696 RESEARCH METHODS
SECONDARY DATA ANALYSIS

Introduction
Locate the data
Evaluate the data
Verify the data
Advantages of Secondary Data
Drawbacks of Secondary Data

Introduction
The term "secondary data" refers to data that were collected for other studies. For they first researcher they are primary data, but for the second researcher, they are secondary data.

There are enormous amounts of data that are collected every day by government agencies, universities, private organizations, non-profits, think tanks, public opinion polls, and students. Some examples include the U.S. Census Bureau, the International City Managers Association (ICMA), and the Inter-University Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR).

In order to use secondary data for your research, you need to 1) locate the data; 2) evaluate the data; and 3) verify the data.

1. Locating the data

Secondary data can be located by using printed indices, such as the American Statistics Index or the Statistical Reference Index, available at most libraries. There are also on-line databases of secondary data, for example, the U.S. Census.

2. Evaluate the data

Evaluating secondary data is similar to doing a critique of a published research report. Everything about the original project that produced the data should be scrutinized to ensure that the project had high validity and reliability, such as:

theoretical or conceptual model used
variables and hypotheses posited
operational definitions of variables and measures employed
the population, sample frame, sampling design, and sample obtained
the data collection strategy and response rate obtained
quality control measures employed
data coding, data entry, and data analysis procedures
factors which could have affected the study, such as current events

3. Verify the data

If the data seem valid and reliable, you need to make sure that you have an accurate copy of the data, especially if you obtained it through an electronic medium. This includes verifying that you:

have proper documentation
have the correct number of observations or cases
have the correct number of variables
have the correct coding scheme
can reproduce the original summary statistics

Why use secondary data?

It is unobtrusive research

It can be less expensive than gathering the data all over again.

It may allow the researcher to cover a wider geographic or temporal range.

It can allow for larger scale studies on a small budget.

It does not exhaust people's good will by re-collecting readily available data.

Potential Drawbacks

Secondary data are only as good as the research that produced them

Must assume what the author(s) meant by the terms they used;

There may be sub-culture references, jargon, or idiomatic expressions

Data may be neither valid nor reliable

Instruments or data collection methods may have changed over time

Data may have been modified by the researcher already (e.g., weighted)

Poor documentation of the secondary data set

Electronic format incompatibilities

Limited access to the data, e.g., on-site only

Confidentiality considerations that lessen its usefulness

Substantial purchase or loan cost

What were the conditions that led to their production?

Data may have been originally gathered to persuade, justify, or otherwise convey a particular point of view.

Data may have been intended for consumption by particular groups, which differ from the present project

Data may have decayed over time, been censored or purged