketing mix to engage that demographic .
Imagine that you are creating a cosmetic line that is organic, contains vitamins and minerals, and is easy to apply. Your target market is women who are interested in high-quality beauty products that are not harmful to themselves or the environment. But after conducting extensive market research, you learn that women aged eighteen to forty-five years tend to be interested in the benefits your product line provides, but that women over fifty years of age are not. In light of these findings, you can either adjust your line’s benefits to serve the market you initially wanted to serve (all women), or you can cater to the needs of a smaller audience (eighteen to forty-five-year-old women).
A good exercise for better understanding your target market is to detail the everyday life of your ideal customer. You can do this by describing in detail a set of possible customers who would buy your product. Details could include demographic information such as gender, age, income, education, ethnicity, social class, location, and life cycle. Other information that would be helpful would include psychographics (activities, hobbies, interests, and lifestyles) as well as behavior (how often they use a product or how they feel about it). The better you know your ideal customer, the better you can focus on capturing their attention by matching their preferences with your offerings.
Market research also helps you understand who your competitors are and how they serve the target market you want to engage. The more you know about your competition, the easier it will be to determine and differentiate your offerings. Let’s dive into how marketers gather all of these data and the value the data provide to entrepreneurs.
Secondary research is research that uses existing data that has been collected by another entity. Oftentimes, these data are collected by governmental agencies to answer a wide range of questions or issues that are common to many organizations and people. Secondary research often answers more general questions that an entrepreneur may have, such as population information, average purchases, or trends. If there is a specific question that cannot be answered, such as how many people would be interested in a new product with certain attributes, then primary research will have to answer that. While some of this kind of research must be purchased, much of it is free to the public and a good option for entrepreneurs with limited financial resources.
Some useful resources are trade organizations that provide information about specific industries, as well as newspapers, magazines, journals, chambers of commerce, and other organizations that collect local, state, national, and international data. Resources such as these can provide information about everything from population size to community demographics and spending habits. Table 9.1 below lists several free databases that are rich sources of information.
Database | Information | URL Address |
---|---|---|
Census Bureau | Economic, demographic, geographic, and social data | https://www.census.gov/ |
Fact Finder | Economic, population, and geographic data | https://factfinder.census.gov/ |
American Community Survey | Updated census data | https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/ |
Pew Research Center | Fact tank that surveys trends, issues, attitudes, and demographics | http://www.pewresearch.org |
Pew Hispanic Center | Surveys on Hispanic trends, demographics, and issues | http://www.pewhispanic.org/ |
Current Population Survey | Monthly survey of US households on labor data | http://www.bls.gov/cps/home.htm |
Texas State Data Center | State demographic data | http://txsdc.utsa.edu/ |
IBISWorld | US industry trends | http://www.ibisworld.com |
Mergent Online | US businesses data | http://www.mergentonline.com/ |
Demographics Now | US demographic and business data | http://www.demographicsnow.com/ |
Primary research entails collecting new data for the purpose of answering a specific question or set of questions. While conducting your own research can be resource intense, it is also the best way to get answers specific to your business and products, especially if you want to penetrate niche markets that have not been studied. It also allows you to get specific. By asking the right questions, you can determine people’s feelings and attitudes toward your brand, whether they like your product design, whether they value its proposed benefits, and whether they think it is priced fairly. Figure 9.1 shows the steps common in conducting primary market research.
The next step is to determine which research techniques will most effectively help you answer your questions. Considering what you want to learn and determining what your budget is will help you decide if qualitative or quantitative research best suits your needs. Well-designed research projects often use some combination of both.
Qualitative research uses open-ended techniques such as observation, focus groups, and interviews to gain an understanding of customers’ basic reasons, opinions, and motivations.
Interviews are a great method to secure open-ended answers. You might interview potential customers on what they think is the best way to communicate with them, what they like about certain competitors’ products, and get reactions to your product.
