is a case study primary or secondary research

Evidence Based Practice

• 1. Ask: PICO(T) Question
• 2. Align: Levels of Evidence
• 3a. Acquire: Resource Types
• 3b. Acquire: Searching
• 4. Appraise

Primary vs. Secondary Sources

• Qualitative and Quantitative Sources
• Managing References

Sources are considered primary, secondary, or tertiary depending on the originality of the information presented and their proximity or how close they are to the source of information. This distinction can differ between subjects and disciplines.

In the sciences, research findings may be communicated informally between researchers through email, presented at conferences (primary source), and then, possibly, published as a journal article or technical report (primary source). Once published, the information may be commented on by other researchers (secondary sources), and/or professionally indexed in a database (secondary sources). Later the information may be summarized into an encyclopedic or reference book format (tertiary sources). Source

Primary Sources

A primary source in science is a document or record that reports on a study, experiment, trial or research project. Primary sources are usually written by the person(s) who did the research, conducted the study, or ran the experiment, and include hypothesis, methodology, and results.

Primary Sources include:

• Pilot/prospective studies
• Cohort studies
• Survey research
• Case studies
• Lab notebooks
• Clinical trials and randomized clinical trials/RCTs
• Dissertations

Secondary Sources

Secondary sources list, summarize, compare, and evaluate primary information and studies so as to draw conclusions on or present current state of knowledge in a discipline or subject. Sources may include a bibliography which may direct you back to the primary research reported in the article.

Secondary Sources include:

• reviews, systematic reviews, meta-analysis
• newsletters and professional news sources
• practice guidelines & standards
• clinical care notes
• patient education Information
• government & legal Information
• entries in nursing or medical encyclopedias Source

More on Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis

Systematic reviews – Systematic reviews are best for answering single questions (eg, the effectiveness of tight glucose control on microvascular complications of diabetes). They are more scientifically structured than traditional reviews, being explicit about how the authors attempted to find all relevant articles, judge the scientific quality of each study, and weigh evidence from multiple studies with conflicting results. These reviews pay particular attention to including all strong research, whether or not it has been published, to avoid publication bias (positive studies are preferentially published). Source

Meta-analysis -- Meta-analysis, which is commonly included in systematic reviews, is a statistical method that quantitatively combines the results from different studies. It can be used to provide an overall estimate of the net benefit or harm of an intervention, even when these effects may not have been apparent in the individual studies [ 9 ]. Meta-analysis can also provide an overall quantitative estimate of other parameters such as diagnostic accuracy, incidence, or prevalence. Source

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Method of Research--Research Process

• Explore Web Resources
• Reference Books
• Scholarly Articles
• Set up a Research Account!
• Article Log
• Keywords and Subject Terms
• Trunication and Wild Card Symbols
• Evaluating Information
• Primary and Secondary Sources
• Academic, Popular, and Trade Publications
• Scholarly and Peer-Reviewed Journals
• Grey Literature
• Finding Scales, Measurements and Assessments
• Annotated Bibliography
• Literature Review
• Library Guide

Primary and Secondary

Primary Sources

Primary sources are considered first-hand information, basically, the author is writing first-hand account on a particular topic or event. These examples include academic articles, books, and diaries. Researchers should have a basic knowledge of their topic because most research articles do not go into detail on terminology and or theoretical principles. Primary resources are an essential requirement for most research papers and case studies.  

Examples of a  primary source  are:

• Original documents such as diaries, speeches, manuscripts, letters, interviews, records, eyewitness accounts, autobiographies
• Empirical scholarly works such as research articles, clinical reports, case studies, dissertations
• Creative works such as poetry, music, video, photography

How to locate  primary   research  in Richmont Library:

• Begin your search in Galileo 
• Use the Scholarly/Peer-Reviewed Journal limiter to narrow your search to journal articles.
• Once you have a set of search results, remember to look for articles where the author has conducted original research. A primary research article will include a literature review, methodology, population or set sample, test or measurement, discussion of findings and usually future research directions.

