What is Desk Research? Sources, Advantages And how to conduct it
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Desk Research involves gathering information from ancient records, statistical data collections, government data, academic publications, etc.
Basically, it requires gathering information from existing sources. The information can be collected without leaving one’s desk.
Fieldwork is not involved. Resources spent only include phone bills, telephone directories, and people’s time. That is why it is believed to be a cost-intensive approach. It is also referred to as Secondary Research.
Sources of Desk Research
1. Data Collected Online
The advantage of online data is that it costs little to no money to gather. It is also time-intensive. It can be accessed with a few clicks.
Firms can collect a lot of data for their business from websites. However, it is best to rely only on verified and authentic websites for this.
2. Government and Non-government Organizations
Information can be collected from organizations that the government runs. Example- A lot of useful data is stored by Small Business Development Centers, US Census Bureau, and US Government Printing Office Data.
3. Libraries
Public libraries contain a lot of documents and information. They contain copies of studies that have already been carried out.
This makes them valuable sources of information for secondary research.
4. Universities, Colleges, and Schools
There are a lot more researches conducted in universities than by businesses. Therefore, they gather a lot of information for primary research.
These are often not taken into account by firms. However, if they wish, these institutions are open to them and can access data.
5. Commercial Information Sources
Commercial sources have the advantage of getting good primary data on many things. They track demographic segmentation, market research, political agenda, economic developments, etc.
6. Using Google Search
Just looking things up on Google can be an advantageous way to begin an inquiry. Google Search connects people to many white papers, reports, blogs, and articles.
Many subjects can be investigated quickly and easily. In addition, it might help inform people who are still trying to figure out what information they need.
7. Market Research Analysis
The market research analysis is also called a multi-client report. These reports are made by businesses that specialize in conducting market studies.
There are 30,000 plus reports of this kind. These are significantly better than the ones privately carried out by firms. Moreover, a large variety of subjects are studied in these reports.
How to conduct Desk Research?
1. The researcher must find out what is to be studied
The person(s) carrying out the research must know what is being studied. After that, the goals of the research and its characteristics must be decided.
2. Find out the sources
A list of information sources has to be made and filtered. The sources must have information that is needed for the research. The researcher must find the most relevant sources.
3. Gather information that is already out there
This happens after sources are identified. It is essential to see if there is already relevant data available. There are many possible data sources.
Advantages of Desk Research
1. Saves Time
Readily accessible data also means it takes less time to carry out Secondary Research. It could be done in a matter of a week or a few. It is subject to the information volume and purpose of the research.
2. Lower Cost
Easily accessible data means not a lot of time or money is needed for this. Reliable sources only need a token amount for the data they offer.
3. Pilot Testing
Firms get a summary of primary researches through secondary research. Firms can guess how much resources will be needed to conduct their own primary research. This helps them decide whether it is worth it or not.
4. Easier Access
Data for the secondary research is easy to access. It does not have to be gathered from the beginning like in primary research. Multiple sources can provide this information.
Disadvantages of Desk Research
1. Lack of Updation
Secondary data might be old and not relevant anymore. In addition, secondary sources might not keep their data up to date with the present.
2. Dependant on Primary Research
Secondary research depends greatly on good primary research data. Therefore, the research carried out by primary sources has a good impact on how good the secondary research is.
This video is on Desk Research and it has the following sub-topics.
Time Stamps
0:00 Introduction to Desk Research
0:15 What is Desk Research?
0:44 Sources of Desk Research
3:00 How to conduct Desk Research?
4:04 Secondary (Desk) Research vs. Primary Research
5:02 Advantages of Desk Research
5:51 Disadvantages of Desk Research