Surveys can be done by hand or through online tools such as Survey Monkey or Qualtrics. Surveys are very helpful because you can ask questions to current or potential customers about your product, competitors’ products, customer service, and any other information you may seek to create or improve your business. They are an easy way to collect large amounts of data from many customers, and they allow you to calculate responses. Online tools are particularly useful in providing repositories of data that can be later exported to other analytical tools such as Excel or SPSS.
On a basic level, entrepreneurial marketing is a set of unconventional practices that can help start-ups and younger firms emerge and have an edge in competitive markets. The main difference between these and traditional approaches is that entrepreneurial marketing tends to focus on satisfying the customer and building trust by providing innovative products and services that disrupt or appeal to a specific market. Table 9.2 provides an overview of differences between traditional and entrepreneurial marketing.
Traditional Marketing | Entrepreneurial Marketing |
---|---|
Greater amount of resources | Few to no resources; founder drives efforts (sweat equity) |
Management of an established brand, reminder advertising | Must be ingenious, energetic, and persistent to develop story and brand; leads to trust |
Financial and market share goals | Satisfaction and awareness goals |
Manage existing customers | Capture first customers; develop a client base and long-term relationships |
Manage existing products, promotion, pricing, placement, people, physical environment, and process (the “7 Ps”) | Develop new products, price points, channels (placement), communication, process, training, and design |
Continue doing what works | Trial and error; market pilots |
Communication with customers standardized, one-directional; more difficult to create one-on-one relationships | Communication with customers is more fluid and spontaneous; two-way relationships |
One of the biggest misconceptions people have about marketing is that it is all about promotion, or how a company sells or advertises something. But the truth is, promotion is just one facet of the marketing mix , which describes the basic set of strategies and approaches that marketers use to identify and reach their target market.
One common way of understanding and remembering the components of the marketing mix for products and services is by thinking in terms of the “ 7 Ps .” While each of these can be part of a company’s marketing mix, the first four relate more to products: product, pricing, promotion, and place (and traditionally have been called “the 4 Ps of marketing”). The remaining three relate more to services: physical environment, process, and people. While the 7 Ps are conceptually the same for all businesses, how a company addresses each “P” will be specific to that company’s needs and goals.
For a better understanding of the marketing mix, Figure 9.3 below breaks down the 7 Ps into their related activities.
Within the marketing mix, product refers to a good or service that creates value by fulfilling a customer need or desire. Goods are tangible products that can be touched, smelled, heard, and seen, such as a pair of tennis shoes, a granola bar, or a bottle of shampoo. In contrast, services are intangible products. They usually entail paying an expert to do something for you, such as car repair or house cleaning.
Companies can bundle both goods and services together to create extra value for their customers. Birchbox , for example, provides goods (product samples) and services (customized product recommendations) to satisfy their customers’ desire to be able to buy beauty products in a hassle-free manner. The value Birchbox provides to customers relies on their ability to do both. In the United States, service-oriented businesses are increasingly playing a larger role in our local and national economies.
For start-ups, defining the value of the products they are going to offer is an important step toward identifying their competitive advantage within a marketplace. On a basic level, if you don’t know what benefit your product provides or what need it fulfills, neither will your customers. Kevin Plank , founder of Under Armour , knew that the value of his product would benefit many athletes who were tired of having to frequently change their wet sportswear. As a former football player, he had spent many hours training and enduring drenched practices, and wondered how he could alleviate this problem that companies didn’t address well with cotton sportswear. After college, he decided to take his idea to the next level and started a company making athletic wear that had special microfibers that kept athletes dry throughout practice and games. He then embarked on a trip to try to sell his value proposition to college football teams on the east coast. Nearing the end of 1996, he landed his first sale of shirts to Georgia Tech, which totaled $17,000—and the rest is history. Under Armour became a strong competitor to Nike and Adidas by providing a new type of athletic wear that has revolutionized performance by keeping athletes dry.
