Art -- Design Research Methods

Primary research is any research that you conduct yourself.   Primary research includes both quantitative and qualitative research.

Examples of primary research are:

• Surveys and; Questionnaires
• Interviews
• Observations
• Ethnographic Research
• Focus Groups

The Online Writing Lab (OWL) at Purdue University has a very useful guide for primary research.

• What is primary research and how do I get started?
• Ethical Considerations in Primary Research
• Common Pitfalls of  Primary Research
• Analyzing Your Primary Data
• Interviewing
• Surveying
• Interview and Survey Questions
• Observing
• Analysis

Secondary research uses data that has already been compiled and formatted. 

Examples of secondary research are:

• Internal Data -- data that has been collected by the researcher's organization
• External Data -- data that has been collected by an outside group or organization
  • Government or non-governmental organizations
  • Company reports and research
  • Textbooks and research journals
  • Media stories in newspapers
  • Online journals

See Using Multidisciplinary Databases and Database and Research Help