Primary and Secondary Research

The difference between primary and secondary research is where it is sourced and who it is collected.

Primary Research
This is collected by YOU.  By going out, performing interviews and surveys. Other various methods of collecting primary data is questionnaires, experiments and also direct observation. There are many advantages of this such as the researcher can focus on both qualitative and quantitative issues, they are able to address specific research issues as the researcher is able to control the search designs to fit their needs. This means that the researcher has great control over what information is collected. Taking this into account, the researcher can then decide of the size of the requirements needed to fit the project, time frame and end result. Gaining all these advantages come with disadvantages such as it can be very expensive to carry out. Linking this with secondary research, it will cost you a lot more to carry out. Costs may rise when it comes to methods like questionnaires as the paper has to be brought and the costs of printing them out. Some research projects involve offering information that can be quite valuable and may not be available to the researcher. One of the main disadvantages is that by the time the research has been completed, the information may be out of date of the response rate the researcher has received might have been poor.

Primary research tends to be more reliable as it tends to be more truthful and realistic whereas secondary research tends to be made up for the sake of it or complete lies meaning you will be giving you audience false information breaking your trust barrier with them.

Secondary Research - Also known as desk research
This is collected by others. You can find this type of research by reading books, looking on the internet of asking an expert. There are many different advantages to using secondary research such as that is really easy to access. All you have to do is visit a library to use your own computer. It doesn't cost anything to do this research but if it does, it will cost very little meaning that this information is less inconvenient when it comes to money to carry out. Advantages always come with disadvantages but secondary research doesn't have many. The quality of the research will vary depending on where you get it from. Some websites might be telling the truth but then others may be lying or making it up. This means you may be giving out false data to your audience when presenting a television programme or a film. Some of the research methods suggested to you might not be as useful as you thought meaning you have wasted time looking for it. When using information from books and the internet, you have to be careful about the date it was published as it may be out of date meaning it is not true.

What is the purpose of research?

The main purpose of research is to help plan and gather information on a certain topic before carrying it out. Research is conducted to prove or disprove a hypotheses or to learn new facts about a specific subject. Research also helps you prove or disprove something adding support to your argument. It also comes in handy when you are trying to monitor a situation and also assessing it. If you have to develop a model of a a situation, it would be easy to complete as you will already have all the information you need.

Why is research needed?
Research is needed for many reasons but some of the main ones are to be able to learn new facts and figures. This can help when trying to pitch an idea or have an argument with someone. Linking into why research is needed, it is used a lot when supporting an argument, giving you a strong corner to fight. It also helps when it comes to having to prove something is correct or disprove something giving the viewers a true insight to what is being said.

Who needs it?
A list of main people that will need research is below;
- Book authors; so that their books are as truthful as possible
- Scriptwriters for documentaries; meaning that their shows are real and not being made up meaning false information is given to the audience.
- Interviewers; they need the research to be able to conduct a strong interview with the interviewee.
- Interviewees; they need to be able to give strong knowledgable answers to the interviewer.

Who does the research?
In the film and TV industry, people are hired to perform research gaining more information for the programme or film so they are able to present it to their audiences. These people are sent out to conduct both primary and secondary research using various methods including surveys and interviews. After gathering the information, they then report back to the director and scriptwriter so they are then able to create an informative script for the production.

When researching for my own project where i had to create a 20 minute news programme, i completed a lot of research including using different websites to gather information and also as a group i went and spoke to different members of the public gathering information from the publics point of view. I found this quite easy as i have completed this type of research before during other projects.