Communicating a product’s benefits to customers is a significant aspect of any marketing mix. Even if a product is the best in its class, a company must communicate this value to customers, or it will fail. This is what promotion does: It is the process of communicating value to customers in a way that encourages them to purchase the good or service. Promotions must have a goal, a budget, a strategy, and an outcome to measure. Companies must use their promotional budget wisely to create the best results, which can include sales, profit, and awareness through the use of a cohesive message throughout the campaign.
Some typical forms of promotion are advertising, social media, public relations, direct mail, sales promotions, and personal selling.
One of the most important and challenging elements of the marketing mix is pricing. Price is the value that must be exchanged for a customer to receive a product or service. This is usually monetary and has a direct impact on sales. Correctly pricing your product enables your company to be competitive while maximizing your product’s profit potential.
Here are a few popular pricing models to effectively price your product:
Place refers to the channels or locations—physical or digital—where customers can purchase your products; it is sometimes called distribution . For the entrepreneur, the choice of place lies in figuring out which channels will create the most profit. In other words, which channels will reach the majority of the target market at the most efficient cost. Choosing the right distribution channels is one way to create a competitive advantage and generate more success for your business. Certain channels have specific capabilities such as reaching more customers, providing promotions, and providing credit.
Direct channels , such as physical or online storefronts, require no intermediaries and allow you to sell directly to consumers. For example, if you own a bakery, you would likely have a retail storefront that sells directly to consumers.
Indirect channels require intermediaries such as distributors or sales agents to sell your products to the end customer or to other physical or online retail outlets. Indirect channels often have more than one intermediary. For example, to acquire more customers than you could reach on your own, your bakery would use indirect channels such as wholesalers or agents to get your products into local markets and grocery stores across the country. These companies would also help with logistics, which include transportation, warehousing, and handling of products.
People , or a company’s human resources, will always be a key factor in any successful business. In a service-oriented business, the people who interact with customers are especially important. Because the service is the product, they are the face of the brand and a direct link between the company and the customer.
When an employee delivers an acceptable or outstanding service, customers are encouraged to return to purchase the service again and also share their positive experience with others. When customers go into a jewelry store and receive good service from the salespeople, they will likely let their friends and family know about the positive experience through a personal referral or on social media.
When service is poor, customers don’t return. If customers have a bad experience at a restaurant, it is likely they will not patronize the establishment any longer and will probably share a negative review online. Sometimes, poor service has to do with factors other than employees, but as online review sites such as Yelp become more common, poor customer service reviews can have a devastating effect on a brand, especially for start-ups trying to break into a market. It is important to hire experienced people and have a good training system in place with rewards that will help employees deliver the best service to customers. Companies should take into consideration that no matter the size of a business, they must market not only to their customers but also to their employees, as they are the face of the company and the ones who interact with customers. Employees can make or break the brand.
The physical environment where a service is provided is an important part of the marketing mix. It can influence the company’s image and convey a lot of information about the quality of a product, service, company, or brand. The old adage that you “get only one chance to make a first impression” is especially true for new businesses. Tangible cues—décor, smell, music, temperature, colors—send an immediate message to customers about quality and professionalism.
For example, if you walked into two dentists’ offices (remember, they are also entrepreneurs), and one office smelled and looked clean, and one did not, which one would you choose? The same goes for restaurants, retail stores, and any other physical environment. Since a service cannot be inspected before it is received, these cues help customers make their decisions.
Process is the chain of procedures or activities required to provide a service to the customer. It is all of the activities that take place between the service provider and the customer, from beginning to end.
In the case of a doctor’s office, this would include making the appointment, filling out paperwork, waiting to be seen, seeing the doctor, and paying. Because processes can be long and involved, they need to be designed to flow as efficiently and logically as possible. In the case of services that are provided online, process includes the website’s design and functionality, and all of the steps customers take from browsing through check out. A strong website design helps the entrepreneur say what the company is about, what it does and for whom, and what actions the customer can take. Actions can range from clicking for more information, the ability to purchase a product, or checking whether there is availability for a service and being able to book it or make an appointment.
