What Is Secondary Research - + (Methods & Examples)

3/23/2021 What is Secondary Research?
+ [Methods & Examples]
What is Secondary Research? + [Methods &

Examples]
By Formplus Blog | Last updated: Dec 07 | 11 min read
Home / Research / What is Secondary Research? + [Methods & Examples]
In some situations, the researcher may not be directly involved in the data
gathering process and instead, would rely on already existing data in order to
arrive at research outcomes. This approach to systematic investigation is known
as secondary research.
There are many reasons a researcher may want to make use of already existing
data instead of collecting data samples, rst-hand. In this article, we will share
some of these reasons with you and show you how to conduct secondary
https://www.formpl.us/blog/secondary-research 1/20
3/23/2021 What is Secondary Research? + [Methods & Examples]
research with Formplus.
What is Secondary Research?

Secondary research is a common approach to a systematic investigation in
which the researcher depends solely on existing data in the course of the
research process. This research design involves organizing, collating and
analyzing these data samples for valid research conclusions.
Secondary research is also known as desk research since it involves

synthesizing existing data that can be sourced from the internet, peer-reviewed
journals, textbooks, government archives, and libraries. What the secondary
researcher does is to study already established patterns in previous researches
and apply this information to the speci c research context.
Interestingly, secondary research often relies on data provided by primary

research and this is why some researches combine both methods of
investigation. In this sense, the researcher begins by evaluating and identifying
gaps in existing knowledge before adopting primary research to gather new
information that will serve his or her research.
What are Secondary Research Methods?

As already highlighted, secondary research involves data assimilation from
di erent sources, that is, using available research materials instead of creating a
new pool of data using primary research methods. Common secondary
research methods include data collection through the internet, libraries, archives,
schools and organizational reports.
Online Data
Online data is data that is gathered via the internet. In recent times, this method
has become popular because the internet provides a large pool of both free and
paid research resources that can be easily accessed with the click of a button.
While this method simpli es the data gathering process, the researcher must
take care to depend solely on authentic sites when collecting information. In
some way, the internet is a virtual aggregation for all other sources of
secondary
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Data from Government and Non-government Archives
You can also gather useful research materials from government and non-
government archives and these archives usually contain veri able information
that provides useful insights on varying research contexts. In many cases, you
would need to pay a sum to gain access to these data.
The challenge, however, is that such data is not always readily available due to
a number of factors. For instance, some of these materials are described as
classi ed information as such, it would be di cult for researchers to have
access to them.
Data from Libraries
Research materials can also be accessed through public and private libraries.
Think of a library as an information storehouse that contains an aggregation of
important information that can serve as valid data in di erent research
contexts.
Typically, researchers donate several copies of dissertations to public and

private libraries; especially in cases of academic research. Also, business
directories, newsletters, annual reports and other similar documents that can
serve as research data, are gathered and stored in libraries, in both soft and
hard copies.
Data from Institutions of Learning
Educational facilities like schools, faculties, and colleges are also a great source
of secondary data; especially in academic research. This is because a lot of
research is carried out in educational institutions more than in other sectors.
It is relatively easier to obtain research data from educational institutions

because these institutions are committed to solving problems and expanding
the body of knowledge. You can easily request research materials from
educational facilities for the purpose of a literature review.
Secondary research methods can also be categorized into qualitative and

quantitative data collection methods. Quantitative data gathering methods
include online questionnaires and surveys, reports about trends plus statistics
about di erent areas of a business or industry.
Qualitative research methods include relying on previous interviews and data

gathered through focus groups which helps an organization to understand the
needs of its customers and plan to ful ll these needs. It also helps businesses to
measure the level of employee satisfaction with organizational policies.
When Do We Conduct Secondary Research?

