Guide for secondary research

Secondary research helps you to: Save time and effort: use the information that others have found before. Support or debunk: ideas, concepts or conventional wisdom, with data and information

DEFINE The problem Ask yourself what do you want to solve with the information you are going to find? Example: I am starting a new company selling printers. Problem: I don’t have any customers Question: where are the customers?

DEFINE The answer You need to know everything about the market –Who buys –How much –Where. Etc.

DEFINE Scope and sources Limit the question to a specific manageable size and define your keywords Example: printer market size United States

REMEMBER! You are interacting with a machine not a person Avoid search terms like: What is the market size for printers in the United States? Better What is the market size for printers in the United States ?

IMPORTANT! Trust only recognized sources and institutional authors Universities.edu Corporate websitescompany.com Associations.org Databases.gov,.org,.net

EXAMPLES

SEARCH Perform a search and scan the results Look for additional keywords that can help you to find your information

Search again using the new additional terms: Printer market forecast U.S. Digital Printer Market Inkjet Printer Market Printer Market Million Printer Market Billion

Refine, Refine, Refine Until you find! Be persistent and do not give up at the first second or third try

Information sources Paid vs. Free

ABI INFORM BUSINESS SOURCE PREMIER

CITATION TOOL

ASK A LIBRARIAN (Chat with a librarian)

ASK A LIBRARIAN (Chat with a librarian)

CONCLUSIONS Define problem, question and answer Select keywords Search, scan and refine Refine, Refine, Refine until you find Chose information sources Use research tools, You are paying for them!

QUESTIONS & COMMENTS