Data collection and it sources

Introduction:
Data plays an important role in research. Fact information or premises systematically collected and formally presented for the purpose of drawing inferences may be called data. Statistical information collected, complied and presented for the purpose of establishing relationships between variables can be included in the data. There are two types of data, namely primary and secondary. The primary data are those, which are collected afresh and for the first time., and therefore it happens to be original in character. The secondary data are those which have already been collected by someone else and which have already been passed through the statistical process. The researcher has to decide which type of data is appropriate for his study accordingly he should select one or more method of data collection. A researcher being the task of data collection after the research problem has been defined and the research design is prepared. The researcher has to decide which type of data he would using for his study and accordingly has to select the method of data. For that he should first explore the secondary data available from various sources and examine the possibility of using it for his study. This is called survey of literature. In several cases, he will find the secondary data inadequate, outdated and unusual and hence realize the need for collecting primary data.

Sources of data
There are different sources of collection of data. This is the first stage in statistics. Before deciding the source to collect the data one has to make a proper planning of investigation and the purpose of inquiry. Following are the various sources of collection of data.

Sources of Data

Internal

External

Primary

Secondary

 Internal
A large number of individual organizations and government department generate the data as their regular function which is the internal information. They gather this information for printing regular reports for their own purpose. Internal data may be available in the organization about sales, production salary, wage, profit, dividends, etc. Such data re always available in the books of the organization which are compile and sent to management for future planning. Government department i.e. Railways, Social Welfare, Education etc.

External
Information collected from outside agencies is called external data which can be obtains from primary source or secondary source. This type of information can be collected by census or sample method by conducted surveys and investigations.

 Primary data
We collect the primary data during the course of doing experiments in an experimental research but in case we do research of the descriptive type and perform surveys, then we can obtain primary data either through observation or through direct communication with respondents in one form or another or through personal interviews. It refers to first hand information which is collected to solve a special problem. Advantages: 1. Provide First Hand Information: it is collected directly from the respondent. The info can be collected through various method-S-O-E.but the secondary data is second hand data collected from publish or readily available sources. 2. In Depth Information: the researcher can collect in depth info relating to the research problem. the researcher can get detailed information with the help of projective techniques. The researcher can cross- question the respondent and obtain in depth information. 3. Reliable Information: the primary data is reliable. The researcher can check the reliability of the data. It is collected first hand. Latest data is collected from the respondent. But in the case of secondary data, it may not be reliable, as it can be outdated. 4. Accurate Data: the data collected from primary sources is more accurate. The researcher can check the accuracy of the data at the time of interviews. He can check the accuracy by cross questioning the respondent, wherever required.

5. Specific Data: the researcher can collect specific data relating to the problem. But in case of secondary data, the researcher may get general data, and he may have to put extra efforts to get specific data. Relating to the problem. Quite often, specific data may not be available through secondary sources. 6. Supplements Secondary Data: the researcher may try to solve the problem with the help of secondary data. However, if secondary data is not sufficient, he will collect the required data from the primary sources. Thus primary data supplements the secondary data. 7. Enhance The Quality of research work: The primary data enhance the research work, as it is more accurate, reliable and specific to the research problem. 8. Help in Formulation of Hypothesis: the use of documentary sources help in formulation of research hypothesis. When an investigator has more than one hypotheses in hand, primary data supports the selection of correct hypothesis.

 Methods of primary data collection

A) Observation Method B) Survey/Interview Method C) Experimentation Method D) Questionnaires method E) Schedules method

A. Observation Method:
The observation method is the most commonly used method specially in studies relating to behavioural sciences. In a way we all observe things around us, but this short of observation is not scientific observation. Observation become a scientific tool and the method of data collection for the researcher, when it serves a formulated research purpose, is systematically planned and recorded and is subjected to check and controls on validity and reliability. Under the observation method, the information is sought by way of investigators own direct observation without asking from the respondent, may himself look at the watch. Advantages There is no respondent bias. The respondent are not interviewed. They are only observed, and they may not be aware that they are observed. The information obtained under this method relates to whatisd currently happening; it is not complicated either by past behavior or future intenses or attitude.
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First hand information about people/customers reactions. This method is independent or respondents willingness to respond and as such is relatively less demanding of active cooperation on the part of respondents as happen to be the case in the interview or the questionnaire method. This method is particularly suitable in studies which deal with subjects(i.e., respondents) who are not capable of giving verbal reports of their feelings for one reason or the other,

The information collected is reliable and accurate, because the info is collected at the point of action or reaction.

