Indirect Data Sources

 Advantage

🔵It may allow a larger set of data to be examined using less time and money 

than direct data collection would require. 

🔵It allows data to be gathered from subjects to whom the data gatherer does not have physical access. 

🔵A larger sample size can be used… 

…direct data gathering could have limitations due to the availability of the 

people being interviewed… 

…using indirect data sources the sample could be increased giving rise to 

greater confidence in the findings. 

🔵There is a relatively low cost as travelling expenses and time taken to collect  data using a direct data source can be great. 

🔵Information can be of a higher quality as data collected indirectly has 

already been collated and grouped into meaningful categories. 

🔵Poorly written responses to questionnaires or interview transcripts do not 

have to be read through to create the data source

Disadvantages

🔴The various purposes for which data was collected originally may be 

different to the purpose of the current research… 

…so unnecessary data may need to be filtered out. 

🔴There may be no data available as the data required has simply never been 

recorded. 

🔴There may be sampling bias as data from only one section of the community  may have been collected (and data from a representative cross section of  the community may be required). 

🔴There may be coding difficulties… 

…as different sources being used means there will be differences in the 

content. 

…as there may be a lack of standardisation across the data required. 

…as different sources will have different amounts of data. 

🔴If it has already been coded the coding may be difficult to understand. 

🔴Indirect data sources may also vary in reliability, depending on who 

collected the data and how old the data are.