Sources of Data
Sources of Data
Weakness:
- the researcher’s presence is likely to influence the
respondents behaviour (interviewer bias).
Secondary
Strengths:
- are cheap and quick to use
- allow the researcher to go back in time
- compare one period with another
Weaknesses:
The researcher may not be able to check :
- how accurate they are
- how objective they are
- -the purpose for which they were originally collected
Criteria for Judging Data Sources
• Relevance – the information taken from existing
literature must be relevant to the problem under study. It
is also suggested that information that is older than 10
years should not be used.
• Objectivity – the researcher must be aware of a number
of issues when gathering data. For example, the source
could be biased, could have an interest in the outcome
or could be influenced by monetary rewards.
• Adequacy – this concerns whether the souces from
which the data are gathered are sufficienct to generalize
the findings.
Research conclusions cannot be taken seriously if there is
a question about the quality of the data from which the
conclusions are drawn. Researchers must scrutinize
data to make sure that they are authentic and believable.
Authenticity: Is the evidence genuine or fake? Can if be
verified? Is there any attempt to deliberately mislead the
researcher?
Believablility: Are the facts correct? Do the data come
from real people, objects or events? Is the respondent
being truthful?