This article outlines step-by-step guidelines for successfully implementing the secondary research methodology. Specifically, we share key tips and practical strategies for each step that will help you complete your desk-based dissertation.
Why spend months conducting interviews or waiting for lab results when profound academic discovery is already at your fingertips? In many cases, students believe that a dissertation requires new, valuable data obtained through new experimentation. Still, most groundbreaking insights come from exploring existing information with a fresh perspective.
Yes, you read it right. Secondary research is the secret weapon that allows you to skip hectic lab work and jump to high-level research findings. In this guide, prepared in collaboration with Charles Smith, author of the blog post “How is research methodology different from research methods” and a dissertation writer affiliated with The Academic Papers UK, we will break down the secondary research methodology into simple, manageable steps. By following these steps, you will learn how to turn someone else’s data into your unique research. Continue reading to explore these steps.
Key Insights
- Secondary or desk-based research is based on collecting and analysing data from someone else’s work to structure your own research for a dissertation.
- Identifying trends, developing the theoretical framework, and assessing existing research are the key purposes of the secondary research method.
- Secondary research methodology differs from primary research methodology because the latter involves collecting original findings through real-time experimentation.
- Start secondary research by defining the research question and identifying credible, relevant sources.
- After collecting the data, you must analyse and synthesise the secondary sources and draw a conclusion for your research.
What is the Secondary Research Method? Difference Between Primary and Secondary Research
According to Saga, “Secondary research, also known as the desk research method, involves collecting, analysing, and interpreting the results based on existing data.” Typically, the information for this research method is available at low or free cost and usually gathered from books, journals, articles, archives, and more.
The key purposes of the secondary research methodology involve the following:
- Find patterns and trends from the existing studies
- Build a theoretical foundation for the dissertation
- Evaluate the past frameworks and models
- Find the research gap that exists in prior literature
Unlike secondary research, in primary research, researchers collect the data themselves. In other words, the researchers use real-time data, meaning the data are collected during the research process or under the researcher’s direct control.
Have a look at the difference between primary and secondary research methodology in the table below.
Key Factors | Secondary Research | Primary Research |
| Definition | This research is based on data collected by someone else in the past. | It involves collecting first-hand data during the real-time research project. |
| Type of Data Sources | Books, journals, articles, and archives | Interviews, observations, and real-time experiments |
| Time Required | Short time required for completion | Extended period required |
| Cost | Low | High |
| Conducted By | Someone else | By researcher |
Sources For Secondary Research Methodology
Broadly speaking, the sources are categorised into two types for the secondary research methodology. Have a look at what these categories are:
Internal Sources
Internal data is based on in-house data gathered from the researcher’s organisation. Notably, it is the best source to gather insights and knowledge, as the researcher already has relevant information stored in the system. It also gives you a competitive edge because this information is not available to other researchers.
Internal data includes the following sources:
- Database information on sales history
- Information from website applications
- Previous campaign results
- Previous supplemental research areas
External Sources
External data refers to published data that the researcher’s organisation does not own. These sources are helpful when the researcher is conducting research on a new topic or aims to fill gaps. These sources include:
- Media posts in newspapers
- Textbooks and journal articles
- Competitor research
- Collection of public stories
- Government and non-government trade body statistics
A study published at dergipark shows that 142 doctoral theses found that document analysis was used in 62% of dissertations as a data collection tool, far outweighing other primary data tools like surveys (16%) or interviews (5%).Step-by-Step Guide to Conduct Effective Secondary Research Methodology
Secondary research methodology is a popular choice for students with limited time and a limited budget for completing their dissertations. A study published at NIH observed that during the COVID-19 pandemic, 64.3% of researchers observed a significant increase in secondary studies. This desk-based research is more complex than primary research, as researchers must critically evaluate existing literature and develop a fresh perspective.
