What is secondary research?

• A. Secondary research involves first-hand data collection.
• B. Secondary research uses existing information obtained second-hand from sources like books, articles, and websites.
• C. Secondary research is only used for entertainment.
• D. Secondary research includes experiments.

Answer: (B)

Secondary research means using information that has already been collected by someone else. It involves examining existing sources such as books, articles, websites, reports, and datasets to answer a question without gathering new data yourself. This is why it’s described as using information obtained second-hand from sources like books, articles, and websites.

In contrast, first-hand data collection, such as surveys, interviews, observations, or experiments, is known as primary research because you generate new data yourself. Secondary research isn’t about entertainment; it’s about analyzing information that already exists to support your analysis or findings.