Secondary Data and Observation

In this chapter, we discuss secondary data and collecting data by observation. Secondary data already exists, having been collected by someone else for another purpose. In contrast, primary data is collected to address specific research questions. Chapters 5 and 6 describe primary data collection. Observation is a structured way of collecting data about someone or something without direct communication. Observation may be collected as primary or secondary data. However, with the advent of the Internet and digitalization, the amount of secondary observational data being collected is staggering. It is revolutionizing data collection and analysis.