Which primary research method will you use for the project? Your research will give you the information you need to determine if your idea should become a recognizable opportunity.
Once your research is complete, you can finalize building blocks 1-5 on your Business Model Canvas.
Attribution
This work builds upon materials originally developed by OpenStax in their publication “ Entrepreneurship ,” which is licensed under CC BY 4.0 .
the population who is most likely to purchase your product
Introduction to Entrepreneurship Copyright © 2024 by Jenn Woodhull-Smith is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.
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Published on June 20, 2018 by Raimo Streefkerk . Revised on May 31, 2023.
When you do research, you have to gather information and evidence from a variety of sources.
Primary sources provide raw information and first-hand evidence. Examples include interview transcripts, statistical data, and works of art. Primary research gives you direct access to the subject of your research.
Secondary sources provide second-hand information and commentary from other researchers. Examples include journal articles, reviews, and academic books . Thus, secondary research describes, interprets, or synthesizes primary sources.
Primary sources are more credible as evidence, but good research uses both primary and secondary sources.
What is a primary source, what is a secondary source, primary and secondary source examples, how to tell if a source is primary or secondary, primary vs secondary sources: which is better, other interesting articles, frequently asked questions about primary and secondary sources.
A primary source is anything that gives you direct evidence about the people, events, or phenomena that you are researching. Primary sources will usually be the main objects of your analysis.
If you are researching the past, you cannot directly access it yourself, so you need primary sources that were produced at the time by participants or witnesses (e.g. letters, photographs, newspapers ).
If you are researching something current, your primary sources can either be qualitative or quantitative data that you collect yourself (e.g. through interviews , surveys , experiments ) or sources produced by people directly involved in the topic (e.g. official documents or media texts).
Research field | Primary source |
---|---|
History | |
Art and literature | |
Communication and social studies | |
Law and politics | |
Sciences |
A secondary source is anything that describes, interprets, evaluates, or analyzes information from primary sources. Common examples include:
When you cite a secondary source, it’s usually not to analyze it directly. Instead, you’ll probably test its arguments against new evidence or use its ideas to help formulate your own.
Primary source | Secondary source |
---|---|
Novel | Article analyzing the novel |
Painting | Exhibition catalog explaining the painting |
Letters and diaries written by a historical figure | Biography of the historical figure |
by a philosopher | Textbook summarizing the philosopher’s ideas |
Photographs of a historical event | Documentary about the historical event |
Government documents about a new policy | Newspaper article about the new policy |
Music recordings | Academic book about the musical style |
Results of an opinion poll | Blog post interpreting the results of the poll |
Empirical study | that cites the study |
A secondary source can become a primary source depending on your research question . If the person, context, or technique that produced the source is the main focus of your research, it becomes a primary source.
If you are researching the causes of World War II, a recent documentary about the war is a secondary source . But if you are researching the filmmaking techniques used in historical documentaries, the documentary is a primary source .
If your paper is about the novels of Toni Morrison, a magazine review of one of her novels is a secondary source . But if your paper is about the critical reception of Toni Morrison’s work, the review is a primary source .
If your aim is to analyze the government’s economic policy, a newspaper article about a new policy is a secondary source . But if your aim is to analyze media coverage of economic issues, the newspaper article is a primary source .
To determine if something can be used as a primary or secondary source in your research, there are some simple questions you can ask yourself:
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Most research uses both primary and secondary sources. They complement each other to help you build a convincing argument. Primary sources are more credible as evidence, but secondary sources show how your work relates to existing research. Tertiary sources are often used in the first, exploratory stage of research.
Primary sources are the foundation of original research. They allow you to:
If you don’t use any primary sources, your research may be considered unoriginal or unreliable.