Secondary Sources

Secondary resources describe, summarize, and discuss information. More than likely the author of these sources did not participate in the participial research or event. This type of source is written for a broad audience and will include definitions of discipline-specific terms, history relating to the topic, significant theories and principles, and summaries of major studies/events as related to the topic.  

Examples of a  secondary source  are:

• Publications such as textbooks, magazine articles, documentaries, literature reviews, book reviews, commentaries, encyclopedias, almanacs
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• Last Updated: Nov 18, 2024 10:53 AM
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EDUC 9300: Educational Research (Hirsch)

• Navigating the Library Online
• ILLiad: Interlibrary Loan & Document Delivery Service

Primary Research vs. Secondary Research: Why does it matter? How do I tell which one I'm looking at?

• Education Research: Where do I search? Selecting a database and implementing your search strategy.
• EBSCOhost Databases - Create your own Account to Save your Research In
• RefWorks: Citation & Management Tool
• APA Citations This link opens in a new window
• Your Librarian
• What's the difference?
• In what type of sources are primary research published?
• Where can I find primary research sources?
• Knowledge Check Activity

Different databases may contain different types of sources. When you are conducting research you need to consider what types are most likely to contain the type of information you need to answer your research question. Depending on the database you might find books, magazine articles, trade publication articles, scholarly journal articles, documents, newspapers, videos, audio clips, images, et cetera. For the purposes of your Education Literature Review we will focus on sources that are primary research studies. Before you can do that, you need to know the difference between primary research and secondary research, how to identify which one you are looking at when you evaluate a source that you find and why the emphasis gets placed on using primary research studies.

Primary Research: This is research that is done by the author of the source you are using where that author conducted some method of research to gather new data that s/he then reports, analyzes and interprets in that source. Primary = original, first-hand; the author of the source generated the research data they are using.

Secondary Research: This is when an author of the source you are using gathers existing data, usually produced by someone else, and they then report, analyze or interpret that other person's data. Secondary = second-hand; the author of the source did not generate the research data s/he is using.

Tips when first evaluating a source: Once you find a research-based source, read the abstract and/or methodologies section and ask yourself who conducted the actual research process to gather the data?

• If the author(s) indicate they gathered the data first-hand by surveying a specific population, creating and running an experiment, conducting a focus group, observing a specific population/task, et cetera, they are doing primary research.
• If the author(s) indicate that they used only data gathered from other people's research studies by reviewing the literature or research, they are doing secondary research. 

Common sources where primary research in the field of Education is published are:

• Scholarly/academic journals - these are journals that are published by academic publishers (colleges, universities, et cetera) and professional organizations.
• Conference Proceedings
• Dissertations
• District, State or National Reports

Any of the above sources may also be peer-reviewed, meaning that the content is reviewed by other professionals in the field before it is published. Peer-reviewed, scholarly journals are considered to be high quality and often are a requirement in your research assignments because they are produced by experts and professionals in the field and all primary research articles are put through a peer-reviewed vetting process that is detailed by the journal publisher. It is also where professionals in the field in turn tend to publish their research for those same reasons. It is important to keep a couple of things in mind:

• Not all scholarly/academic journals are peer-reviewed.
• Not every article in a peer-reviewed journal is a primary research article or even a secondary research article. These journals often contain book/product reviews, opinion pieces, advice for practitioners, literature reviews, et cetera.
• Books take longer to publish and when you need current research/data this is a consideration. It can also be hard to determine what, if any type of peer-review process a book has gone through.
• Dissertations are by their very nature peer-reviewed, especially at the doctoral level, but can be hard to access as they are often only available at the university where the dissertation was written.
• In Education, district/state/national reports may be peer-reviewed, but like with books this can be hard to determine.

Research Databases are a great tool for finding and accessing primary research articles published in scholarly/academic, peer-reviewed journals. In the field of Education our library provides access to ERIC, Education Source, Proquest Education Database and Academic Search Ultimate. Each of these databases have search functions to help you narrow your results list down to scholarly/academic, peer-reviewed journals.