Disadvantages: Time consuming as lot of time is required for observing the action/reaction of the people under study. It is expensive method, as competent and trained staff is require to record the observation of the subjects under study. In depth interviewing is not possible, and therefore, the researcher may not get complete information. There may be bias of the researcher, as he may record certain observations as per his own judgment or feelings. Sometimes unforeseen factor may interface with the observational task. At times, the fact that some people are rarely accessible to direct observation creates obstacle for this method to collect data effectively.

While using this method the researcher should keep in mind things like: What should be observed? How the observation should be recorded? Or how the accuracy of observation can be ensured? In case the observation is characterised by a careful definition of the unit to be observed, the style of recording the observed information, standardised conditions of observation and the selection of pertinent data of observation then the observation is called as structured observation. But when observation is to take place without this characteristics to be thought of in advance, the same is termed as unstructured observation. Structured observation is considered appropriate in descriptive studies, whereas in an exploratory study the observational procedure is most likely to be relatively unstructured. Sometimes we talk of controlled and uncontrolled observation. If the observations take place in the natural setting, it may be termed as uncontrolled observation, but when observation take place according to definite pre- arranged plans, involving experimental procedure, the same is then termed control observation. In non controlled observation, no attempt is made to use precision instruments. The major aim of this type of observation is to get a spontaneous picture of life and persons it has a tendency to supply naturalness or completeness of behavior, allowing sufficient time for observing it. But in controlled observation, we use mechanical instruments as aids to accuracy and standardization.

B. Survey/Interview method
The survey can be census survey or sample survey. In case of census survey, the entire universe is contacted to collect the data. For example, a survey on job satisfaction of doctor is government hospitals in the city of Mumbai, then each and every doctor in government hospital in Mumbai will be contacted and accordingly the data will be collected. But because of limitation of time, and money, it may be not possible to contact each and every doctor , and therefore, the researcher may adopt sample survey method.in sample survey method, only a part of the universe is selected to collect the data. But the sample should be so select that it represents the universe. The interview method of collecting data involves presentation of oral-verbal stimuli and reply in oral-verbal response. This method can be used through personal interviews can be personal interviews, - telephone interviews or- mail interviews.

Merits More information and that too in greater depth can be obtained. Interviewer by his own skill can overcome the resistance, if any, of the respondents; the interview method can be made to yield and almost perfect sample of the general population. There is greater flexibility under this method as the opportunity to restructure questions is always there, specially in case of unstructured interviews. Observation method can as well be applied to recording verbal answer to various questions. Personal information can as well be obtained easily under this method.
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Samples can be controlled more effectively as there arises no difficulty of the missing returns; non-response generally remains very low.

The interviewer can usually control which person(s) will answer the questions.this is not possible to mailed questionnaire approach. If so desired, group discussion may also be held.

The interviewer can catch the informant off-guard and thus may secure the most spontaneous reaction than would be the case if mailed questionnaire is used.

The language of the interview can be adopted to the ability or educational level of the person interviewed and as such misinterpretation concerning question can be avoided.

The interviewer can collect supplementary information about the respondents personal characteristics and environment which is often of great value in interpreting results.

Demerits It is a very expensive method especially when large and widely spread geographical sample is taken. There remains the possibility of the bias of interviewer as well as that of the respondent; there also remain the headache of supervision and control of interviewers. Certain type of respondents such as important officials or executive or people in high income group may not be easily approachable under this method and to the extent the data may prove inadequate.

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This method is relatively more-time-consuming, specially when the sample is large and re-call upon the respondents are necessary.

