Secondary Research Sources
What is Secondary Research?
Secondary research uses information that already exists — material gathered, written, or produced by someone else. Rather than going out and collecting fresh data yourself, you consult existing sources such as books, websites, or TV programmes to find information relevant to your project.
Secondary research is generally faster and cheaper to carry out than primary research because the hard work of data collection has already been done. The trade-off is that the information may not be perfectly matched to your specific project, and you have less control over how reliable or up to date it is.
Books and Journals
Books and journals are written publications that explore topics in depth. Books cover a wide range of subjects — from the history of advertising to the technical aspects of film production — while journals are academic or professional publications that present research findings and expert analysis.
A media producer researching the history of a particular advertising style, for example, might turn to an industry book to understand how that style evolved over time. Journals are particularly valuable when you need well-referenced, credible information on a specific subject.
Advantages: information is typically well-researched and credible; books and journals cover topics in considerable depth; useful for historical or contextual background.
Disadvantages: information can become outdated, especially in a fast-moving industry; not every topic has a relevant book available; access to academic journals can be restricted or costly.
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