Secondary Data Source

Secondary data sources are generally considered those not collected directly by the researcher through empirical methods. Secondary data sources are most common in qualitative research designs where the researcher seeks to provide additional evidence to further corroborate research results, explain the context of the research site, or provide in-depth descriptions of how the phenomena were experienced by study participants. Secondary data sources are also a source and method to ensure validity of qualitative studies through triangulation of multiple data sources. In quantitative research design, secondary data sources are often preexisting data sets that are collected and compiled by others and then accessed by the researcher. This entry discusses common and emerging types of secondary data sources before providing an example of how these data sources ...