The presence of the interviewer on the spot may over stimulate the respondent, sometimes to the extent that he may give imaginary information just to make the interview interesting.

Under the interview method the organization required for selecting , training and supervising the field-staff is more complex with formidable problems.

Interviewing at time may also introduce systematic errors. Effective interview presupposes rapport with respondents that would facilitate free and frank responses. This is often a very difficult requirement.

Personal interviews:
Personal interview method requires a person knows as the interviewer asking questions generally in a face to-face contact to the person or another person.it is a face to face interaction between the interviewer and the respondent. The interviewer may ask the question, and the respondent accordingly responds. There are various type of personal interviewer.

Direct and indirect interviews- in the case of direct personal investigation the interviewer has to collect the information personally from the source concerned.he has to be the spot and meet people from whom data have to be collected.

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This method is particularly suitable for intensive investigations. But in certain cases, it may not be possible or worthwhile to contact directly the persons concerned or on the account of the extensive scope of enquiry, the direct personal examination can be conducted under which the interviewer has to cross- examine other person who are supposed to have knowledge about the problem under investigation and the information, thus obtain is recorded. Most of the commission and committees appointed by government to carry on investigation make use of this method. Structured and unstructured the method of collecting information through personal interviews is usually carried out in a structured way. As such we called the interviews as structured interviews. Such interviews involve the use of set of predetermined questions and of highly standardized techniques of recording. Thus, the interviewer in a structure interviews follow a rigid procedure laid down, asking question in a form and order prescribed. As again it, the unstructured interviews are characterized by a flexibility of approach to questioning. Unstructured interviews do not follow a system of predetermined question and standardized techniques of recording information. In a non- structured interviews, the interviewer is allow much greater freedom to ask, in case of need, supplementary questions or at time he may even change the sequence of questions. He has relatively greater freedom while recording the response to include some expect and exclude others. But this sort of flexibility result in lack of comparability of one interview with another and the analysis of unstructured

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responses become much more difficult and time consuming and then that of the structure responses obtained in case of structured interviews. Unstructured interviews also demand deep knowledgeand greater skill on the part of the interviewer. Unstructured interview however, happens to be the central technique of collecting information in case of exploratory or formulative research studies. Formal and informal- in formal interviews certain formalities are followed such a prior appointment of the interviewee. In informal interview, the interviewer may not follow formalities in data collection. Individual and group-in individual interview, only one person is interviewed at a time, and in a group interview, several respondent may be ask question at the same time and at the same place. Telephone interviews: It is a method of conducting interview by telephoning the respondents. A series of questions are asked on phone and the answer are recorded. It is a very popular method extensively used in western countries. Mail survey: It is another method of data collection. A questionnaire is prepared containing a list of questions to solicit information from selected respondent. This questionnaire is sent through post or advertised a newspaper or magazine, explaining the purpose of the questionnaire and a request to complete and return it to the respondent wherever possible to encourage the respondents to promptly send the answer.

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C. Experimentation Method
The experimentation method is mostly used in the case of scientific research study. With the help of experimentation, the researcher may like to study the cause-effect relationship between two or more variables. The experimentation method can also be used in development of a new product. For instance, a firm may like to introduce fuel efficient bike or some other product. Therefore, R/D experiment may be required so as develop the fuel efficient product. The newly develop product may be subjects to trials before it is launch in the market.

Advantages of Experimentation Method It provides first hand information. It provide reliable and relevant informayion. The researcher may be in a position to develop new techniques/method.

Disadvantages of Experimentation Method It may be very expensive as lot of money may be required for experimentation. At times, lot of time and effort is required on the part of the researcher. The delay in results may generate frustration on the part of the researcher.

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D. Questionnaires method:
This method of data collection is quite popular, particularly in case of big enquiries. It is being adopted by private individuals, research workers, private and public organization and even by governments in this method a questionnaire is sent to the person concern with a request to answer the questions and return the questionnaire. A questionnaire consist of a number question printed or typed in a definite order on a form or a set of forms. The questionnaire is mailed to respondents who are expected to read and understand the questions and write down the respondents have advice reply in the space meant for the purpose of the questionnaire itself. The respondent has to answer the question on their own... The method of collecting data by mailing the questionnaires to respondents is most extensively employed in various economic and business surveys.

