Collecting data using secondary sources in management research

So far we have discussed the primary sources of data collection where the required data was collected either by you or by someone else for the specific purpose you have in mind. There are occasions when your data have already been collected by someone else and you need only to extract the required information for the purpose of your study.

Both qualitative and quantitative research studies use secondary sources as a method of data collection. In qualitative research you usually extract descriptive (historical and current) and narra­tive information and in quantitative research the information extracted is categorical or numerical. The following section provides some of the many secondary sources grouped into categories:

• Government or semi-government publications – There are many government and semi­government organisations that collect data on a regular basis in a variety of areas and publish it for use by members of the public and interest groups. Some common examples are the census, vital statistics registration, labour force surveys, health reports, economic forecasts and demographic information.
• Earlier research – For some topics, an enormous number of research studies that have already been done by others can provide you with the required information.
• Personal records – Some people write historical and personal records (e.g. diaries) that may provide the information you need.
• Mass media – Reports published in newspapers, in magazines, on the internet, and so on, may be another good source of data.

Problems with using data from secondary sources

When using data from secondary sources you need to be careful as there may be certain prob­lems with the availability, format and quality of data. The extent of these problems varies from source to source. While using such data some issues you should keep in mind are:

• Validity and reliability – The validity of information may vary markedly from source to source. For example, information obtained from a census is likely to be more valid and reliable than that obtained from most personal diaries.
• Personal bias – The use of information from personal diaries, newspapers and magazines may have the problem of personal bias as these writers are likely to exhibit less rigorousness and objectivity than one would expect in research reports.
• Availability of data – it is common for beginning researchers to assume that the required data will be available, but you cannot and should not make this assumption. Therefore, it is important to make sure that the required data is available before you proceed further with your study.
• Format – Before deciding to use data from secondary sources it is equally important to ascer­tain that the data is available in the required format. For example, you might need to analyse age in the categories 23-33, 34-48, and so on, but, in your source, age may be categorised as 21-24, 25-29, and so on.

Source: Kumar Ranjit (2012), Research methodology: a step-by-step guide for beginners, SAGE Publications Ltd; Third edition.