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Primary & Secondary Research

Primary and Secondary Research

In many cases, you will be able to carry out a project and write an essay or assignment which is based entirely on secondary research. Secondary research involves using data that has been collected, analysed and interpreted by someone else. For example, finding and using the information from a journal article or an academic book. Other sources of secondary data which you may find useful include documentaries, government statistics and data from the Office of National Statistics. If your assignment is on a STEM or healthcare subject, you may also find it useful to use research data from the NHS and NICE.journalpenguin

Sometimes, however, it may be appropriate or necessary for you to conduct your own research. Carrying out your own research to gather first-hand information for your specific problem or question is called primary research. If you decide to do some primary research you might interview people, use questionnaires and/or carry out observations to gather raw data. This data will then need to be analysed and interpreted.