Merits There is low cost even when the universe is large and is widely spread geographically. It is free from the bias interviewer; answer are in respondents own word. Respondents have adequate time to give well thought out answers. Respondents, who are not easily approachable, can also be reached conveniently. Large samples can be made use of and thus the result can be made more dependable and reliable.

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 Demerits Low rate of return of the duly filled in questionnaires; bias due to no- response is often indeterminate. It can be used only when respondents are educated and cooperating. The control over questionnaire may be lost once it is sent. There is inbuilt inflexibility because of the difficulty of amending the approach once questionnaires have been dispatched. There is possibility of ambiguous replies or omission of replies altogether to certain questions; interpretations of omission are difficult. It is difficult to know whether willing respondents are truly representatives. This method is likely to be the slowest of all. Some general Rule for designing Questionnaires 1. Explain the purpose of the questionnaire to all participants. 2. Keep your questions as simple as possible. 3. Do not use jargon or specialist language. 4. Phrase each question so that only one meaning is possible. 5. Avoid vague, descriptive words, such as large and small. 6. Avoid asking negative questions as these are easy to misinterpret. 7. Only ask one question at a time. 8. Include relevant questions only. 9. Avoid questions which require participants to perform calculations 10. Avoid offensive questions or insensitive questions which could cause embarrassment

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11. Avoid asking difficult questions, e.g. where the respondent may struggle to answer (people hate to look stupid by not knowing the answer). 12. Keep your questionnaire as short as possible, but include all the questions you need to cover your purposes

Paper-pencil-questionnaires

Paper-pencil-questionnaires can be sent to a large number of people and saves the researcher time and money. People are more truthful while responding to the questionnaires regarding controversial issues in particular due to the fact that their responses are anonymous. But they also have drawbacks. Majority of the people who receive questionnaires don't return them and those who do might not be representative of the originally selected sample.

Mailed Questionnaires

A list of questions relating to the inquiry which is called schedule or questionnaire is prepared. The list of question provides a space for each answer. Schedules are sent to informants by post, with a request to answer an return it within a specified time. Such schedules generally have prepaid postage stamp affixed to it. If necessary, an assurance is given that the answer will be kept confidential. It is the most popular method use these days by individuals. The success of this method is opens on the co-operation that the information is prepaid to extend an the manner in which the questionnaire is drafted.

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 Merit 1. Large field can be studied by this method. We can use this method in cases where informants are spread over a wide geographical area. 2. This is not an expensive method. It is cheap as mailing cost is less than the cost of personal visits 3. We can obtain original data by this method. 4. It is free from the bias of the investigator as the information is given by the informants themselves.

Limitations 1. It is difficult to presume the cooperation on the part of the informants. They may fail to send back the schedules. 2. Schedules sent back by the informants may be incomplete or inaccurate and it may be difficult to verify the accuracy. 3. There may be delays in getting replies to the questionnaire. 4. This method can be use only when the informants are educated or literate, so that they return the questionnaires duly read, understood answered. There is a possibility of getting wrong results due to partial responses, and those who o answer may not include certain type of persons from whom the specific information is requires.

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 This method is suitable for the following situations: a. When it is compulsory by law to fill the questionnaire, e.g. government agencies compel banks and companies, etc. to supply information regularly to the government in a prescribed form. b. This method can be successful when the informants are educated.

Following are some suggestion for making this method more effective and successful a. Question should be simple and easy so that the informants may not find it a burden to answer them. b. Informants should not be required to spend for posting the questionnaires back therefore; prepaid postage stamp should be affixed. c. This method should be use in a large sample or wide universe. d. This method is proffered in such inquiries where it is compulsory by law to fill the schedule. Thus, there is little risk of non-response. e. The language of the schedule should be polite and should not hurt the sentiments of the informants.