Secondary sources are good for gaining a full overview of your topic and understanding how other researchers have approached it. They often synthesize a large number of primary sources that would be difficult and time-consuming to gather by yourself. They allow you to:
When you conduct a literature review or meta analysis, you can consult secondary sources to gain a thorough overview of your topic. If you want to mention a paper or study that you find cited in a secondary source, seek out the original source and cite it directly.
Remember that all primary and secondary sources must be cited to avoid plagiarism . You can use Scribbr’s free citation generator to do so!
If you want to know more about ChatGPT, AI tools , citation , and plagiarism , make sure to check out some of our other articles with explanations and examples.
Plagiarism
Common examples of primary sources include interview transcripts , photographs, novels, paintings, films, historical documents, and official statistics.
Anything you directly analyze or use as first-hand evidence can be a primary source, including qualitative or quantitative data that you collected yourself.
Common examples of secondary sources include academic books, journal articles , reviews, essays , and textbooks.
Anything that summarizes, evaluates or interprets primary sources can be a secondary source. If a source gives you an overview of background information or presents another researcher’s ideas on your topic, it is probably a secondary source.
To determine if a source is primary or secondary, ask yourself:
Some types of source are nearly always primary: works of art and literature, raw statistical data, official documents and records, and personal communications (e.g. letters, interviews ). If you use one of these in your research, it is probably a primary source.
Primary sources are often considered the most credible in terms of providing evidence for your argument, as they give you direct evidence of what you are researching. However, it’s up to you to ensure the information they provide is reliable and accurate.
Always make sure to properly cite your sources to avoid plagiarism .
A fictional movie is usually a primary source. A documentary can be either primary or secondary depending on the context.
If you are directly analyzing some aspect of the movie itself – for example, the cinematography, narrative techniques, or social context – the movie is a primary source.
If you use the movie for background information or analysis about your topic – for example, to learn about a historical event or a scientific discovery – the movie is a secondary source.
Whether it’s primary or secondary, always properly cite the movie in the citation style you are using. Learn how to create an MLA movie citation or an APA movie citation .
Articles in newspapers and magazines can be primary or secondary depending on the focus of your research.
In historical studies, old articles are used as primary sources that give direct evidence about the time period. In social and communication studies, articles are used as primary sources to analyze language and social relations (for example, by conducting content analysis or discourse analysis ).
If you are not analyzing the article itself, but only using it for background information or facts about your topic, then the article is a secondary source.
If you want to cite this source, you can copy and paste the citation or click the “Cite this Scribbr article” button to automatically add the citation to our free Citation Generator.
Streefkerk, R. (2023, May 31). Primary vs. Secondary Sources | Difference & Examples. Scribbr. Retrieved June 22, 2024, from https://www.scribbr.com/working-with-sources/primary-and-secondary-sources/
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Primary vs secondary research – what’s the difference.
14 min read Find out how primary and secondary research are different from each other, and how you can use them both in your own research program.
The essential difference between primary and secondary research lies in who collects the data.
When you conduct primary research, you’re collecting data by doing your own surveys or observations.
In secondary research, you’re looking at existing data from other researchers, such as academic journals, government agencies or national statistics.
Free Ebook: The Qualtrics Handbook of Question Design
Primary research and secondary research both offer value in helping you gather information.
Each research method can be used alone to good effect. But when you combine the two research methods, you have the ingredients for a highly effective market research strategy. Most research combines some element of both primary methods and secondary source consultation.
So assuming you’re planning to do both primary and secondary research – which comes first? Counterintuitive as it sounds, it’s more usual to start your research process with secondary research, then move on to primary research.
Secondary research can prepare you for collecting your own data in a primary research project. It can give you a broad overview of your research area, identify influences and trends, and may give you ideas and avenues to explore that you hadn’t previously considered.
Given that secondary research can be done quickly and inexpensively, it makes sense to start your primary research process with some kind of secondary research. Even if you’re expecting to find out what you need to know from a survey of your target market, taking a small amount of time to gather information from secondary sources is worth doing.
