CHAPTER: - FIVE

Sources of Information
Any research is based on various types of information. The more information the
researcher has about the phenomenon the better will be his investigation, and explanation
about it. Without information no investigation will be made.
Just as a building needs bricks and mortar for its construction, similarly, the research
requires relevant information.
In order to carry on any research activity, information should be gathered from proper
sources. The more valid is the sources of information, the more reliable will be the
information received, which in turn, will lead to correct and reliable conclusion.
Different authors have classified the sources of information differently. Some of the most
important views are of the following:

i. According to P.V. Young: The sources of information can be classified into:

 Documentary sources: These include books, manuscripts diaries and letters.
Documents first written out (not published yet) or not printed are also included
here.
 Field sources: The information given by individual, obtained from field
experiment, survey and observation

ii. According to W. A. Bagley, the sources of information in the field of social science
may be classified into:
 Primary source: Include the actual information received from individuals
directly concerning the problem of the study. It also includes observed social
phenomenon and facts that may be discovered.
 Secondary sources of information: These include all types of published and
unpublished, public or private documents and other such types of information.
iii. According to G.A. Lundberg: The sources of information may be classified as:
 Historic sources, which includes sources representing the past incident, for
example, documents, papers and stone inscriptions concerning past articles
discovered through excavations.
 Field sources: Include information received from concerned persons and also
through the observation of their behavior.
Generally, the sources of information are of two types, i.e., primary sources and
secondary sources of information.

1. Primary sources of information: The information obtained from primary sources is

often called as primary data.
Primary data: Are those information gathered by researcher himself and are gathered for
the first time, thus, happening to be original. The sources of such information are
individuals and the incidence around them.
These data are obtained by means of questionnaires and schedules or some other
techniques. In some fields primary data are collected through interview and observation
method. The observation method, for collecting primary data, may be either participant or
non-participant.
Such data are known as primary because they are gathered by the researcher himself from
the field of research directly and for first time.

2. Secondary sources of information: These sources of information are called

“secondary data”. Secondary data are those, which have already been collected by some
one and which, have already been passed through statistical process.
Secondary data are information, which are gathered or obtained indirectly. The
researcher does not obtain them himself or directly rather he gathered them from
published and unpublished material. Secondary data are collected by the individuals
and/or institution for their own use through personal diaries, letters and survey documents
etc.

The primary sources of secondary data are:

 Personal document such as diaries, letters, photographs and so on.
 Public documents such as books, manuscripts, records, census reports of survey by
private and public institution; and various information published in newspapers
and magazines.