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Questionnaire to be filled by enumerators Mailed questionnaire method poses a number of difficulties in collection of data. Generally, these filled questionnaire receive are incomplete inadequate an unrepresentative. The second alternative approach is to send trained investigators or enumerators to informants with standardize questionnaire which are to be filled in by the investigators. The investigators help the informants in recording their answer. The investigators should be honest, tactful and painstaking.

Merit 1. It can cover a wide area. 2. The results are not affected by personal bias. 3. True and reliable answer to difficult questions can be obtained through establishment of personal contact between the enumerators and the informant. 4. As the information is collected by trained an experience enumerators, it is reasonably accurate and reliable. 5. This method can be adopted in those cases also where the informants are illiterate. 6. Personal presence of investigator assures complete response an respondents can be persuade to give the answer to the questionnaire.

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 Limitations 1. It is an expensive method as compares to other method of primary collection of data, as the enumerators are require to be paid. 2. This method is time consuming since the enumerator is required to visit people spread out over a wide area. 3. This method needs the supervision of investigators enumerators. 4. Enumerators need to be trained. Without goo interview and proper training, most of the collected information is vague and may lead to wrong conclusions. 5. It needs a goo battery of investigators to cover the wide area of universe and therefore it can be use by bigger organization.

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E. Schedules
This method of data collection is very much like the collection of data through questionnaire, with little difference which lies in the fact that schedules are being filled in by the enumerators who are specially appointed for the purpose. These enumerators along with schedules, go to respondents, put to them the question from the proforma in the order the question are listed and record the replies in the space meant for the same in the proforma. In certain situations, schedules may be handed over to respondents and enumerators may help them in recording their answer to various questions in the said schedules. Enumerators explain the aims and objects of the investigation and also remove the difficulties which any respondent may feel in understanding the implication of a particular question or the definition or concept of difficult term. This method requires the selection of enumerators for filling up schedules or assisting respondents to fill up schedules and as such enumerators should be very carefully selected. The enumerators should be trained to perform their job well and the nature and scope of the investigation should be explained to them thoroughly so that they may well understand the implications of different question put in the schedule. Enumerator should be intelligent and must possess the capacity of cross examination in order to find out the truth. Above all they should be honest, sincere, and hardworking and should have patience and perseverance. This method of data collection is very useful in extensive enquiries and can lead to fairly reliable result. It is, however, very expensive and is usually adopted in investigations conducted by governmental agencies or by some big organisations. Population census all over the world is conducted through this method.

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 Secondary Data
The sources of information through documents concerning individuals and institutes are known as secondary or documentary sources. Secondary sources are those which are collected by some other agency and are use for further studies. It is not necessary to conduct special surveys an investigation. If the time or hassle of collecting your own data is too much, or the data collection has already been done, secondary data may be more appropriate for your research. There is no less validity with secondary data, but you should be well informed about how it was collected. Evaluation of Secondary Data

Because of the above mentioned disadvantages of secondary data, we will lead to evaluation of secondary data. Evaluation means the following four requirements must be satisfied:-

1. Availability- It has to be seen that the kind of data you want is available or not. If it is not available then you have to go for primary data. 2. Relevance- It should be meeting the requirements of the problem. For this we have two criterion:a. Units of measurement should be the same. b. Concepts used must be same and currency of data should not be outdated. 3. Accuracy- In order to find how accurate the data is, the following points must be considered: a. Margin of error should be examined; b. The dependability of the source must be seen. 4. Sufficiency- Adequate data should be available.

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 Advantages of Secondary data

1. It is economical. It saves efforts and expenses. 2. It is time saving. 3. It helps to make primary data collection more specific since with the help of secondary data, we are able to make out what are the gaps and deficiencies and what additional information needs to be collected. 4. It helps to improve the understanding of the problem. 5. It provides a basis for comparison for the data that is collected by the researcher Disadvantage of Secondary Data:-

1. One should not use the secondary data without care and precautions. As such, secondary data suffers from pitfalls and limitations as stated below: 2. No proper procedure is adopted to collect the data. 3. Sometimes, secondary data is influenced by the prejudice of the investigator. 4. Secondary data sometimes lacks standard of accuracy. 5. Secondary data may not cover the full period of investigation. 6. In some cases, it is very expensive (scanner data, e.g.) 7. You may have less control over how the data was collected. 8. There may be biases in the data that you don't know about. 9. Its answers may not exactly fit your research questions. 10. It may be obsolete data.