Primary market research is original research carried out when a company needs timely, specific data about something that affects its success or potential longevity.
Primary research data collection might be carried out in-house by a business analyst or market research team within the company, or it may be outsourced to a specialist provider, such as an agency or consultancy. While outsourcing primary research involves a greater upfront expense, it’s less time consuming and can bring added benefits such as researcher expertise and a ‘fresh eyes’ perspective that avoids the risk of bias and partiality affecting the research data.
Primary research gives you recent data from known primary sources about the particular topic you care about, but it does take a little time to collect that data from scratch, rather than finding secondary data via an internet search or library visit.
Primary research involves two forms of data collection:
All of the following are forms of primary research data.
There are a number of primary research methods to choose from, and they are already familiar to most people. The ones you choose will depend on your budget, your time constraints, your research goals and whether you’re looking for quantitative or qualitative data.
A survey can be carried out online, offline, face to face or via other media such as phone or SMS. It’s relatively cheap to do, since participants can self-administer the questionnaire in most cases. You can automate much of the process if you invest in good quality survey software.
Primary research interviews can be carried out face to face, over the phone or via video calling. They’re more time-consuming than surveys, and they require the time and expense of a skilled interviewer and a dedicated room, phone line or video calling setup. However, a personal interview can provide a very rich primary source of data based not only on the participant’s answers but also on the observations of the interviewer.
A focus group is an interview with multiple participants at the same time. It often takes the form of a discussion moderated by the researcher. As well as taking less time and resources than a series of one-to-one interviews, a focus group can benefit from the interactions between participants which bring out more ideas and opinions. However this can also lead to conversations going off on a tangent, which the moderator must be able to skilfully avoid by guiding the group back to the relevant topic.
Secondary research is research that has already been done by someone else prior to your own research study.
Secondary research is generally the best place to start any research project as it will reveal whether someone has already researched the same topic you’re interested in, or a similar topic that helps lay some of the groundwork for your research project.
Even if your preliminary secondary research doesn’t turn up a study similar to your own research goals, it will still give you a stronger knowledge base that you can use to strengthen and refine your research hypothesis. You may even find some gaps in the market you didn’t know about before.
The scope of secondary research resources is extremely broad. Here are just a few of the places you might look for relevant information.
A public library can turn up a wealth of data in the form of books and magazines – and it doesn’t cost a penny to consult them.
Secondary research from professional research agencies can be highly valuable, as you can be confident the data collection methods and data analysis will be sound
Peer-reviewed journals have been examined by experts from the relevant educational institutions, meaning there has been an extra layer of oversight and careful consideration of the data points before publication.
Public domain data, such as census data, can provide relevant information for your research project, not least in choosing the appropriate research population for a primary research method. If the information you need isn’t readily available, try contacting the relevant government agencies.
Businesses often produce white papers as a means of showcasing their expertise and value in their field. White papers can be helpful in secondary research methods, although they may not be as carefully vetted as academic papers or public records.
Associations may have secondary data that goes back a long way and offers a general overview of a particular industry. This data collected over time can be very helpful in laying the foundations of your particular research project.
Some businesses may offer their company data to those conducting research in return for fees or with explicit permissions. However, if a business has data that’s closely relevant to yours, it’s likely they are a competitor and may flat out refuse your request.
Learn more about secondary research
These are all forms of secondary research data in action:
Literature reviews.
A core part of the secondary research process, involving data collection and constructing an argument around multiple sources. A literature review involves gathering information from a wide range of secondary sources on one topic and summarising them in a report or in the introduction to primary research data.
This systematic approach is widely used in social science disciplines. It uses codes for themes, tropes or key phrases which are tallied up according to how often they occur in the secondary data. The results help researchers to draw conclusions from qualitative data.
You can analyse large volumes of data using software that can recognise and categorise natural language. More advanced tools will even be able to identify relationships and semantic connections within the secondary research materials.