Depending on your topic and research question you may need to explore research databases in other disciplines as well. Here are two examples:

• Does gender impact bullying in middle school? In edition to Education databases I might want to also look at psychology (from the aspect of gender and behavior) and criminal justice databases (from the perspective that bullying can be a crime and looking at gender/age based statistics)
• What impact does arts therapy have on children with behavioral issues in the classroom? In edition to Education databases I might want to also look at psychology and medical databases (from the aspect of children with behavioral issues and arts therapy methods) 
• Knowledge Check Activity: Primary vs. Secondary Education Research Ready to apply what you just learned? Click on the provided link then read the provided abstracts and try to determine whether the article is a primary research study, a secondary research study or non-research-based.
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• Last Updated: Sep 20, 2024 1:05 PM
• URL: https://fitchburgstate.libguides.com/educ9300

Primary Research vs Secondary Research: A Comparative Analysis

Understand the differences between primary research vs secondary research. Learn how they can be used to generate valuable insights.

Primary research and secondary research are two fundamental approaches used in research studies to gather information and explore topics of interest. Both primary and secondary research offer unique advantages and have their own set of considerations, making them valuable tools for researchers in different contexts.

Understanding the distinctions between primary and secondary research is crucial for researchers to make informed decisions about the most suitable approach for their study objectives and available resources.

What is Primary Research?

Primary research refers to the collection and analysis of data directly from original sources. It involves gathering information directly to address specific research objectives and generate new insights. This research method conducts surveys, interviews, observations, experiments, or focus groups to obtain data that is relevant to the research question at hand. By engaging directly with subjects or sources, primary research provides firsthand and up-to-date information, allowing researchers to have control over the data collection process and adjust it to their specific needs.

Types of Primary Research

There are several types of primary research methods commonly used in various fields:

Surveys are the systematic collection of data through questionnaires or interviews, aiming to gather information from a large number of participants. Surveys can be conducted in person, over the phone, through mail, or online.

Interviews entail direct one-on-one or group interactions with individuals or key informants to obtain detailed information about their experiences, opinions, or expertise. Interviews can be structured (using predetermined questions) or unstructured (allowing for open-ended discussions).

Observations

Observational research carefully observes and documents behaviors, interactions, or phenomena in real-life settings. It can be done in a participant or non-participant manner, depending on the level of involvement of the researcher.

Data analysis

Examining and interpreting collected data, data analysis uncovers patterns, trends, and insights, providing a deeper understanding of the research topic. It enables drawing meaningful conclusions for decision-making and guides further research.

Focus groups

Focus groups facilitated group discussions with a small number of participants who shared their opinions, attitudes, and experiences on a specific topic. This method allows for interactive and in-depth exploration of a subject.

Benefits of Primary Research

Original and specific data: Primary research provides first hand data directly relevant to the research objectives, ensuring its freshness and specificity to the research context.

Control over data collection: Researchers have control over the design, implementation, and data collection process, allowing them to adapt the research methods and instruments to suit their needs.

Depth of understanding: Primary research methods, such as interviews and focus groups, enable researchers to gain a deep understanding of participants’ perspectives, experiences, and motivations.

Validity and reliability: By directly collecting data from original sources, primary research enhances the validity and reliability of the findings, reducing potential biases associated with using secondary or existing data.

Challenges of Primary Research

Time and Resource-intensive: Primary research requires careful planning, data collection, analysis, and interpretation. It may require recruiting participants, conducting interviews or surveys, and analyzing data, all of which require time and resources.

Sampling limitations: Primary research often relies on sampling techniques to select participants. Ensuring a representative sample that accurately reflects the target population can be challenging, and sampling biases may affect the generalizability of the findings.

Subjectivity: The involvement of researchers in primary research methods, such as interviews or observations, introduces the potential for subjective interpretations or biases that can influence the data collection and analysis process.

Limited generalizability: Findings from primary research may have limited generalizability due to the specific characteristics of the sample or context. It is essential to acknowledge the scope and limitations of the findings and avoid making broad generalizations beyond the studied sample or context.

What is Secondary Research?

It is a method of research that relies on data that is readily available, rather than gathering new data through primary research methods. Secondary research relies on reviewing and analyzing sources such as published studies, reports, articles, books, government databases, and online resources to extract relevant information for a specific research objective.

Sources of Secondary Research

Published studies and academic journals.

