{"id":465964,"date":"2023-01-14T21:18:33","date_gmt":"2023-01-14T20:18:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.scribbr.nl\/?p=465964"},"modified":"2023-06-22T10:17:34","modified_gmt":"2023-06-22T08:17:34","slug":"primary-research","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.scribbr.com\/methodology\/primary-research\/","title":{"rendered":"Primary Research | Definition, Types, & Examples"},"content":{"rendered":"

Primary research <\/strong>is a research method that relies on direct data collection<\/a>, rather than relying on data that\u2019s already been collected by someone else. In other words, primary research is any type of research that you undertake yourself, firsthand, while using data that has already been collected is called secondary research<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Example: Primary research<\/figcaption>You are interested in the quality of vegan options offered at your campus dining hall. You decide to conduct a survey of vegan students, asking them their thoughts.<\/figure>\n

Primary research is often used in qualitative research<\/a>, particularly in survey methodology, questionnaires, focus groups, and various types of interviews<\/a>. While quantitative<\/a> primary research does exist, it\u2019s not as common.<\/p>\n

Tip: Primary vs. secondary sources<\/figcaption>It can be easy to get confused about the difference between primary and secondary sources<\/a> in your research. The key is to remember that primary sources provide firsthand<\/strong> information and evidence, while secondary sources provide secondhand<\/strong> information and commentary from previous works.<\/figure>\n

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When to use primary research<\/h2>\n

Primary research is any research that you conduct yourself. It can be as simple as a 2-question survey, or as in-depth as a years-long longitudinal study<\/a>. The only key is that data must be collected firsthand by you.<\/p>\n

Primary research is often used to supplement or strengthen existing secondary research. It is usually exploratory<\/a> in nature, concerned with examining a research question<\/a> where no preexisting knowledge exists. It is also sometimes called original research<\/strong> for this reason.<\/p>\n

Types of primary research<\/h2>\n

Primary research can take many forms, but the most common types are:<\/p>\n