We’ve established that both primary research and secondary research have benefits for your business, and that there are major differences in terms of the research process, the cost, the research skills involved and the types of data gathered. But is one of them better than the other?
The answer largely depends on your situation. Whether primary or secondary research wins out in your specific case depends on the particular topic you’re interested in and the resources you have available. The positive aspects of one method might be enough to sway you, or the drawbacks – such as a lack of credible evidence already published, as might be the case in very fast-moving industries – might make one method totally unsuitable.
Here’s an at-a-glance look at the features and characteristics of primary vs secondary research, illustrating some of the key differences between them.
Primary research | Secondary research |
---|---|
Self-conducted original research | Research already conducted by other researchers independent of your project |
Qualitative and quantitative research | Qualitative and quantitative research |
Relatively expensive to acquire | Relatively cheap to acquire |
Focused on your business’ needs | Not focused on your business’ needs (usually, unless you have relevant in-house data from past research) |
Takes some time to collect and analyse | Quick to access |
Tailored to your project | Not tailored to your project |
Primary research provides original data and allows you to pinpoint the issues you’re interested in and collect data from your target market – with all the effort that entails.
Benefits of primary research:
Limitations of primary research:
Secondary research relies on secondary sources, which can be both an advantage and a drawback. After all, other people are doing the work, but they’re also setting the research parameters.
Business research methods 12 min read, ethnographic research 11 min read, business research 10 min read, qualitative research design 12 min read, qualitative vs quantitative research 13 min read, video in qualitative research 10 min read, correlation research 11 min read, request demo.
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In secondary research, you're looking at existing data from other researchers, such as academic journals, government agencies or national statistics. Free Ebook: The Qualtrics Handbook of Question Design. When to use primary vs secondary research. Primary research and secondary research both offer value in helping you gather information.
Types of study design. Medical research is classified into primary and secondary research. Clinical/experimental studies are performed in primary research, whereas secondary research consolidates available studies as reviews, systematic reviews and meta-analyses. Three main areas in primary research are basic medical research, clinical research ...
To collect data and test hypotheses, researchers may use primary research or secondary research. Despite the differences between these two research methods, primary vs secondary research both provide advantages that support specific research objectives. ... (2019). Research Designs and Variables. In Research Methods and Statistics: An ...
Navigating the Pros and Cons. Balance Your Research Needs: Consider starting with secondary research to gain a broad understanding of the subject matter, then delve into primary research for specific, targeted insights that are tailored to your precise needs. Resource Allocation: Evaluate your budget, time, and resource availability. Primary research can offer more specific and actionable data ...
A research design is a strategy for answering your research question using empirical data. Creating a research design means making decisions about: Your overall research objectives and approach. Whether you'll rely on primary research or secondary research. Your sampling methods or criteria for selecting subjects. Your data collection methods.
Primary research vs secondary research: Primary data is collected directly by the researcher (e.g., ... In a fixed research design the subjects, timescale and location are set before data collection begins, while in a flexible design these aspects may develop through the data collection process.
When to use secondary research. Secondary research is a very common research method, used in lieu of collecting your own primary data. It is often used in research designs or as a way to start your research process if you plan to conduct primary research later on.. Since it is often inexpensive or free to access, secondary research is a low-stakes way to determine if further primary research ...
Here's why it's important in your design projects: 1. It gives you a deeper understanding of your existing research. Secondary research gathers your primary research findings to identify common themes and patterns. This allows for a more informed approach and uncovers opportunities in your design process.
09/01/2023. Primary research and secondary research are two fundamental approaches used in research studies to gather information and explore topics of interest. Both primary and secondary research offer unique advantages and have their own set of considerations, making them valuable tools for researchers in different contexts.
Meanwhile, primary research is also referred to as a field research design because it requires the researcher to get totally involved with the data collection process. In secondary research, researchers can easily access information from the comfort of their desk; especially when using the internet to source for research materials ...