Therefore, most students approach professionals at a UK-based dissertation writing service who are knowledgeable and experienced in conducting research, even on complex topics. They not only explore premium academic databases but also identify research gaps.
Students can also follow the approach below to conduct secondary research.
1. Develop Your Research Question
The secondary research methodology starts with developing the research question. This question serves as the roadmap for your entire research process. It should be:
- Specific
- Focused
- Feasible
To write a focused and feasible research question, you must follow the steps given below by the National Library of Medicine:
- Start with a broad, general area of interest, as it will help you brainstorm ideas and choose a potential research question.
- Conduct preliminary research and explore the existing research, key debates, and potential unanswered queries related to this broad area of interest.
- Identify the missing and unaddressed aspects of your chosen topic.
- Now narrow the topic’s focus by selecting a specific angle.
- At the end, generate several open-ended questions. Make sure the answers to these questions are beyond yes/no.
2. Identify the Sources for Research
As we mentioned earlier, the secondary research methodology is based on what is already known about the topic and the aspects that are still unaddressed. Therefore, for this research type, most data is collected from existing literature on the subject.
Once you have developed your research topic, look for authentic and credible data sources that can improve the validity of your findings and ensure that your research meets academic integrity. You can explore the following sources for your research:
- Academic Databases – The main sources for secondary research are academic databases such as Google Scholar, JSTOR, PubMed, ResearchGate, ScienceDirect, and Semantic Scholar.
- Government and Academic Reports – Students can also obtain data for their dissertations from the World Bank, WHO, UNESCO, or national statistics offices.
- Industry Publications – Industry publications from professionals are also a great source for secondary publications, such as consultancy reports from McKinsey, Statista, or Deloitte.
- University Repositories – Researchers can also extract data from the dissertations and theses of other students.
3. Assess the Credibility of Data
Not all the information you find during your research is credible and authentic. Therefore, it is important to assess the quality of the sources before using any report, study, or dataset. To assess the credibility of the data, you need to check for the following details:
- Author’s Details – Make sure that the authors are experts in the relevant field.
- Peer Review – Only consider those sources that are published in peer-reviewed journals.
- Transparency in Methodology – Analyse how the researcher conducted the research and assess the process of data collection and interpretation.
- Credential of the Publisher – Verify that the journal or the organisation through which the articles are published are reputable.
4. Evaluate the Dateset’s Relevancy
After assessing the data’s credibility, the next step is to evaluate the relevance of the secondary datasets. This evaluation process can be conducted by asking the following questions:
What was the purpose of the original data?
Understanding the purpose of the original data collection will help you to scrutinise its suitability for your current project. For instance, was the original research carried out by a government institution or a private company? The answer to this question will give you helpful information about the population sample.
When and where were the data collected?
Identifying when the original data were collected can provide valuable insights, as populations and demographics change over time. For instance, a dataset may seem relevant to your research topic but can be out of date.
In the same manner, it is also essential to find out at what place the data was collected because it will help you to evaluate whether the demographics have any impact on the problem that you are trying to solve.
How and what data were collected?
If you think that the original dataset is relevant to your research problem, then reviewing the final report of past data analytics is a great way to summarise the key characteristics. This will provide you with the raw data and tell you about the methodology that was used to gather information.
5. Collect and Organise the Information
Now that you have analysed the credibility and relevance of the secondary dataset, the next step is to collect and organise your information. You must be selective and stay focused on data that can help you in answering your research question directly.
To organise the information, follow the strategic approach:
- Group all the relevant sources according to the themes and variables.
- Maintain a spreadsheet to track key findings, citations, and publication details.
- It is good to store the digital files in online tools such as Mendeley, Notion, or Zotero for accessing the data at any time and referencing them while writing your dissertation.
6. Analyse and Synthesise Information
At this stage of secondary research methodology, look at the information that you have collected and ask yourself if this data is sufficient.. That is where your critical thinking comes in. Find the answers to the following questions using your critical thinking abilities:
- What are the key trends across all the studies you explored?
