Secondary

Data
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Secondary Data are
data that have been
collected by other
researchers.

What are Secondary Data?

 Annual Reports

Promotional
Magazines
Materials

Secondary
Newspaper
reports
Data Company
Documentation

Published case
Journal Articles
description
Most research begins
with secondary data
analysis

What are Secondary Data?

REASONS TO BASE RESEARCH IN SECONDARY
DATA:

Nature of
topic

Institution’s
Assessment
Regulation

Secondary Data Analysis

CONSIDERATIONS IN CHOOSING SECONDARY
DATA:
Whether you are
Choice of research unable to conduct
design primary research

Whether you are

undertaking a cross-
cultural/international
research

Secondary Data Analysis

• Certain topics are best suited to
primary data

• The real challenge for students is

collecting, analyzing, and
interpreting someone else’s data
so that it corresponds to their own
research problem
 Internal External
Data Data

Classification of Secondary Data

 Same data is
Data can soon be Difficult to
available to
outdated verify
competitors

Limitations of Secondary Data

 • Over-reliance to the Internet is
likely to have a negative
impact on reliability of your
research, since sources are
unknown and cannot be tested
for credibility

Reliance on the Internet as a Secondary Data Source

 Unlike your literature review,
secondary data analysis may
involve using previously
published survey data as the
focal point for analysis.

Distinction between literature review

and secondary data analysis
Whereas your literature review
may describe your chosen
survey, and compare and
contrast similar studies, your
secondary analysis is likely to
involve a detailed analysis of
chosen survey.

Distinction between literature review

and secondary data analysis
 Remember to
justify your choice of
survey.

Distinction between literature review

and secondary data analysis
 Commercial
Audience
Electronic
format
Academic
Audience
Secondary
Data
Commercial
Audience
Written
format
Academic
Audience

Classification of secondary data

Electronic data refers to data
presented in electronic format.

They save time because they

are easily accessible and can
be easily stored.

Electronic Format
 • Multi-lateral orgs/
Commercial Government
Audience websites

Academic • Academic Journals

Audience • Conference papers

Electronic Format
Written data refer to data
that are printed in hard-
copy format.

Written Format
 • Less resource-intensive

Given that much of your secondary data

are likely to be readily available,
accessing information this way will
save time when it comes to analyzing
and interpreting your findings.

Advantages of Secondary Data

 • Can allow for comparative
analysis
By comparing your primary data with your
secondary sources, you can determine the
extent to which you agree or disagree with
existing studies.

Secondary data also enable cross-cultural or

international comparative research, as they
help to overcome the obvious limitations
associated with primary data collection.

Advantages of Secondary Data

 • Ideal for longitudinal
studies

Secondary sources provide students

with an opportunity to engage in
longitudinal research.

Advantages of Secondary Data

 • Easily accessible for other
research

Secondary data facilitate

access for other
researchers interested in
your area of research.

Advantages of Secondary Data

• Access is difficult
and costly

High quality and reliable

secondary data are
difficult to access.

Disadvantages of Secondary Data

• May not match your
research problem
You may find it problematic to find secondary
data that correspond to your study. Although
data may appear to correspond to your
research, sometimes you may find quite
distinct differences in how key variables have
been defined.

Disadvantages of Secondary Data

• Difficult to verify
reliability

The ability to determine

whether or not secondary
data are reliable is largely
down to the source.

Disadvantages of Secondary Data

• Not in manageable form

Raw data- data that have experienced

little processing, if any.

Cooked Data- data that have received

some form of processing or
summarizing

Disadvantages of Secondary Data

• Comparability
• Comparability is often a problem
when integrating and examining data
from different sources. Differences
may occur in the following aspects:
- The reliability of the information
- The frequency of studies
- Measurement units
- Differences in circumstance

Disadvantages of Secondary Data

 • Having the capability to read foreign
language sources is an advantage to the
researchers because it allows them to consult
a wider range of secondary sources.

• Some secondary sources from different

countries make for an interesting comparison,
but also using secondary data from different
countries can help to improve the validity of
your results.

The Usage of Foreign Language Sources

• Depends on the referencing system

• Often, non-English sources are treated the same, with

direct quotes translated into English.

• If the researcher is to translate it himself, one way to

illustrate is by inserting 'translation by the author' in
brackets after the quote.

• Example: ('Wong, 2014:14, translation by the author)

• When referencing the source in the list, the reference

will include the title of the book or article in the original
language, followed by the English translation in
brackets.

How to Reference Foreign Language Sources

 Having an abundant
secondary data will make
the researcher decide
what to include and what to
omit.

Evaluating Secondary Data

 PURPOSE
• What to consider is the extent to which the
purpose relates to the research
• The questions associated to purpose are:
• Why does the information exist?
• What is its purpose?
• How does its purpose affect the type and bias
of the information presented?
• How does it relate to the purpose of my own
research?

Factors to Consider in Evaluating Secondary Data

 SCOPE
• Covers qualities such as the age and the amount of
data available, whether information is up to date, how
frequently data are updated, what period of time they
cover, how information is presented, etc.
• The questions associated to scope are:
– How old is the information?
– How often is it updated?
– How much information is available?
– What are the criteria for inclusion?
– If applicable, what geographic area, time, period or language does it
cover?
– How does the information presented compare with similar information
sources?

Factors to Consider in Evaluating Secondary Data

 AUTHORITY
• Sources from well-known and credible
authority is more reliable than unknown
source.
• Assessing the credibility of the source will
allow the researcher to determine whether or
not the data warrant inclusion in the research.
• The question associated to authority is:
– What are the credentials of the author, institution or
organization sponsoring the information?

Factors to Consider in Evaluating Secondary Data

 AUDIENCE
• The intended audience is a good indicator of
the nature and quality of the data.
• Classifying the data on the basis of
commercial and academic content will help to
form a judgment as to its appropriateness in
the research.
• The questions associated to audience are:
– To whom is the information targeted?
– What level of knowledge or experience is assumed?
– How does the intended audience affect the type and bias
of the information?

Factors to Consider in Evaluating Secondary Data

 FORMAT
• Dictates the ease with which the
researcher can access and interpret
the data.
• The questions associated to format are:
• How quickly can you find the required
information?
• How easy to use is the information source?
• Is there an index?
• Is the information downloadable into a
spreadsheet or word-processing program if
desired?

Factors to Consider in Evaluating Secondary Data

• Includes advice on overcoming potential difficulties
with secondary data

• Your supervisor can provide invaluable advice on

how to evaluate your data, and may also be able to
recommend secondary sources you have not yet
considered.

• if they feel that our topic provides access to spare

amount of secondary data, they may be able to
offer suggestions about primary data collection.
Once again, when you feel yourself hitting a brick
wall with your research, do not forget to consult your
project supervisor.

Importance of Project Supervisor

 • Compare your primary data with secondary
data from books, journal articles, published
statistics and other sources. Part of this
comparison should involve the analysis and
interpretation of data.

Example: Let us say a UH Government report states

the main reason why joint ventures in China fail is due to
failure to agree strategic objectives. Yet your primary
findings indicates that the leading cause is due to a
failure to agree strategic objectives.

The question here is why the difference between the

primary and secondary data?

Linking Primary and Secondary Data

 To be a good researcher you must compare,
and analyze and interpret both primary and
secondary data and not fall into the trap of
simply describing the data.

Secondary data can also be used to increase

the credibility of your primary research
findings. For instance, if your primary findings
support the view of leading authors in the field,
one argument that you could make is that your
results are likely to be both valid and credible.

Linking Primary and Secondary Data

 Secondary
Data
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