Secondary research

Secondary research involves the summary, collation and/or synthesis of existing research. Secondary research is contrasted with primary research in that primary research involves the generation of data, whereas secondary research uses primary research sources as a source of data for analysis.[1] A notable marker of primary research is the inclusion of a "methods" section, where the authors describe how the data was generated.

Common examples of secondary research include textbooks, encyclopedias, news articles, review articles, and meta analyses.[2][3]

When conducting secondary research, authors may draw data from published academic papers, government documents, statistical databases, and historical records.[1][4]

  1. ^ a b "Primary and Secondary Sources". library.ithaca.edu.
  2. ^ Ormsby, Tim. "Search Smart: Types of Research: Secondary Research". flinders.libguides.com.
  3. ^ Andrews, Camille. "LibGuides: Scholarly Literature Types: Primary vs. Secondary Articles". guides.library.cornell.edu.
  4. ^ Bosch, Eileen. "LibGuides: Library Basics: Primary and Secondary Sources". libguides.bgsu.edu.