- How did these data connect different findings from different disciplines?
- What are the contradictions or research gaps in these studies?
If you still feel like this data is not sufficient to answer your research problem, you can repeat the steps and delve deeper to the topic..
After getting the answers to these questions, now synthesise the information by combining the same ideas from different sources.. You can also add the visuals, charts, or graphs to identify the relationship among them.
7. Draw a Conclusion
Now the time has come to draw a conclusion based on your secondary research. In this last section, you must summarise your findings in a logical and structured manner. To conclude your research, add the following key components:
- Start your conclusion by clearly addressing the research question. For this, state how you synthesised the information to get the answer to your research question.
- Then, explain how your findings address the problem in a broader field of study. Also, highlight the theoretical and practical policy implications of your experimental results.
- Wrap up your conclusion by briefly mentioning challenges or limitations that the existing literature has, and how your research fills this gap. You can also suggest the future study based on your findings.
Advantages and Disadvantages of Secondary Research Methodology
Have a look at the advantages and disadvantages of the secondary research methodology.
| Advantages | Disadvantages |
| A cost-effective method to collect data for high-end researchInformation can be collected readily from various reliable sourcesCan drive additional research actionsUseful to validate the primary research findingsWith this method researcher can scale up the results | Higher chances of collecting irrelevant and outdated dataThis method doesn’t give any control to the researcher over variables and the data collection processData collected in the secondary research methodology needs to be verifiedThe research based on the secondary data is less unique because anyone has access to the data |
How Experts Can Help Carrying Secondary Research Methodology?
The experts of a reputable dissertation writing service, such as The Academic Papers UK, can help you in carrying out secondary research methodology in the following ways:
- Expert writers can help you narrow down a broad topic into a focused and specific research question.
- Professionals have the experience to collect credible data from government databases, academic journals, and international repositories.
- You can get assistance from experts in running complex data in complex analysis software, such as SPSS, Stats, or Python.
- Professional writers can evaluate the sources, author credentials, and potential biases that will give a strong foundation to your dissertation.
Conclusion
Secondary research methodology is the most common method to gather credible data for a dissertation. Students choose this method over the primary research method because it is easy and low-cost. To start this research, the first thing that they must do is to develop a strong research question.
After that, they need to identify the sources and evaluate them based on their relevancy and credibility. Once they gathered all the authentic and relevant data from data sources, the next step is to analyse the data.
During this analysis, students explain how their collected information addresses the research question. At the end, researchers need to conclude from the synthesised information so they can strengthen their overall research methodology.
FAQs
Which Sources Are Most Commonly Used for Secondary Research?
The secondary research method is the cornerstone of academic research that utilises a vast digital repository and archived data to explore discoveries. The following sources are the most commonly used for this research method:
- Academic Databases – Google Scholar, JSTOR, ScienceDirect, PubMed.
- International Organisation – World Bank Open Data, OECD iLibrary, IMF Data
- Government Repositories – National Census Data, Public Policy Reports
- Commercial Sources – Market Research Reports, News Archives
What is the Difference Between a Narrative Literature Review and Systematic Secondary Research?
Narrative Literature Review | Systematic Secondary Research |
| It provides a broad overview and theoretical backgroundBased on a flexible and informal methodologyThe search strategy for the literature is based on the author’s expertiseDifferent researchers draw different conclusions from the narrative literature review | It is used to answer a specified and focused research questionThis research is based on a predefined research frameworkIts search strategy is comprehensive and explorativeThis method is documented properly, so others can replicate it easily |
What Ethical Issues Arise When Using and Reanalysing Secondary Datasets?
The ethical issues that are associated with using the secondary datasets include the following:
- Privacy and Re-identification Risk
- The Broad Consent Aspect
- Data Quality and Misrepresentation
- Harm to Marginalised Groups
- Ownership and Licensing
- Algorithmic and Digital Bias
