Definition of Secondary Data
Are you not able to get suitable answer of your research problem through primary data collection, then you can collect data from secondary data source.
Those data which are already published by someone in any text book, thesis, article and national journal or international published journals called secondary data
You can collect secondary data and take advantage from it. When you collect these data it will provide you advantages because these type of data are processed data.
Secondary data you collect from various places like government websites, institutions or organisation websites, government recorded file, published articles, and national or international journals publications and any authority holding peoples.
Secondary data one of the important type of data collection methods. Do you know? There are two types of data collection source, i.e. primary data source and secondary data source.
You will read in this article about what is secondary data, it's source, examples and what are the method of secondary data collection.
Those data which are already published by someone in any text book, thesis, article and national journal or international published journals called secondary data
You can collect secondary data and take advantage from it. When you collect these data it will provide you advantages because these type of data are processed data.
Secondary data you collect from various places like government websites, institutions or organisation websites, government recorded file, published articles, and national or international journals publications and any authority holding peoples.
Secondary data one of the important type of data collection methods. Do you know? There are two types of data collection source, i.e. primary data source and secondary data source.
You will read in this article about what is secondary data, it's source, examples and what are the method of secondary data collection.
What is secondary data
Those data which collected by researcher from any published source, these type of collected data meant by secondary data.
Researchers collected data from secondary source, these data consists of already analysis.
Data which are already published gone through various types data analysis. Data present in type of secondary source already collected by any other researchers before from primary source according to his research purpose and made various statistical data analysis over collected data to get desired result to answer questions of his research problems.
Both primary data and secondary data both are two different name of data. Data source can be primary data source for some researchers and same data source can be become secondary data source for some research.
Data collection source name totally depended on for researchers according to his purpose of analysis.
Researchers collected data from secondary source, these data consists of already analysis.
Data which are already published gone through various types data analysis. Data present in type of secondary source already collected by any other researchers before from primary source according to his research purpose and made various statistical data analysis over collected data to get desired result to answer questions of his research problems.
Both primary data and secondary data both are two different name of data. Data source can be primary data source for some researchers and same data source can be become secondary data source for some research.
Data collection source name totally depended on for researchers according to his purpose of analysis.
What are types of secondary data
Researchers can collect secondary data for his analysis questions answering from two types secondary data. There are two types of secondary data from which researchers can collect secondary data are given below.
- On the basis of data source
- On the basis of research strands
You can collect secondary data very easily as difference to primary data. Secondary are easily available on books, published journals (national journal or international journals),published thesis, research papers, government officials website, any authority organization and authority holding people etc.
Secondary data types based on data sources
When researchers purpose of his analysis focused on collection of data from particular source data, at that time secondary data characterized into based on data source.
Secondary data divided into two types based data source. These two types of secondary data given below:-
Secondary data divided into two types based data source. These two types of secondary data given below:-
- Internal Data Source
- External Data Source
Internal Data Source
When researchers purpose of his analysis work focused under boundaries of his own organization, school, college, institution and company.
Researchers have to collect required data from his internal source of his own institutions.
Researchers can collect secondary data internally from computer record, emails, customer records and sale records etc.
Researchers have to collect required data from his internal source of his own institutions.
Researchers can collect secondary data internally from computer record, emails, customer records and sale records etc.
External Source
When researchers analysis work focused outside of his organization boundaries, at that researchers can do collection of secondary data from external source.
Here external source of secondary data can be like text books, published government officials data, published thesis, published research papers, national journal, international journals publications and etc.
Secondary data types based on research strands
In research design there are two types of data source on the based on research strands from where researchers can take secondary data collection.
- Quantitative data
- Qualitative data
Quantitative data for secondary data
Quantitative data for secondary data are collected in numerical numbers and research can able to find desired results for research purpose in number forms.
Qualitative data for secondary data
Researcher collect qualitative secondary data for his purpose of analysis work, when researcher want to find out answer of problem research in the non-numerical form.
Qualitative data helps researcher to find desired result of research work in the form of answering how and when questions.
Researchers able to characterized results on basis of quality.
Advantages of Secondary Data
There are many advantages of secondary data we can note down after reading above article.
- Secondary data are very ease to access. All types of secondary data mostly uploaded on internet. Now days high speed internet change the world of secondary data collection.
- Secondary data helps researcher to find out new research trends which was earlier missing in previous research results for particular data.
- Secondary data for collection of secondary data is matter of few minutes searching. Generally researchers get secondary data with help of Google within few seconds of typing of related words.
- Secondary data mostly of cases available free of cost for researcher and human effort required to collect secondary data very less in comparison to primary data.
Secondary data have lots advantages for researchers no doubt. But you also know that no things in this world hundred percent perfect.
There are many disadvantages of secondary data that are faced researchers daily during answering problem of research.
Data collected from secondary or published source by researchers might be not specific to researchers needs. Data available in published sources are already collected by someone according to his needs of research works. Data collection done by any other person are not considered as more reliable. That's why secondary data not considered as reliable data.
Researchers collect secondary data from online internet source. Google provide you list of published secondary data uploaded on internet. But here is major drawback of secondary data present.
Data available on internet might be correct or not correct. Researchers have no knowledge about what methods of data collection applied by someone during collection of these data.
This means there might be chance of getting not correct data. As result researcher have no control over quality and quantity of data.
Our human nature is that to not believe easily in those fact and finding. Similarly secondary data is also form of data which are collected by someone else for his personal use. Due to these reasons secondary data not considered reliable source.
Data present in secondary data source may be collected correctly but it may be it not original form for other researchers.
This means there might be chance of getting not correct data. As result researcher have no control over quality and quantity of data.
Our human nature is that to not believe easily in those fact and finding. Similarly secondary data is also form of data which are collected by someone else for his personal use. Due to these reasons secondary data not considered reliable source.
Data present in secondary data source may be collected correctly but it may be it not original form for other researchers.
What are sources of secondary data
Secondary data are always stored in at specific location. When researchers feels requirements for collection of secondary data then he goes to that location where he thinks can find suitable secondary data according to his research work.
We can define secondary data source as location from where you (researchers) can collect published data or secondary data known as secondary data source.
Internet speed increasing every and mostly secondary available in google search engine as result secondary data source very easily accessible.
You can collect data from these important secondary data source which are given below:-
Books secondary data source
Books are prepared with the collection of authentic data in well managed manner. Books are available in market on almost every topics. After selecting your research topic and objectives of problem, you can search books which are published in your research related topics. Books are always considered as true friends of readers.
You can take help of books authentic data for creating your review of literature for your research work.
Published sources of secondary data
Every day thousands or more researchers published thier researched data on different authentic platform. Data which are published on platform it's data values depends upon writers quality and platform authority where data published.
You can make decision of publication authority with help of rating point. Data collected from authority publication give you authentic data and accurate data, which you include in your research work according to objectives of research.
Unpublished secondary data source
Sometimes situation comes in front of researchers make secondary data collection from unpublished data source. Unpublished secondary data only available when one researchers share these data with other researcher.
Unpublished data may not available for third party use.
Let's understand with the help of an example. Suppose you are head of university and wanted to students parents feedback about your university education.
Now you have to request your customer care service department to provide students parents feedback about your university.
Secondary data analysis
You can do published data analysis according to your nature of research questions. Analysis of secondary data are done by researchers on basis of qualitative and quantitative data requirements according to research work.
Secondary data which are collected for qualitative research basis involved numerical or statistical treatment over secondary data collected. While secondary data collected for qualitative research provide in depth result and no statistical treatment involved.