Page 155 - Data Science class 11
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Data can be easily collected from the Internet using web data scraping, cleaning up the data, and then analysing
them.
Secondary research includes research material published in research reports and similar documents. These documents
can be made available by public libraries, websites, or data obtained from already filled-in surveys etc. Some
government and non-government agencies also store data, that can be used for research purposes and can be
retrieved from them.
The Advantages of Secondary Data
• Ease of access: Secondary data sources are easily accessible. The Internet has changed the way secondary research
works. A lot of information is available just with the click of a mouse.
• Economical: Secondary sources are usually completely free or at a minimal cost. It saves not only your money but
also your effort. In comparison with primary research, where you have to design and conduct a whole primary study
process from the beginning, secondary research allows you to collect data without spending much money.
• Time-saving: It is a matter of a few Google searches to find a source of data, therefore secondary data is time-saving.
• Reanalysing: It enables you to generate new insights from previous analysis. Reanalysing old data can bring
unexpected new understandings and points of view or even new relevant inferences.
• Longitudinal analysis: With secondary data, a longitudinal analysis can be done. This means the studies are
performed spanning over a large period of time. A longitudinal study is a research design that involves repeated
observations of the same variables (e.g., people) over short or long periods of time (i.e., using longitudinal data). This
can help you determine varying trends. It allows you to compare data over a long period of time.
• Versatility: Secondary data research can also be carried out by people who are not familiar with the different data
collection methods. This means it can be collected by anyone.
• A big source of data collection: It is the richest type of data available, with a diversity of sources and topics.
The Disadvantages of Secondary Data
• Not specific: Secondary data is not particular to the researcher’s needs due to the fact that it was collected in the
past for some other reason. That is why the secondary data might not meet existing needs. Secondary data sources
can give you a huge amount of information, but quantity does not always mean appropriateness.
• Low-quality: Secondary data may not be authentic, especially when gathered through the Internet. As you depend
on secondary data for data-driven decision-making, you must analyse the reliability of the information by finding the
method of data collection.
• Biased: As the secondary data is collected by someone other than you, typically the data is in favour of the person
who collected it. This might not meet your needs as a researcher or marketer.
• Outdated: Secondary data is collected in the past, which means it might be out-of-date.
• No Ownership: You don’t hold ownership of the information. Usually, secondary data is not gathered, particularly for
your company. In fact, it is accessible to many companies and people, either for free or for a minimum fee. So, this is
not exactly a “competitive advantage” for you. Your current and potential competitors also have access to the data.
4.1.2 Data Collection Methods
Here are the top six data collection methods:
• Observations
• Questionnaires and surveys
• Interviews
• Documents and records
• Focus groups
• Personal narratives
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