Data collection is an important aspect of research.

Let’s consider an example

of a mobile manufacturer, company X, which is launching a new product
variant. To conduct research about features, price range, target market,
competitor analysis etc. data has to be collected from appropriate sources.
The marketing team can conduct various data collection activities such
as online surveys or focus groups.

The survey should have all the right questions about features and pricing such
as “What are the top 3 features expected from an upcoming product?” or
“How much are your likely to spend on this product?” or “Which competitors
provide similar products?” etc.

For conducting a focus group, the marketing team should decide the
participants as well as the mediator. The topic of discussion and objective
behind conducting a focus group should be made clear beforehand so that a
conclusive discussion can be conducted.

Data collection methods are chosen depending on the available resources.

For example, conducting questionnaires and surveys would require the least
resources while focus groups require moderately high resources.

Data collection is one of the most important stages in conducting a research.

You can have the best research design in the world but if you cannot collect
the required data you will be not be able to complete your project. Data
collection is a very demanding job which needs thorough planning, hard work,
patience, perseverance and more to be able to complete the task
successfully. Data collection starts with determining what kind of data
required followed by the selection of a sample from a certain population.
After that, you need to use a certain instrument to collect the data from
the selected sample.

Definition: The Data Collection is a process by which the researcher collects

the information from all the relevant sources to find answers to the research
problem, test the hypothesis and evaluate the outcomes.

While collecting the data, the researcher must identify the type of data to be
collected, source of data, and the method to be used to collect the data. Also,
the answers to the questions that who, when and where the data is to be
collected should be well addressed by the researcher.

The choice of data collection methods depends on the research problem

under study, the research design and the information gathered about the
variable. Broadly, the data collection methods can be classified into two
categories:

Data collection is the process of gathering and measuring information on variables of interest, in an

established systematic fashion that enables one to answer stated research questions, test

hypotheses, and evaluate outcomes. The data collection component of research is common to all

fields of study including physical and social sciences, humanities, business, etc. While methods vary

by discipline, the emphasis on ensuring accurate and honest collection remains the same.

The secondary data can be both qualitative and quantitative. The qualitative data
can be obtained through newspapers, diaries, interviews, transcripts, etc., while
the quantitative data can be obtained through a survey, financial statements and
statistics.

One of the advantages of the secondary data is that it is easily available and
hence less time is required to gather all the relevant information. Also, it is less
expensive than the primary data. But however the data might not be specific to
the researcher’s needs and at the same time is incomplete to reach a conclusion.
Also, the authenticity of the research results might be skeptical.

Definition: When the data are collected directly by the researcher for the first time
is called as Primary Data. It is original in nature and is specific to a research
problem under study.

Data that has been collected from first-hand-experience is known as primary data.
Primary data has not been published yet and is more reliable, authentic and
objective. Primary data has not been changed or altered by human beings;
therefore its validity is greater than secondary data. Importance of Primary Data:
In statistical surveys it is necessary to get information from primary sources and
work on primary data. For example, the statistical records of female
population in a country cannot be based on newspaper, magazine and other
printed sources. A research can be conducted without secondary data but a
research based on only secondary data is least reliable and may have biases
because secondary data has already been manipulated by human beings. One of
such sources is old and secondly they contain limited information as well as
they can be misleading and biased

dvantages of Using Primary Data 

The investigator collects data specific to the problem under study. 

There is no doubt about the quality of the data collected (for the investigator).

 If required, it may be possible to obtain additional data during the study period.
Disadvantages of Using Primary Data

1. The investigator has to contend with all the hassles of data collection-
2.  deciding why, what, how, when to collect; 
3. getting the data collected (personally or through others);
4.  getting funding and dealing with funding agencies;
5.  ethical considerations (consent, permissions, etc.)

Primary data is data originated for the first time by the researcher
through direct efforts and experience, specifically for the purpose
of addressing his research problem. Also known as the first hand
or raw data. Primary data collection is quite expensive, as the
research is conducted by the organisation or agency itself, which
requires resources like investment and manpower. The data
collection is under direct control and supervision of the
investigator.

The data can be collected through various methods like surveys,

observations, physical testing, mailed questionnaires,
questionnaire filled and sent by enumerators, personal interviews,
telephonic interviews, focus groups, case studies, etc.
It is a bit difficult to conduct primary research because it requires
a lot of time, money, resources and some prior information about
the subject. With a view to getting needed information, the
researcher has to start from scratch. The research can be
performed through interviews, questionnaires, observations, etc.
nd no related research work is done by any other person. The results of the
research are more accurate when the data is collected directly by the researcher
but however it is costly and time-consuming

Quantitative data comes in the form of numbers, quantities and

values. It describes things in concrete and easily measurable terms.
Examples include the number of customers who bought a given
product, the rating a customer gave a product out of five stars and the
amount of time a visitor spent on your website.

