This document discusses various methods for collecting primary and secondary data. It outlines several methods for collecting primary data, including observation, interviews, questionnaires, schedules, warranty cards, audits, consumer panels, and mechanical devices. It also discusses some key advantages and disadvantages of each primary data collection method. Additionally, the document notes that secondary data can come from published sources like government publications, journals, and reports, as well as unpublished sources from individuals and organizations. Researchers must carefully evaluate whether secondary data is suitable for their specific research needs.

1. Methods of Data Collection
Ravindra J. Mandale
Assistant Professor
Department of CSE, RIT

2. Contents
 Types of data
 Methods of primary data collection
 Methods of secondary data collection

3. Types of Data
 Types of data:
 Primary data-
-data which are collected afresh
 Secondary data-
-data which have already been available

4. Methods of primary data collection
 Observation method
 Interview method
 Questionnaires
 Schedules
 Warranty cards
 Distributor or store audits
 Pantry audits
 Consumer panels
 Use of mechanical devices

5. Methods of primary data collection
1) Observation method
 Used in studies relating to behavioral sciences
 Information is collected by investigator’s own
observation without asking from the respondent. eg.
study relating to consumer behavior.
 Advantages
 Subjective bias is eliminated
 Information relates to what is currently happening; it
is not complicated by either past behavior or future
intentions.
 Limitations
 Expensive
 Provided information is very limited
 Unforeseen factors may interfere with the
observational task.

6. Methods of primary data collection
 Observation method
 Types
i) Uncontrolled
 Observation takes place in the natural setting
ii) Controlled
 Observation takes place according to definite
pre-arranged plans involving experimental
procedures
 Carried out in labs.

7. Methods of primary data collection
2) Interview method
 It involves presentation of oral-verbal talks
and reply in terms of oral-verbal responses.
 Two types
a) Personal interview
b) Telephone interview

8. Methods of primary data
collection
 a) Personal interview
 Two parties: interviewer and
interviewee(respondents)
 Usually the interviewer initiates the interview and
collects the information.
 Direct personal investigation
 Eg. HR interview
 Indirect oral investigation
 Eg. Commissions or committees appointed by Govt.
 Structured interview
 Involve the use of a set of predetermined questions
and standard technique of recording information
 Unstructured interview
 Do not follow a set of predetermined questions and
standard technique of recording information

9. Methods of primary data
collection
 Merits:
 More information and in greater depth can be
obtained
 Non-response generally remains very low
 Personal information can be easily obtained under
this method
 Demerits:
 Expensive method
 More time consuming when the sample is large
 There remains the possibility of the bias of
interviewer as well as that of respondent; there also
remains the headache of supervision and control of
interviewers.

10. Methods of primary data collection
b) Telephone interview
 Conducted on telephone itself
 Not a very widely used method but plays important role in
industry surveys.
 Merits:
 It is faster than other methods i.e. a quick way of obtaining
information
 It is cheaper than personal interview method
 High rate of response than mailing method
 No field staff is required
 Demerits:
 Method is restricted to respondents who have telephone
facilities
 Possibility of the bias is more

11. Methods of primary data collection
iii) Questionnaires
- Quite popular and particularly used in big enquiries
- Adopted by private individuals, research workers,
private and public organizations and by
governments.
- In this, a questionnaire is sent(by post) to the
persons concerned with a request to answer the
questions and return the questionnaire.
- Sometimes questionnaire is mailed to respondents
who are expected to read and understand the
questions and write down the reply in the space
provided in the questionnaire itself.
Eg. Alumni survey by CSE
This method is extensively used in business and
economic surveys.

12. Methods of primary data collection
 Merits:
 Low cost even when the universe is very large and
is widely spread geographically.
 Respondents have enough time to give well thought
answers
 It is free from the bias of the interviewer; answers
are in respondents own words
 Demerits:
 Low rate of return of the duly filled in questionnaire
 It can be used only when respondents are educated
and cooperating
 The control over questionnaire is lost once it is sent.
 Slowest of all

13. Methods of primary data collection
iii) Schedules (proforma containing a set of
questions)
- Very much like to the questionnaire with little
difference is that schedules are being filled in by the
enumerators who are specially appointed for the
purpose.
- These enumerators along with schedules, go to the
respondents, put to them the questions from the
proforma in the order the questions are listed and
record the replies in the space meant for the same in
the proforma.
- Expensive but fairly reliable.
- Conducted by government eg. Population survey

14. Methods of primary data collection
5) Warranty cards
- Are postal sized cards used by dealers to collect
information about their products.
- The information is printed in the form of questions on
the card which is placed inside the package along
with the product with a request to consumer to give
answers and post it back to the dealer.
6) Distributor or store audits
- Are performed by distributor through their salesman
at regular interval
- Distributor collect the information to estimate the
market size, market share, etc.
- Data is collected based inventories on hand by
observation

15. Methods of primary data collection
7) Pantry audits
 Objectives is to find out what types of consumers
buy certain product’s and certain brands
 In this, the investigators collects an inventory of
types, quantities and prices of commodities
consumed.
8) Consumer panels
 An extension of the pantry audits on a regular basis,
where a set of consumers are arranged to come to
maintain detailed daily records of their consumption
and same is made available to investigator on
demands.

16. Methods of primary data collection
9) Use of mechanical devices
 Widely made to collect information by way of indirect
means.
 Eye camera, motion picture camera and audiometer
used by modern big business houses.
 Eye cameras are used to record the focus of eyes of
a respondent on a specific portion of a sketch or
diagram or written material. Such an information is
useful in designing advertising material.

17. Methods of secondary data collection
 May either be published or unpublished data.
Published data are available in -
 Various publications of central, state governments
 Various publications of foreign governments or
international bodies
 Technical and trade journals
 Books, magazines and newspapers
 Reports prepared by research scholars, universities,
economics, etc.
 Public reports and statistics, historical documents
Unpublished data are available in -
 Diaries, letters, unpublished biographies and may be
available with scholars and research workers, trade
associations and other public/private individuals and
organizations.

18. Methods of secondary data
collection
 Researcher must be very careful in using secondary
data.
 He must make a scrutiny because it is possible that
the secondary data may be unsuitable or may be
inadequate in the context of the problem which the
researcher wants to study.

19. Thank you