Understand the definition of primary research and secondary research as the two sources of research. Also, see some examples of primary and secondary research. Updated: 11/21/2023
After an earlier publication dealing with aspects of study design, the present article deals with study types in primary and secondary research. The article focuses on study types in primary research. A special article will be devoted to study types in secondary research, such as meta-analyses and reviews.
Primary and secondary research are two different types of research methods used to gather information for a study or research project. Primary Research. Primary Research involves collecting original data for a specific research purpose. This type of research is designed to answer specific research questions and is often conducted through ...
Secondary research is an account of original events or facts. It is secondary to and retrospective of the actual findings from an experiment or trial. These studies may be appraised summaries, reviews, or interpretations of primary sources and often exclude the original researcher(s).
The purpose of research design is to plan and structure a research study in a way that enables the researcher to achieve the desired research goals with accuracy, validity, and reliability. Research design is the blueprint or the framework for conducting a study that outlines the methods, procedures, techniques, and tools for data collection ...
Primary research is a research method that relies on direct data collection, rather than relying on data that's already been collected by someone else. In other words, primary research is any type of research that you undertake yourself, firsthand, while using data that has already been collected is called secondary research .
Not every article in a peer-reviewed journal is a primary research article or even a secondary research article. These journals often contain book/product reviews, opinion pieces, advice for practitioners, literature reviews, et cetera. Books take longer to publish and when you need current research/data this is a consideration.
Secondary research, also known as desk research, is a research method that involves compiling existing data sourced from a variety of channels. This includes internal sources (e.g.in-house research) or, more commonly, external sources (such as government statistics, organizational bodies, and the internet).
Though both primary and secondary research are methods that involve finding useful data, there are some key differences between the two approaches. ... Related: Research Design: What It Is (Plus 20 Types) Age of data By collecting the data themselves, primary researchers can use the most recent data about their subject. They collect their data ...
Using Primary Research and Secondary Research Together. Once you have a deep understanding of the problem at hand thanks to your secondary research, you can then plan your primary research efforts accordingly, so that you can fill in any gaps and obtain any information that was previously missing. Both methods are most effective when they work ...
Primary Research is based on raw data, whereas secondary research is based on analysed and interpreted information. The primary research, the data is collected by the researcher himself or by the person hired by him. As against this, the secondary research, the data collection is performed by someone else. The primary research process is very ...
Secondary research often answers more general questions that an entrepreneur may have, such as population information, average purchases, or trends. If there is a specific question that cannot be answered, such as how many people would be interested in a new product with certain attributes, then primary research will have to answer that.
Primary sources provide raw information and first-hand evidence. Examples include interview transcripts, statistical data, and works of art. Primary research gives you direct access to the subject of your research. Secondary sources provide second-hand information and commentary from other researchers. Examples include journal articles, reviews ...
Engaging with primary researchers during qualitative secondary analysis is a practice much recommended but rarely written about. In this article, I reflect on my experience of crossing an imagined boundary between the discrete textual dataset and its creators, of acknowledging and engaging with those researchers who invested in constructing the data, some of whom are still actively working ...
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The primary aim of this study is to test whether digital CBT-I (somnio, mementor DE GmbH, Leipzig, Germany) is effective in reducing insomnia symptoms compared with a specifically developed self-monitoring application (digital sleep monitoring; malio, mementor DE GmbH, Leipzig, Germany).To present a full picture, we included further secondary outcomes that are: (1) known to be affected by ...
In secondary research, you're looking at existing data from other researchers, such as academic journals, government agencies or national statistics. Free Ebook: The Qualtrics Handbook of Question Design. When to use primary vs secondary research. Primary research and secondary research both offer value in helping you gather information.
Design/methodology/approach: This study adopts a qualitative-method research design by collecting primary data through surveys, semi-structured interviews and secondary data in policy documents focused on AACSB-accredited business schools in Canada and the United States. Findings: The findings establish that scholarly and practice academics who ...