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Secondary data may be either Published or Unpublished Sources A. PUBLISHED SOURCES The various sources of published data are as under: a. Government publications: Different ministries and departments of central and state government regularity publish current information along with statistical data on a number of subjects. This information is quite reliable for related studies. b. Publications of international Organisations: We can obtain valuable international statistics from official publications of different international organization, like The Unite Nations Organisation, International Monetary Fund, World Bank, etc. c. Semi Official Publications: Local bodies such as Municipal Corporations, district Board, etc., publish periodical reports which give factual information about health, sanitation, birth, deaths, etc. d. Reports of Committees and Commissions: Various committees and commission are appointed by the central and state governments for some special study and recommendations. The reports of such committees and commissions contain valuable data. Some of reports are: Report of National Agricultural Commission.

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e. Private Publications : Journals and Magazines:

Journals and magazines are important public documents contain a wide variety of information which can be usefully utilizes in social research. Most of this information is very reliable. Newspapers:

Newspapers publish news, discussion on contemporary issues, reports of meetings and conferences, essays and articles on living controversies and the letter of the readers to the editors. All this is an important source of information for different kinds of research. The reliability of this information is very high. Other documents:

Besides these public documents, film, television, radio, public speeches, etc. are other important sources of information. They supply useful information about contemporary issues. The investigator, however, should be capable of sorting out the unreliable material advanced by these sources.

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B. UNPUBLISHED SOURCES Research institution, trade associations, universities, labour bureaus, research workers an scholars o collect data but they normally o not publish it. Apart from the above sources we can get the information from records and files of government and private offices. a. Diaries: Many of the more educated persons have a habit of writing diaries concerning their social relationship and life incidents. Similarly, some other persons daily write diaries to include the programme of the day. Then, some other persons o not write a diary daily but write only important incidents an deeper feelings an observations. b. Letters: Letters are often use by researchers as evidence in the study of the Polish Peasant. The authors Thomas and Znaniecki analysed 754 letters exchange between the pals in the USA and those in Poland. Most of the educated persons write a number of letters during the course of their lives. Letters are personal and very reliable. Therefore, they constitute one of the most reliable sources of information about interrelationship, such as friendship, love, marital affairs, family tensions etc. c. Memoirs: Some persons are interested in writing own memoirs of their travels, participation in wars, hunting expeditions, excavations, explorations etc. such memoirs provide useful information in social research. They have been acclaimed as very reliable historical documents concerning contemporary social, political and cultural conditions.
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Statistics in India
1. Government sources In every developing country it is necessary to collect statistical data concerning economics and social development. In India, attention has been paid in this direction in recent years. The chief government sources of collection of statistical data are as follows: a. Census of India : Census in India is undertaken once in every ecae. The last census was conducted in every decade. The last census was conducted in 1971. Census data collection is supervised by the Home Ministry. Data are gathered from all over the country. b. directorate of Economics an Statistics: This department is an important source of statistical data. It is under the Central Agriculture and Food Ministry. Data are collected from the whole country. The publication of these data is one through India (Monthly). c. Reserve Bank of India: This institution works under the finance Ministry. It preserves data concerning credit an finance,etc., through publication in the following magazines : Statistical Supplement (Weekly), Statistical Statement Relating to Cooperative Movement in India (Annual) d. Ministry of Commerce an Industry: This department collects and preserves data concerning trade and commerce. These data are published in Indian Trade journal.
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e. Ministry of Labour: This department collects statistics concerning average income, average working hours, employment and unemployment of skilled an unskilled labour in the country. All these data are published in Indian Labour Gazette, a monthly journal. f. Ministry of Railway: The Ministry of railway collects data on all India level and published them in the Traffic Survey. g. Ministry of Education: This department collects Statistical data about different aspect of education and publishes them in the Annual Journal of Education in India. h. Central Statistical Bureau; This department performs the important function of systematizing an coordinating the statistical data collected by various government departments. It also publishes them through different journals, magazines, booklets etc.

