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Secondary Data

• Advantages
• Availability - faster & less expensive to obtain
• Electronic retrieval to access data stored digitally)
• Instantaneous & free
• Researchers do not have to do the fieldwork themselves
• Eliminates activities normally associated with primary data collection (sampling & data processing)
• Essential where data cannot be obtained via primary collection procedures
• Disadvantages
• INHERENT: Not designed to meet researcher's needs
• Must be evaluated via these Qs:
• is the subject matter consistent with the problem definition?
• do the data apply to the population of interest?
• do the data apply to the time period of interest?
• do the data appear in the correct units of measurement?
• do the data cover the subject of interest in adequate detail?

Disadvantages Cont.