Researchers can review published studies and academic journals to gather information, data, and findings related to their research topic. These sources often provide comprehensive and in-depth analyses of specific subjects.

Reports and white papers

Reports and white papers produced by research organizations, government agencies, and industry associations provide valuable data and insights on specific topics or sectors. These documents often contain statistical data, market research, trends, and expert opinions.

Books and reference materials

Books and reference materials written by experts in a particular field can offer comprehensive overviews, theories, and historical perspectives that contribute to secondary research.

Online databases

Online databases, such as academic libraries, research repositories, and specialized platforms, provide access to a vast array of published research articles, theses, dissertations, and conference proceedings.

Benefits of Secondary Research

Time and Cost-effectiveness: Secondary research saves time and resources since the data and information already exist and are readily accessible. Researchers can utilize existing resources instead of conducting time-consuming primary research.

Wide range of data: Secondary research provides access to a wide range of data sources, including large-scale surveys, census data, and comprehensive reports. This allows researchers to explore diverse perspectives and make comparisons across different studies.

Comparative analyses: Researchers can compare findings from different studies or datasets, allowing for cross-referencing and verification of results. This enhances the robustness and validity of research outcomes.

Ethical considerations: Secondary research does not involve direct interaction with participants, which reduces ethical concerns related to privacy, informed consent, and confidentiality.

Challenges of Secondary Research

Data availability and quality: The availability and quality of secondary data can vary. Researchers must critically evaluate the credibility, reliability, and relevance of the sources to ensure the accuracy of the information used in their research.

Limited control over data: Researchers have limited control over the design, collection methods, and variables included in the secondary data. The data may not perfectly align with the research objectives, requiring careful selection and analysis.

Potential bias and outdated information: Secondary data may contain inherent biases or limitations introduced by the original researchers. Additionally, the data may become outdated, and newer information or developments may not be captured.

Lack of customization: Since secondary data is collected for various purposes, it may not perfectly align with the specific research needs. Researchers may encounter limitations in terms of variables, definitions, or granularity of data.

Comparing Primary and Secondary Research

Primary research vs secondary research, examples of primary and secondary research, examples of primary research.

• Conducting a survey to collect data on customer satisfaction and preferences for a new product directly from the target audience.
• Designing and conducting an experiment to test the effectiveness of a new teaching method by comparing the learning outcomes of students in different groups.
• Observing and documenting the behavior of a specific animal species in its natural habitat to gather data for ecological research.
• Organizing a focus group with potential consumers to gather insights and feedback on a new advertising campaign.
• Conducting interviews with healthcare professionals to understand their experiences and perspectives on a specific medical treatment.

Examples of Secondary Research

• Accessing a market research report to gather information on consumer trends, market size, and competitor analysis in the smartphone industry.
• Using existing government data on unemployment rates to analyze the impact of economic policies on employment patterns.
• Examining historical records and letters to understand the political climate and social conditions during a particular historical event.
• Conducting a meta-analysis of published studies on the effectiveness of a specific medication to assess its overall efficacy and safety.

How to Use Primary and Secondary Research Together

Having explored the distinction between primary research vs secondary research, the integration of these two approaches becomes a crucial consideration. By incorporating primary and secondary research, a comprehensive and well-informed research methodology can be achieved. The utilization of secondary research provides researchers with a broader understanding of the subject, allowing them to identify gaps in knowledge and refine their research questions properly.

Primary research methods, such as surveys or interviews, can then be employed to collect new data that directly address these research questions. The findings from primary research can be compared and validated against the existing knowledge obtained through secondary research. By combining the insights from both types of research, researchers can fill knowledge gaps, strengthen the reliability of their findings through triangulation, and draw meaningful conclusions that contribute to the overall understanding of the subject matter.

Ethical Considerations for Primary and Secondary Research

In primary research, researchers must obtain informed consent from participants, ensuring they are fully aware of the study’s purpose, procedures, and any potential risks or benefits involved. Confidentiality and anonymity should be maintained to safeguard participants’ privacy. Researchers should also ensure that the data collection methods and research design are conducted in an ethical manner, adhering to ethical guidelines and standards set by relevant institutional review boards or ethics committees.