Because quantitative data is numeric and measurable, it lends itself

well to analytics. When you analyze quantitative data, you may
uncover insights that can help you better understand your audience.
Because this kind of data deals with numbers, it is very objective and
has a reputation for reliability.

Qualitative data is descriptive, rather than numeric. It is less concrete

and less easily measurable than quantitative data. This data may
contain descriptive phrases and opinions. Examples include an online
review a customer writes about a product, an answer to an open-
ended survey question about what type of videos a customer likes to
watch online and the conversation a customer had with a customer
service representative.

Qualitative data helps explains the “why” behind the information

quantitative data reveals. For this reason, it is useful for
supplementing quantitative data, which will form the foundation of your
data strategy. Because quantitative data is so foundational, this article
will focus on collection methods for quantitative primary data.
Surveys are used to collect data from the target audience and gather insights
into their preferences, opinions, choices, and feedback related to their
products and services..

They can be distributed through a number of distribution channels such as

email, website, offline app, QR code, social media, etc. Depending on the type
and source of your audience, you can select the channel.

Once the data is collected, survey software can generate various types of
reports and run analytics algorithms to discover hidden insights. A survey
dashboard can give you the statistics related to response rate, completion
rate, filters based on demographics, export and sharing options, etc. You can
maximize the effort spent on online data collection by integrating survey
builder with third-party apps.

Survey: Survey method is one of the primary sources of data which is

used to collect quantitative information about items in a population. Surveys
are used in different areas for collecting the data even in public and private
sectors. A survey may be conducted in the field by the researcher. The
respondents are contacted by the research person personally,
telephonically or through mail. This method takes a lot of time, efforts and
money but the data collected are of high accuracy, current and relevant to the
topic. When the questions are administered by a researcher, the survey is
called a structured interview or a researcher-administered survey.

Observations: Observation as one of the primary sources of data. Observation

is a technique for obtaining information involves measuring variables or
gathering of data necessary for measuring the variable under investigation.
Observation is defined as accurate watching and noting of phenomena as they
occur in nature with regards to cause and effect relation. Interview:
Interviewing is a technique that is primarily used to gain an understanding of
 the underlying reasons and motivations for people’s attitudes, preferences or
behavior. Interviews can be undertaken on a personal one-to-one basis or in a
group.
Questionnaires: Questionnaire as one of the primary sources of data is an
observational technique which comprises series of items presented to a
respondent in a written form, in which the individual is expected to respond
in writing. Here the respondents are given list of written items which he
responds to by ticking the one he considers appropriate.

The use of the telephone has been found

to be one of the most inexpensive, quick
and efficient ways of surveying
respondents
The absence of face-to-face contact can
also be an advantage since respondents
may be somewhat more inclined to
provide sensitive information. Further,
some people are reluctant to be
approached by strangers, whether at their
home or in a more public location, which
can be overcome by the more impersonal
use of the telephone.
On the other hand, telephone surveys are
also known to have a number of
limitations. The length of the survey has
to be kept relatively short to less than 15
minutes as longer interviews can result in
refusal to participate or premature
termination of the call. The questions
themselves must also be kept quite short
and the response options simple, since
there can be no visual aids such as a cue
card.
The increasing use of voice mail and
answering machines has made phone
surveys more difficult and more costly to
undertake. Calls that go answered, receive
a busy signal or reach a machine, require
callbacks. Usually, eligible respondents
will be contacted a pre-determined
number of times, before they are
abandoned in favour of someone else.
The potential for response bias must be
considered, however, when discussing
the results of a study that relied on the
telephone.
.
The importance of randomization is
discussed under probability sampling.
Two practices that are increasing in
popularity and that raise
considerable ethical issues, since the
respondents are misled into believing that
they are participating in research, are:
1. the survey sell (also known as
sugging), whereby products or
services are sold, and
2. the raising of funds for charity
(also knows as frogging).
Advantages of Survey Method

1. Surveys can be conducted faster and cheaper compared to other methods of

primary data collection such as observation and experiments
2. Primary data gathered through surveys are relatively easy to analyse

Disadvantages of Survey Method

1. In some cases, unwillingness or inability of respondents to provide information

2. Human bias of respondents, i.e. respondents providing inaccurate information
3. Differences in understanding: it is difficult to formulate questions in such a way
that it will mean exactly same thing to each respondent