Secondary Data

Secondary data is usually defined in opposition to primary data. The latter is directly obtained from first-hand sources by means of questionnaire, observation, focus group, or in-depth interviews, whereas the former refers to data collected by someone other than the user. In other words, secondary data refers to data that have already been collected for some other purpose. Yet, such data may be very useful for one’s research purpose.

Literature reviews account for many varieties of classification for secondary data, including those that seek to distinguish between raw data and compiled data. Regarding the former type (raw data), there has been little if any processing. In the case of the latter type (compiled data), there has been some form of selection or summarizing. ...

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