Data Sources

Data sources can typically be described as being of primary or secondary origin and qualitative or quantitative.

Primary data can come from research you have undertaken yourself and is that which needs to form the most significant part of your research and survey. Primary data can, however, sometimes also be considered as original material produced by people at a specific period in time that relates to the research you are undertaken. For example, if you were doing a vegetation survey of a park and wanted to compare and contrast it with original historical data, from say 50 years ago, then both the data you collect, and that collected for the research study from 50 years ago (assuming survey methods and techniques were the same or very similar) can both be classed as primary sources of data. However, some researchers may still classify this as secondary data.
Any primary data should be particularly relevant to your research, it will be current (or historical if relying on other primary sources) and should accurately reflect the requirement of your study. If you have collected it, and assuming you have planned your survey correctly, then your primary data should meet your specific requirements.

Some disadvantages of primary data is that it can be time consuming to collect, the extent of it will probably be fairly limited due to the time available and the amount of data that can realistically be collected.

In addition you may find that you may not be able to collect some data for your survey due to site restrictions, specialist nature of equipment required or inadequate skills in collecting the data.
Secondary data comes from research undertaken by someone else but can be used to inform your report and enhance or support the primary data analysis. It may extend your data or fill a gap that you didn't address. It may be reliable, having been reviewed by others; covering different aspects to what you are surveying; saves time and effort in adding value to your survey report.

Disadvantages of secondary data could be that it is:
• Unreliable.
• Inaccurate.
• Too subjective.
• Irrelevant.
• Propriety data with restricted use and may be expensive to gain permission to use in your report.
• Outdated and not current.

Secondary data can be found in a variety of sources, including previous surveys or research:
• Statistical records (eg. Census data).
• Annual reports (from local authorities, national organisations, the Government).
• Diaries.
• Archives (film, newspaper).
Qualitative data: This type of data can be subjective, descriptive and often involves understanding why or how decisions or actions were taken.

Qualitative data can involve a lot of reading of diaries and documents to gain an insight into the subject matter.

Quantitative data: This type of data is numerical or deals with categorising things. It is the data type which is commonly used in statistics because it is more easily analysed to determine facts and trends from the data.

We are generally happier to deal with facts and figures from this type of data rather than concepts and interpretations which often arise from qualitative data.
Combining qualitative and quantitative data within a report can enhance the richness and value of a report.