Download presentation
Presentation is loading. Please wait.
Published byMarianna Howard Modified over 8 years ago
1
Using secondary data Lecture 10 Prof. Development and Research Lecturer: R. Milyankova
2
Session objectives: To identify the full variety of secondary data available To understand the advantages and disadvantages of using secondary data in research projects To appreciate ways how secondary data can be used to answer research questions and to meet objectives To use a range of techniques to locate secondary data To evaluate the suitability of secondary data for meeting objectives, answering research questions in terms of coverage, validity, reliability and measurement bias To apply all this knowledge in your research project
3
What is secondary data? Data that have already been collected for other purposes Include both raw data and compiled data in published summaries Include both quantitative and qualitative data: pay- roll details, copies of letters, minutes of meetings Provide answers to your research questions as a main source sometimes
4
Types of secondary data Documentary data – archival research - Written materials: number of personnel, absenteeism, production etc. in books, journals, minutes, notes, e-mails, letters, notes of interviews; they can be raw or compiled - Non-written materials: tape and video recording, films, pictures, drawings, video-taped observations, discs, CD-ROMs, etc. Survey-based data – collected by questionnaires - area based: Financial Times country reports, Government publications journals, etc. - time series based: Books, Journals, Government publications, etc. Compiled from multiple sources - censuses: census of population, census of employment - continuous and regular surveys: family spending, employee attitudes - ad hoc surveys: academic surveys, organization’s surveys
5
Advantages of secondary data May have fewer resource requirements – saves time and money (less expensive research and larger set of data), may have more time to analyze and interpret the results Unobtrusive – calmly and silently you can have a big amount of data to be analyzed Can provide comparative and contextual data – compare your primary data with secondary data Can result in unforeseen discoveries – lung cancer Permanence of data -
6
Disadvantages of secondary data May be collected for purpose that does not match your objective – Access may be difficult or costly – Aggregation and definitions may be unsuitable – No real control over data quality – Initial purpose may affect how data is resented –
7
Precise suitability Reliability and validity – the methods according to which the data was collected and the reputation of the source Measurement bias – - deliberate distortion – data is recorded inaccurately - Changes in the way data is collected Costs and benefits -
Similar presentations
© 2025 SlidePlayer.com. Inc.
All rights reserved.