Social Sciences Research Methods - Secondary Data and Analysis

Flashcards covering the definitions, characteristics, and methodologies associated with secondary data analysis, official statistics, literature reviews, and big data.

Secondary Data

Data that has already been collected by someone else and is readily available for researchers to use, appearing in forms such as raw data or published summaries.

Documentary Data

Data originating from existing media, which can be written (e.g., diaries, reports) or non-written (e.g., videos, TV programs, recordings).

Census

A specific form of survey conducted by governments where participation is compulsory or obligatory, resulting in unique and excellent population coverage.

Continuous / Regular Surveys

Surveys that are repeated over time, either throughout the year or at regular intervals, such as annual health surveys.

Ad Hoc Surveys

One-off, highly specific surveys that can be conducted by researchers, organizations, or governments, and are often harder for other researchers to locate.

Multiple Source Secondary Data

A form of data created by combining different datasets together (documentary, survey, or a mix of both) before the researcher accesses them.

Official Statistics

Numerical information collected and used by governments and government agencies to make decisions regarding society and the economy.

Positivism (View on Statistics)

A theoretical perspective that favors official statistics because they support objective measurement, large-scale analysis, and the tracking of trends over time.

Interpretivism (View on Statistics)

A theoretical perspective that emphasizes the social construction of statistics, arguing they are shaped by institutional definitions and reporting practices rather than being neutral facts.

Administrative Purpose Problem

A limitation of official statistics where the data is collected for government administration rather than for a researcher's specific research question.

Meta-analysis

A form of systematic review that combines results from multiple quantitative studies to generate a single, stronger overall conclusion and estimate of effect magnitude.

Systematic Review

A review of clearly formulated questions using reproducible methods to identify, select, and critically appraise all relevant research (both published and unpublished).

Rapid Evidence Assessment (REA)

A structured and faster evidence review that uses rigorous searching but makes concessions in breadth and depth, typically completed in approximately $5-8$ weeks.

PICOC

A tool used for formulating focused research questions, standing for Population, Intervention, Comparison, Outcome, and Context.

Big Data

Large datasets that originated in the 1960s and '70s with the development of the relational database, characterized by high volume, velocity, and variety.

Volume (Big Data)

The amount of data received, which for some organizations might range from tens of terabytes to hundreds of petabytes of low-density, unstructured data.

Velocity (Big Data)

The fast rate at which data is received and acted upon, often involving real-time evaluation and streams that flow directly into memory.

Variety (Big Data)

The many types of data available, moving beyond traditional structured data to include unstructured and semi-structured types like text, audio, and video.