Typically, secondary research is the rst step in any systematic investigation.
This is because it helps the researcher to understand what research e orts have
been made so far and to utilize this knowledge in mapping out a novel direction
for his or her investigation.
For instance, you may want to carry out research into the nature of a
respiratory condition with the aim of developing a vaccine. The best place to
start is to gather existing research material about the condition which would
help to point your research in the right direction.
When sifting through these pieces of information, you would gain insights into
methods and ndings from previous researches which would help you de ne
your own research process. Secondary research also helps you to identify
knowledge gaps that can serve as the name of your own research.
Questions to ask before conducting

Secondary Research
Since secondary research relies on already existing data, the researcher must
take extra care to ensure that he or she utilizes authentic data samples for the
research. Falsi ed data can have a negative impact on the research outcomes;
hence, it is important to always carry out resource evaluation by asking a
number of questions as highlighted below:
1. What is the purpose of the research? Again, it is important for every

researcher to clearly de ne the purpose of the research before proceeding
with it. Usually, the research purpose determines the approach that would
be adopted.
2. What is my research methodology? After identifying the purpose of the
research, the next thing to do is outline the research methodology. This is
the point where the researcher chooses to gather data using secondary
research methods.
3. What are my expected research outcomes?
4. Who collected the data to be analyzed? Before going on to use secondary
data for your research, it is necessary to ascertain the authenticity of the
information. This usually a ects the data reliability and determines if the
researcher can trust the materials. For instance, data gathered from
personal blogs and websites may not be as credible as information
obtained from an organization's website.
5. When was the data collected? Data recency is another factor that must be
considered since the recency of data can a ect research outcomes. For
instance, if you are carrying out research into the number of women who
smoke in London, it would not be appropriate for you to make use of
information that was gathered 5 years ago unless you plan to do some sort
of data comparison.
6. Is the data consistent with other data available from other sources? Always
compare and contrast your data with other available research materials as
this would help you to identify inconsistencies if any.
7. What type of data was collected? Take care to determine if the secondary
data aligns with your research goals and objectives.
8. How was the data collected?
Advantages of Secondary Research

1. Easily Accessible With secondary research, data can easily be accessed in
no time; especially with the use of the internet. Apart from the internet,
there are di erent data sources available in secondary research like public
libraries and archives which are relatively easy to access too.
2. Secondary research is cost-e ective and it is not time-consuming. The
researcher can cut down on costs because he or she is not directly involved
in the data collection process which is also time-consuming.
3. Secondary research helps researchers to identify knowledge gaps which
can serve as the basis of further systematic investigation.
4. It is useful for mapping out the scope of research thereby setting the stage
for eld investigations. When carrying out secondary research, the
researchers may nd that the exact information they were looking for is
already available, thus eliminating the need and expense incurred in
carrying out primary research in these areas.
Disadvantages of Secondary Research

1. Questionable Data: With secondary research, it is hard to determine the
authenticity of the data because the researcher is not directly involved in
the research process. Invalid data can a ect research outcomes negatively
hence, it is important for the researcher to take extra care by evaluating the
data before making use of it.
2. Generalization: Secondary data is unspeci c in nature and may not directly
cater to the needs of the researcher. There may not be correlations
between the existing data and the research process.
3. Common Data: Research materials in secondary research are not exclusive
to an individual or group. This means that everyone has access to the data
and there is little or no “information advantage” gained by those who
obtain the research.
4. It has the risk of outdated research materials. Outdated information may
o er little value especially for organizations competing in fast-changing
markets.
How to Conduct Online Surveys with

Formplus
Follow these 5 steps to create and administer online surveys for secondary
research:
Sign into Formplus
In the Formplus builder, you can easily create an online survey for secondary
research by dragging and dropping preferred elds into your form. To access
the Formplus builder, you will need to create an account on Formplus.
Once you do this, sign in to your account and click on "Create Form " to begin.
formplus
Edit Form Title
secondary-research-survey
Click on the eld provided to input your form title, for example, "Secondary
Research Survey".
Click on the edit button to edit the form.
secondary-research-survey
Add Fields: Drag and drop preferred form elds into your form in the
Formplus builder inputs column. There are several eld input options for
questionnaires in the Formplus builder.
Edit elds
Click on "Save"
Preview form.
Customize your Form
With the form customization options in the form builder, you can easily change
the outlook of your form and make it more unique and personalized. Formplus
allows you to change your form theme, add background images and even
change the font according to your needs.
Multiple Sharing Options
Formplus o ers multiple form sharing options which enables you to easily share
your questionnaire with respondents. You can use the direct social media
sharing buttons to share your form link to your organization's social media
pages.
You can send out your survey form as email invitations to your research
subjects too. If you wish, you can share your form's QR code or embed it on
your organization's website for easy access.
Why Use Formplus as a Secondary Research

