UNITY UNIVERSITY:

FACULTY - COLLEGE OF BUSINESS, ECONOMICS

AND SOCIAL SCIENCE
COURSE TITLE: Research Methodology for
Economists
COURSE CODE: Econ 364
DEPARTMENT: Economics
LEVEL: Undergraduate
CREDIT HOURS: 3
ACADEMIC YEAR: 2023/2024 G.C
SEMESTER: I
COURSE INSTRUCTOR: H.A
E-mail:
SKYPE:
Cellphone: Unity University Dec 2023
 CHAPTER: – SEVEN

Methods and Tools of Data

Collection:

Secondary Data Collection

 COLLECTION OF SECONDARY DATA
• Secondary data means data that are already available
• Secondary data/information is thus
➢ information which has already been collected by
some one else and
➢ which have already been passed through statistical
process
➢ either be published data or unpublished data.
• Primary data is original, unedited and ‘first-hand’
Whereas
• Secondary data is edited, ‘second-hand’, and interpreted
material.
 Why a researchers use data from secondary
sources?
a) Secondary data may solve problem:
➢If adequate data are available from secondary
sources, primary data collection will not be
necessary.
b) Search costs are substantially lower than
primary sources.
➢It is cheap and less time consuming than primary
sources.
c). Secondary data has also important

supplementary use, these includes:

❖It helps to define the problem and formulate

hypothesis about its solution.

❖It will help to plan the collection of primary data.

❖It will help to define the population and select the

sample in primary data collection.
• Before using secondary data:

➢ we must see that they posses the following

characters.

1. Reliability of the data

2. Suitability

3. Adequacy/sufficiency
1. Reliability of the data
• Reliability is the extent to which we can rely on the source
of the data and the data itself.

• Reliable data is:

✓ dependable ✓ authentic
✓ trustworthy ✓ genuine
✓ unfailing ✓ reputable
✓ sure
• The reliability can be tested by finding answers to the
following questions about the said data:
✓ Who collect the data?
― How is the reputation of the collector?

✓ What were the sources of the data?

✓ Were they collected using proper method?
✓ At what time were they collected?
✓ Was there any bias of the collector?
✓ What level of accuracy was desired?
✓ Was it achieved?
✓ Consistency is the main measure of reliability
2. Suitability
• The data that are suitable for one inquiry may not necessary
be found suitable in another inquiry.
• If the available data are found to be unsuitable, they should
not be used by the researcher
• If the researcher finds differences in the following issues
like the:
✓objective
✓scope and
✓nature of the original enquiry
then
➢the data will remain unsuitable for the present
enquiry and
➢ should not be used for the study
3. Adequacy/sufficiency

• If the level of accuracy achieved in data is found inadequate

for the purpose of the present enquiry, they will be
considered as inadequate and should not be used by the
researcher.

• The data will be considered inadequate/not sufficient, if:

➢they are related to an area which may be either narrower

or wider than the area of the present enquiry.

• It is thus very risky to use the already available data

Thus:

• The already available data should be used by the researcher

only when he finds them

➢ Reliable

➢ Suitable and

➢ Adequate
 Sources of secondary data

❑It may be obtained either from

I. Internal

II. External
I. Internal

• With in the company or organization

• All companies or organizations or any other organs

keep record of the every course of conducting
business or any other activities.

✓Orders received are filled

✓Cost are recorded

✓Sales' people reports are submitted

II. External sources - Outside sources

❑The major sources of external information are:

• Government (federal, state, local)

• Trade association and trade press

• Periodicals

• Institution (research, academic)

• Commercial services and the like

• The secondary sources of information can be

classified into

I. Personal Document

II. Public Document

I. Personal Document

• These include the entire published and unpublished

information document by the individuals for
different purpose

• Personal documents are not written in scientific

manner (style) nor do they have an objective basis.

• They generally represent some ideas, values and

feeling etc.
• Personal documents have been classified in to four types

1. Biography / Autobiography

• Some great political, business leaders, social reformers and

eminent persons write their own autobiographies or some
other people (biographer) write their biography.

• Autobiographies are life histories, life experience and

incidents of prominent individuals written by them.

• Biographies are life history, experience and events of some

prominent person written by some biographer
2. Diaries:

• Many educated people have a habit of writing diaries

concerning their social relationship and life incidents.

• Most of the dairy writer has no intention to publish them.

• Diaries are written with different intentions.

• Some write diaries to remember important incidents of their

life.

• Some on the other hand write diaries to note things, which

they cannot tell to anyone.
3.Letters

• Letters are often used by researchers as evidence especially in

studies like, history and sociology and psychology.

• Letters are the medium of expressions of feelings likes and

dislikes attitudes, desires, emotion, ambitions and important
incidents of life.

4.Memories

• Some people are interested in writing down memories for their

travels, participation in different activities.

• Such memories provide useful information in social research

II. Public and Official Document

• In many research studies these sources of

information are commonly and widely used.

• Public documents are information gathered from

some governmental or non-governmental

institutions.
• Some common public documents are of the
following types
1. Records:
• These are the most important sources of secondary
data.
• Most government and non-government institution
preserves many types of records consisting of
important information.
• For instance each police department keeps record of
criminals.
• Company records like no of employees, wage paid,
sales growth rate etc.
2.Census report and statistics:
• A very important source of data collection is census
report and the annual digest of statistics and statistical
report of various state departments and national bodies.
❖The data collected in these reports are arranged
according to the administrative objective,
• Health (concerning birth and death rate, number of
hospitals, number of beds, number of doctors and the
like)
• Economic and related data: Annual production, average
income, foreign trade, wage, hours of work, price level
(inflation rate), interest rate, exchange rate etc.)
• Education (number of schools, students, teachers,
number of graduates and the like)
3. Journals and magazines:
• These are common and widely used sources of
information.
• Information obtained from these sources is very much
reliable.
4. Newspapers:
• Published news (discussion on contemporary issues,
reports of meetings and conferences) is very important
sources.
❖Economic news paper usually report data like,
• Daily stock price
• Exchange rate
• Interest rate
• Daily commodity price
• Price indices (report on quarterly basis)
5. Other documents:

• Under this category we can have information sources like

➢ television

➢ film

➢ radio and

➢ public speech
Judgment of secondary source of information involves
• Definitions: The definitions given by the original source and the
current study (family size, land size, etc)
• Verification of reliability of facts before using them in any study.
• Verification of honesty, ability, methods and tools of the
investigator himself.
• Verification of the method of data collection
• Verification of representativeness of sample used in the primary
data collection
• The organization for collection of data should be scrutinized as
well
• Time scale: most censuses take place at 10 year intervals
➢so data from this and other published sources may be out-of-
date.
Comparison between Primary and Secondary data
END OF CHAPTER SEVEN

THANK YOU!