Data has its limitations in both qualitative and quantitative research. Similarly, data has limitations in primary research and secondary research. It is one of the reasons that researchers often use a combination of primary and secondary data collection methods for their research papers. It is commonly known as the mixed methods approach.
The reason behind using a mixed-methods approach is to enhance the credibility and accuracy of the research. Skilled researchers are aware that there are limitations of secondary data, and they cannot rely only on secondary data to strengthen their arguments. So, researchers need to understand the limitations of secondary data. This article will tell you about the strengths and limitations of secondary data.
What are some limitations of secondary data?
Secondary data is information gathered by someone else rather than the researcher who is doing the research. It is available in the form of already published research, governmental reports, censure data and survey polls. It is accessible to the researcher easily. In contrast, researchers collect primary data from scratch to address a research problem and questions. Secondary data is very helpful in literature review and exploratory research. Exploratory research does not seek to provide solutions and recommendations. It only tries to explore the topic in detail and informs future research questions.
Limitations of secondary data pertain to the validity and accuracy of the information since secondary data provides insights into what other researchers infer based on their subjective views. It carries the risk of biasness and replicating that biasness since you will be relying on secondary data for your research. Furthermore, the data collected by another researcher may not be appropriate for your research, and you do not have any control over the quality of the data. There is also the risk of redundant data.
Many things change over time. For instance, you cannot rely completely on an opinion survey regarding the presidential candidate conducted a year ago. People’s opinions change overnight, and if you only rely on the opinion poll gathered a year ago, you will not be able to derive meaningful conclusions. If you are looking for any type of Dissertation help in terms of secondary data or other aspects then many writing firms are available to help you.
What are the strengths and limitations of secondary data?
Here are the strengths of secondary data:
- Easily Available
Researchers can find secondary data sources easily. With the advent of the Internet, online libraries and tools such as Google scholar have revolutionized how we access information online. Everything is accessible online, and even the oldest publications and books are available in digital formats. Researchers can easily access secondary data online and cite them in their research.
Similarly, governmental reports, opinion polls, and reports are available in PDF formats on the websites of organizations that gather primary data. Researchers can also access the graph charts and data analysis divided into different segments relevant to their research problem.
- Inexpensive and Time-Saving
The bulk of secondary sources is either free or relatively inexpensive to use. It helps save your money, but it also saves your time. It is less time consuming than primary research, which requires you to plan and collect the entire primary data from scratch. Secondary research allows you to collect data without needing to spend any money. Researchers can access the physical or digital libraries and collect as much secondary data as possible for their research.
- Longitudinal Studies
Secondary data enables the researchers to do a longitudinal analysis. It implies that researchers can access studies conducted over an extended period. It assists them in identifying certain patterns. Additionally, researchers can get secondary data from many years ago to only a few hours ago. It gives them the ability to compare data throughout time.
Limitations of secondary data
- Irrelevant Data
Often, secondary data does not match the specific needs and requirements of the researcher. It is because the nature of data changes over time. The opinions that prevailed yesterday might not hold to be true today. Moreover, the secondary data collected by another researcher would have been for different motivations and aims. Hence, the secondary data might not be appropriate for the current study. It might lead to erroneous judgements and replicating the same conclusions as previous researchers.
- Questionable Credibility
The secondary data might be of poor quality. The information’s source may be doubtful, especially if it’s gathered over the Internet. Using secondary data to support your arguments, you’ll need to assess the information’s trustworthiness by learning how it was gathered and evaluated. There is also the risk of biasness that other researchers have, and if you are using the data collected by them, you might be susceptible to biases. Similarly, governmental statistics are always political, and they are not accurate. Governmental statistics and reports often conceal the truth.
- How can a researcher overcome secondary data limitations?
Researchers can overcome the limitations of secondary data by doing the following things:
Identify the Aims and Objectives of the Secondary data
- What is the purpose of the data?
- Who collected the data? Government, a think tank or a corporate company
Once researchers identify the aims and objectives of the secondary data, they can understand the biasness behind it. Moreover, it helps in overcoming the limitations of secondary data.
Credibility of Authors
The second thing that you can do is ascertain the credibility of the authors/sources. You can ask the following questions:
- What is the educational background of the author?
- What are the affiliations of the author?
- Did the author publish anything in the past?
- Does the author have expertise in the relevant field?
- Evaluate the source
- Does it have a methodology section?
- How accurate is the methodology?
- Is there are discussion in the article regarding the methodology?
- What is the intended audience of that particular publication?
- What is the overall quality of the research?
- Are the conclusions drawn from the results?
- What were the tools to analyze and evaluate data?
Conclusion
The secondary data collection method is convenient and easy for researchers to gather data. It is quite helpful in exploratory and longitudinal studies. But the limitations of secondary data necessitate that the researcher reviews the sources critically before using them.