Tool?
Simple Form Builder Solution
The Formplus form builder is easy to use and does not require you to have any
knowledge in computer programming, unlike other form builders. For instance,
you can easily add form elds to your form by dragging and dropping them
from the inputs section in the builder.
In the form builder, you can also modify your elds to be hidden or read-only
and you can create smart forms with save and resume options, form lookup,
and conditional logic. Formplus also allows you to customize your form by
adding preferred background images and your organization's logo.
Over 25 Form Fields
With over 25 versatile form elds available in the form builder, you can easily
collect data the way you like. You can receive payments directly in your form by
adding payment elds and you can also add le upload elds to allow you
receive les in your form too.
O ine Form feature
With Formplus, you can collect data from respondents even without internet
connectivity. Formplus automatically detects when there is no or poor internet
access and allows forms to be lled out and submitted in o ine mode.
O ine form responses are automatically synced with the servers when the
internet connection is restored. This feature is extremely useful for eld research
that may involve sourcing for data in remote and rural areas plus it allows you
to scale up on your audience reach.
Team and Collaboration
You can add important collaborators and team members to your shared
account so that you all can work on forms and responses together. With the
multiple users options, you can assign di erent roles to team members and you
can also grant and limit access to forms and folders.
This feature works with an audit trail that enables you to track changes and
suggestions made to your form as the administrator of the shared account. You
can set up permissions to limit access to the account while organizing and
monitoring your form(s) e ectively.
Embeddable Form
Formplus allows you to easily add your form with respondents with the click of a
button. For instance, you can directly embed your form in your organization's
web pages by adding Its unique shortcode to your site's HTML.
You can also share your form to your social media pages using the social media
direct sharing buttons available in the form builder. You can choose to embed
the form as an iframe or web pop-up that is easy to ll.
Multiple Sharing Options
With Formplus, you can share your form with numerous form respondents in no
time. You can invite respondents to ll out your form via email invitation which
allows you to also track responses and prevent multiple submissions in your
form.
In addition, you can also share your form link as a QR code so that respondents
only need to scan the code to access your form. Our forms have a unique QR
code that you can add to your website or print in banners, business cards and
the like.
Conclusion
While secondary research can be cost-e ective and time-e cient, it requires
the researcher to take extra care in ensuring that the data is authentic and valid.
As highlighted earlier, data in secondary research can be sourced through the
internet, archives, and libraries, amongst other methods.
Secondary research is usually the starting point of systematic investigation

because it provides the researcher with a background of existing research
e orts while identifying knowledge gaps to be lled. This type of research is
typically used in science and education.
It is, however, important to note that secondary research relies on the outcomes
of collective primary research data in carrying out its systematic investigation.
Hence, the success of your research will depend, to a greater extent, on the
quality of data provided by primary research in relation to the research context.
secondary research secondary research examples secondary research method
secondary data collection
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3/23/2021 What is Secondary Research?

+ [Methods & Examples]

What is Secondary Research? + [Methods &

Home / Research / What is Secondary Research? + [Methods & Examples]

research with Formplus.

What is Secondary Research?

Secondary research is also known as desk research since it involves

Interestingly, secondary research often relies on data provided by primary

What are Secondary Research Methods?

Data from Libraries

Typically, researchers donate several copies of dissertations to public and

Data from Institutions of Learning

It is relatively easier to obtain research data from educational institutions

Secondary research methods can also be categorized into qualitative and

Qualitative research methods include relying on previous interviews and data

When Do We Conduct Secondary Research?

Questions to ask before conducting

1. What is the purpose of the research? Again, it is important for every

Advantages of Secondary Research

Disadvantages of Secondary Research

How to Conduct Online Surveys with

Sign into Formplus

Edit Form Title

Click on the edit button to edit the form.

Multiple Sharing Options

Why Use Formplus as a Secondary Research

from the inputs section in the builder.

Over 25 Form Fields

O ine Form feature

Team and Collaboration

Multiple Sharing Options

internet, archives, and libraries, amongst other methods.

Secondary research is usually the starting point of systematic investigation

secondary research secondary research examples secondary research method

secondary data collection

Collect secondary research data with Formplus data collection tool

You may also like:

Exploratory Research: What are its Method & Examples?

What is Applied Research? + [Types, Examples & Method]

Experimental Vs Non-Experimental Research: 15 Key Di erences

Primary vs Secondary Research Methods: 15 Key Di erences

Formplus - For Seamless Data Collection

Terms & Conditions

All Rights Reserved © Formplus 2021

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