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CJ 3170: Criminal Justice Research Methods - Prof. Hiropoulos Ramatlhodi

This is a class guide for students in CJ 3170: Criminal Justice Research Methods with Prof. Hiropoulos Ramatlhodi. Find follow-up resources here after each Library session.

Secondary Data

Secondary data is information that has already been collected by someone else for a different purpose, but you can use it for your own research.

In other words, instead of going out and gathering new data yourself (called primary data), you use data that already exists.

Primary vs Secondary Data

Feature Primary Data Secondary Data
Who Collects it? You (the researcher) Someone else
Purpose Collected for your specific study Originally collected for another reason
Example Conducting surveys or interviews Using government census data
Time & Cost Takes more time and funding Usually quicker and cheaper

Advantages of Secondary Data

  • Saves time and money – You don’t have to collect it yourself.
  • Large scale – Often covers large populations or long time periods.
  • Easier access – Many sources are public or available online.

Disadvantages of Secondary Data

  • May not fit your exact research question – Because it was collected for another purpose.
  • Quality issues – You didn’t collect it yourself, so you can’t control accuracy.
  • Can be outdated – Some data might not reflect current situations.

APA Citations for Data Sets

Reference List Example:

O’Donohue, W. (2017). Content analysis of undergraduate psychology textbooks (ICPSR 21600; Version V1) [Data set]. ICPSR. https://doi.org/10.3886/ICPSR36966.v1

 

In-Text Examples:

Parenthetical citation: (O’Donohue, 2017)
Narrative citation: O’Donohue (2017)

Subjects: Criminal Justice