Types of data, methods and research design

Need to know

What you need to know

• Primary Data: Collected firsthand by the researcher (e.g., interviews, questionnaires).
• Secondary Data: Pre-existing data collected by others (e.g., official statistics, diaries).
• Primary data offers high validity for the specific research aim but can be costly.
• Secondary data is often large-scale and cheap but may lack specificity or reflect the biases of the original collector.

Explanation

Types of data, methods and research design

1. Primary Data: Collected firsthand by the researcher (e.g., interviews, questionnaires).
2. Secondary Data: Pre-existing data collected by others (e.g., official statistics, diaries).
3. Primary data offers high validity for the specific research aim but can be costly.
4. Secondary data is often large-scale and cheap but may lack specificity or reflect the biases of the original collector.