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(Volume: 3, Issue: 2)
Which dataset holds best for research, primary or secondary?
Datasets have a prime role in implementing a research theme with deeper insights and stronger empirical evidence. They are very necessary for predictive modelling and to gain high accuracy or desired performances for the problem at hand. They can be an image, text, audio, video, time series, spatial or tabular data. However, all the datasets used for research fall under one of the two dataset kinds- the primary and the secondary. So, what do these dataset categories mean and how do they differ from one another? Which is the best among the two and how to choose between the two dataset kinds for application in your research?
Let’s have a glimpse at it...
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The Primary Dataset
As the name suggests, the primary dataset is primarily acquired by the researcher itself to support his/her research. It is previously unavailable in any relevant past research that the researcher is the sole creator of this dataset. The researcher does the data collection by conducting surveys, observations, interviews or field works to achieve a detailed and contextually-rich data, which are more research-centric.
The Secondary Dataset
The secondary datasets are the datasets, which the researcher acquires from yet another research. The creator of this dataset is someone else, but the researcher uses it for his/ her own exploratory analysis, on finding it pertinent to his/ her research. These datasets are freely and publicly available sometimes with or without a license agreement in non-commercial databases. At times, the researcher might also acquire the secondary data from a research organization, commercial databases, academic institution or even government agencies by paying an associated cost.
Primary Vs Secondary Dataset
Though the primary as well as the secondary datasets differ chiefly by their availability at the start of the research tenure, there are few aspects that make either one of them to be superior than the other and they are:
Time to acquire data: Acquiring a primary dataset takes more time than the secondary dataset and it is because of few reasons and they are: (i) The researcher has to plan the data collection platform, methods and instruments to attain the data that meets his/ her research objective; (ii) The researcher has to process and analyze the raw data being acquired with appropriate statistical or visualization procedures to use it in his/ her research modeling; (iii) The researcher takes time to properly organize and store the data in required format for current and future reference. The secondary data, on the other hand, is made available readily or within a stipulated time posed by the data agencies, institutions or commercial websites. Even the large- scale, historical data could be accessed without much efforts with secondary data collection.
Expense: The more time it takes for data collection, processing, organizing and storing, the more will be the expense associated. In that way, the primary data collection is too expensive than that of the secondary data, which might sometimes have only a subscription cost associated with it.
Data Quality and Control: The quality of research is governed by its truthful and supreme findings. So, as the primary data are collected only with the intention of meeting the research objectives, they are deemed to be of high quality with the researcher’s complete control over it. As the secondary data are available in abundance, the researcher has to carefully assess the data quality, its ethical considerations and the suitability of it to his/ her research.
How to choose the dataset?
A researcher can opt for the primary data or the secondary data based on few considerations and they are:
Is the primary data collection compulsorily needed for my research, besides its tedious, time-consuming and expensive data collection amenities?
Is there any better data available in the past for exploring my research notion?
If the secondary data is available, how far it can be effectively used in my research because of data quality, consistency and ethical considerations?
Does the secondary data lead to innovative findings or further primary data collection is mandated?
Hence, The Research Seer’s Rationale on “Which dataset holds best for research, primary or secondary?” is:
“Prefer Primary Dataset, If Research Pressurizes And Prioritizes Its Use”
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