Which of the following is not a primary research method?

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Multiple Choice

Which of the following is not a primary research method?

The key idea here is distinguishing methods that collect new data directly for your study from sources that compile information that already exists. Primary research methods involve gathering fresh data from people or sources specifically for your research. Focus groups, interviews, and online surveys all fit this, because you design and execute them to obtain new insights or measurements for your project. Newspapers do not involve collecting new data for your study. They report information that was gathered by journalists or other researchers, making them a secondary data source. You might use newspaper articles to provide context or background, or analyze them to study media coverage, but they aren’t a method you use to generate your own original data.

The key idea here is distinguishing methods that collect new data directly for your study from sources that compile information that already exists. Primary research methods involve gathering fresh data from people or sources specifically for your research. Focus groups, interviews, and online surveys all fit this, because you design and execute them to obtain new insights or measurements for your project.

Newspapers do not involve collecting new data for your study. They report information that was gathered by journalists or other researchers, making them a secondary data source. You might use newspaper articles to provide context or background, or analyze them to study media coverage, but they aren’t a method you use to generate your own original data.

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