In secondary research, ethical considerations primarily revolve around the proper and responsible use of existing data sources. Researchers should respect copyright laws and intellectual property rights when accessing and using secondary data. They should also critically evaluate the credibility and reliability of the sources to ensure the validity of the data used in their research. Proper citation and acknowledgment of the original sources are essential to maintain academic integrity and avoid plagiarism.

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Research Process

• Brainstorming
• Explore Google This link opens in a new window
• Explore Web Resources
• Explore Background Information
• Explore Books
• Explore Scholarly Articles
• Narrowing a Topic
• Primary and Secondary Resources
• Academic, Popular & Trade Publications
• Scholarly and Peer-Reviewed Journals
• Grey Literature
• Clinical Trials
• Evidence Based Treatment
• Scholarly Research
• Database Research Log
• Search Limits
• Keyword Searching
• Boolean Operators
• Phrase Searching
• Truncation & Wildcard Symbols
• Proximity Searching
• Field Codes
• Subject Terms and Database Thesauri
• Reading a Scientific Article
• Website Evaluation
• Article Keywords and Subject Terms
• Cited References
• Citing Articles
• Related Results
• Search Within Publication
• Database Alerts & RSS Feeds
• Personal Database Accounts
• Persistent URLs
• Literature Gap and Future Research
• Web of Knowledge
• Annual Reviews
• Systematic Reviews & Meta-Analyses
• Finding Seminal Works
• Exhausting the Literature
• Finding Dissertations
• Researching Theoretical Frameworks
• Research Methodology & Design
• Tests and Measurements
• Organizing Research & Citations This link opens in a new window
• Picking Where to Publish
• Bibliometrics
• Learn the Library This link opens in a new window

Primary Sources

Primary resources contain first-hand information, meaning that you are reading the author’s own account on a specific topic or event that s/he participated in. Examples of primary resources include scholarly research articles, books, and diaries. Primary sources such as research articles often do not explain terminology and theoretical principles in detail. Thus, readers of primary scholarly research should have foundational knowledge of the subject area. Use primary resources to obtain a first-hand account to an actual event and identify original research done in a field. For many of your papers, use of primary resources will be a requirement.

Examples of a primary source are:

• Original documents such as diaries, speeches, manuscripts, letters, interviews, records, eyewitness accounts, autobiographies
• Empirical scholarly works such as research articles, clinical reports, case studies, dissertations
• Creative works such as poetry, music, video, photography

How to locate primary research in NU Library:

• From the Library's homepage, begin your search in NavigatorSearch or select a subject-specific database from the A-Z Databases .
• Use the Scholarly/Peer-Reviewed Journal limiter to narrow your search to journal articles.
• Once you have a set of search results, remember to look for articles where the author has conducted original research. A primary research article will include a literature review, methodology, population or set sample, test or measurement, discussion of findings and usually future research directions.

Secondary Sources

Secondary sources describe, summarize, or discuss information or details originally presented in another source; meaning the author, in most cases, did not participate in the event. This type of source is written for a broad audience and will include definitions of discipline specific terms, history relating to the topic, significant theories and principles, and summaries of major studies/events as related to the topic. Use secondary sources to obtain an overview of a topic and/or identify primary resources. Refrain from including such resources in an annotated bibliography for doctoral level work unless there is a good reason.

Examples of a secondary source are:

• Publications such as textbooks, magazine articles, book reviews, commentaries, encyclopedias, almanacs

Locate  secondary resources in NU Library within the following databases:

• Annual Reviews (scholarly article reviews)
• Credo Reference (encyclopedias, dictionaries, handbooks & more)
• Ebook Central (ebooks)
• ProQuest (book reviews, bibliographies, literature reviews & more )
• SAGE Reference Methods, SAGE Knowledge & SAGE Navigator (handbooks, encyclopedias, major works, debates & more)
• Most other Library databases include secondary sources. 

Beginning the Resarch Process Workshop

This workshop introduces to the beginning stages of the research process, focusing on identifying different types of information, as well as gathering background information through electronic books.

• Beginning the Research Process Workshop Outline

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