A major drawback to primary data gathering is its relevance to the specific problem at hand.

By definition, research is systematic investigation designed to obtain information on a given subject area with the aim of answering questions and reaching conclusions. While several different means of categorizing research exist, one key distinction is “primary” vs. “secondary”. Here we take a general look at primary and secondary research, focusing on what they are, the differences between them, and the benefits and disadvantages of each.

What They Are

Several fundamental differences exist between primary and secondary research:

Primary research is new research and is done to collect original data. Individuals who conduct primary research do so in a number of ways. In the case of scientific research, these may include laboratory testing, experimentation, etc.

Secondary research is based on research that has already been conducted. It involves collecting, synthesizing, and analyzing data previously generated and collected via primary research methods. Individuals who do secondary research may utilize data obtained from a wide range of sources, including scholarly journals, scientific reports, textbooks, government documents, meta-analyses, research databases, and more.

Pros and Cons

Primary and secondary research each offer several key benefits and disadvantages:

Pros and Cons

• Pros: Perhaps the greatest advantage of primary research is that it allows the researcher to obtain original data that are current and highly specific to his or her needs.
• Cons:  Because of the processes involved, primary research can be very time-consuming, sometimes requiring months or even years. It can also be a very costly process.

Secondary Research

• Pros: As it is largely based on already existing data derived from previous research, secondary research can be conducted more quickly and at a lesser cost.
• Cons: A major disadvantage of secondary research is that the researcher may have difficulty obtaining information specific to his or her needs. Additionally, existing research data may not have the currency necessary to be useful.

A Solution to a Problem in Secondary Research

By its nature, most scientific research is primary. There is, however, almost invariably a supporting secondary component involved, as nearly all scientific studies require the evaluation of existing research information to some extent. In the case of secondary research, the problem of being able to obtain information quickly and inexpensively at the possible risk of lacking necessary relevance and currency is one that often can be hard for researchers to reconcile. For professionals who conduct research on chemical hazard, toxicological, and other aligned topic areas, ToxPlanet offers a solution to this problem. Encompassing more than 275 databases, covering nearly 1 million unique compounds, and including more than 9.4 million documents, ToxPlanet provides one-stop access to a wealth of content and data essential to a wide range of industry users, including researchers. ToxPlanet’s extensive, up-to-date content means users have access to the most current data possible, and its unique EXPERTIndex ensures that results are 100% relevant to the topic searched.

For additional information on ToxPlanet’s suite of solutions and how they can help support your research needs, please contact us to learn more and to take advantage of our Free Trial.

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Data collection plays a very crucial role in the statistical analysis. In research, there are different methods used to gather information, all of which fall into two categories, i.e. primary data, and secondary data. As the name suggests, primary data is one which is collected for the first time by the researcher while secondary data is the data already collected or produced by others.

There are many differences between primary and secondary data, which are discussed in this article. But the most important difference is that primary data is factual and original whereas secondary data is just the analysis and interpretation of the primary data. While primary data is collected with an aim for getting solution to the problem at hand, secondary data is collected for other purposes.

Content: Primary Data Vs Secondary Data

1. Comparison Chart
2. Definition
3. Key Differences
4. Video
5. Conclusion

Comparison Chart

Basis for ComparisonPrimary DataSecondary Data

Meaning	Primary data refers to the first hand data gathered by the researcher himself.	Secondary data means data collected by someone else earlier.
Data	Real time data	Past data
Process	Very involved	Quick and easy
Source	Surveys, observations, experiments, questionnaire, personal interview, etc.	Government publications, websites, books, journal articles, internal records etc.
Cost effectiveness	Expensive	Economical
Collection time	Long	Short
Specific	Always specific to the researcher's needs.	May or may not be specific to the researcher's need.
Available in	Crude form	Refined form
Accuracy and Reliability	More	Relatively less

Definition of Primary Data

Primary data is data originated for the first time by the researcher through direct efforts and experience, specifically for the purpose of addressing his research problem. Also known as the first hand or raw data. Primary data collection is quite expensive, as the research is conducted by the organisation or agency itself, which requires resources like investment and manpower. The data collection is under direct control and supervision of the investigator.

The data can be collected through various methods like surveys, observations, physical testing, mailed questionnaires, questionnaire filled and sent by enumerators, personal interviews, telephonic interviews, focus groups, case studies, etc.

Definition of Secondary Data

Secondary data implies second-hand information which is already collected and recorded by any person other than the user for a purpose, not relating to the current research problem. It is the readily available form of data collected from various sources like censuses, government publications, internal records of the organisation, reports, books, journal articles, websites and so on.

Secondary data offer several advantages as it is easily available, saves time and cost of the researcher. But there are some disadvantages associated with this, as the data is gathered for the purposes other than the problem in mind, so the usefulness of the data may be limited in a number of ways like relevance and accuracy.

Moreover, the objective and the method adopted for acquiring data may not be suitable to the current situation. Therefore, before using secondary data, these factors should be kept in mind.

The fundamental differences between primary and secondary data are discussed in the following points:

1. The term primary data refers to the data originated by the researcher for the first time. Secondary data is the already existing data, collected by the investigator agencies and organisations earlier.
2. Primary data is a real-time data whereas secondary data is one which relates to the past.
3. Primary data is collected for addressing the problem at hand while secondary data is collected for purposes other than the problem at hand.
4. Primary data collection is a very involved process. On the other hand, secondary data collection process is rapid and easy.
5. Primary data collection sources include surveys, observations, experiments, questionnaire, personal interview, etc. On the contrary, secondary data collection sources are government publications, websites, books, journal articles, internal records etc.
6. Primary data collection requires a large amount of resources like time, cost and manpower. Conversely, secondary data is relatively inexpensive and quickly available.
7. Primary data is always specific to the researcher’s needs, and he controls the quality of research. In contrast, secondary data is neither specific to the researcher’s need, nor he has control over the data quality.
8. Primary data is available in the raw form whereas secondary data is the refined form of primary data. It can also be said that secondary data is obtained when statistical methods are applied to the primary data.
9. Data collected through primary sources are more reliable and accurate as compared to the secondary sources.

Video: Primary Vs Seconday Data

Conclusion

As can be seen from the above discussion that primary data is an original and unique data, which is directly collected by the researcher from a source according to his requirements. As opposed to secondary data which is easily accessible but are not pure as they have undergone through many statistical treatments.