In essay format discuss the advantages and uses of secondary data, include a discussion of the disadvantages of secondary data to support your answer
(about a paragraph or two)
Expert Answer
Answer: Secondary data is the data which already exists and has been collected by someone else. The secondary data is readily available to the researchers from the various sources like libraries, data bases and so on. There are a number of advantages which the secondary data offers to the users. Despite the fact that at times the secondary data may not be recent but still it is economical and saves times as the researchers need not to collect it on their own. The accuracy of the secondary data is not known as it was collected by someone else but still it helps in improving the understanding of the issues and provides a basis for further research. The secondary data is very helpful in filling in the gaps and deficiencies which exist in the primary data. In many researches, the secondary data forms as the basis of the research work. Thus it can be established that despite of certain shortcomings, the secondary data has a number of advantages for the researchers.