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2. Non Government Source: The non government source of collection and preservation of statistical data in India, are as follows: a. University Institutes: Today in India almost every big university has established some centers or institutes for collecting and preserving various types of statistical data published time to time. Some notable universities are Statistical Institute of Calcutta, Delhi School of Social Work. b. Trade Chambers: Different trades have their independent chambers which collect data concerning their particular trade. Besides such limited trade chambers, the All India Chamber of Commerce an Industry also collects an publishes various types of statistical data. c. Special Annual numbers; Many magazines and journals and weekly papers publish annual or periodical special numbers including data concerning different aspects of some particular problem. Such special numbers are very important sources of statistical data. d. Newspapers, magazines and Journals: Newspapers, Magazines and journals regularly publish reliable information and statistical data concerning their particular areas, or about the country as a whole.

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3. Personal Sources Some eminent scholars have published reports on their researches including important statistical data in different fields. Among the more important personal sources of statistical data may be mentioned Attitude Towards Family Planning in India by S.N.Agrwal, Nutrition in India by C. G. Pandit and Studies in Indian Public Finance by M.H.Gopal, etc.

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Distinguish Between Primary Data and Secondary Data

Primary data collected first hand is called primary data. Secondary data is collected from readily available sources such as publication

Primary data Collected through interview, experimentation an observation. Secondary data Is collected from internal sources such as companys record, and from external sources such as newspapers, magazines, government reports, industries report etc.

Primary data is data which has been collected by yourself, which is more reliable and up to date. Secondary data has been collected from a secondary source (Other people, business etc.) so it may not be valid or up to date.

Primary data analytics involves the ability to analyze data for the purpose by which it has been collected. Secondary data analytics involves identifying "secondary data sources" to solve a new problem and then the ability to re-purpose that data.

Primary data is a data which is created for the first time and there is no previous source available. Secondary data is a readily available data like data from trade directories, statistics from websites etc.
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Primary data To collected primary data, the researchers has to spend lot of time an effort. Secondary data can be collected from internal and external sources at a comparatively quicker pace.

Primary data involve a lot of paper work in respect of questionnaire, tabulation an analysis of data. Secondary data involves relatively less paper work, as the data readily available from published sources.

Primary data: There is a need for sampling in the case of primary data. It is not possible to collect data from entire universe. Secondary data: There is no question of sampling, as the researcher does not collect data by way of surveys or interviews.

Primary data: With the help of primary data, the quality of decision making may be enhance as the data collected is up to ate an first hand. Secondary data: The quality of decision making may be affected in the case of secondary sources, especially if the data are outdated an inaccurate.

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Conclusion
Data collection can be one through parimary sources or secondary sources. The primary data can be collected with the help of interview, observation an experiments. The secondary data can be collected from internal and external published sources. The researchers may collect the data either from a single source or from a combination of primary and secondary sources. The choice of methods depends on the nature of researchers. For instance, if the researcher adopts a casual approach, he may follow only secondary data. If the objective is to improve the quality of education in a particular university, then the researcher needs to adopt primary data collection method. He may have to get feedback from the students, teachers, industry (that employs the students) an other concerned. On the basis of feedback, necessary measure can be introduced to improve the quality of education. The researcher may also obtain secondary information from other quality universities from across the globe.

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BIBLIOGRAPHY

Research Methodology - G.R.Basotia K.K. Sharma Published by: Mangal deep Publications First Published: 1999

Research Methodology Michael Vaz G.K.Kalkoti Madhur Nair Published by: Manan Prakashan First edition: November 2003

Research Methodology methods and Techniques Published by: Wishwa Prakashan

www.managementparadise.com www.stattrek.com www.scribd .com

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