Literature Review of the Essentials of Secondary and Tertiary Data

Review of literature resources is an important and essential process in development of any research study. Understanding the difference and effectiveness of each type of literary resource will help to answer research questions or test a hypothesis. The three different types of literature resources are primary, secondary, and tertiary. Most new researchers are familiar with primary resources, were the researcher gathers information and data directly from their recruited subjects (Garrard, 2007). When the context is vague, secondary and tertiary resources often get grouped together (Garrard, 2007). The purpose of this paper will be to effectively distinguish secondary and tertiary resources, identify the advantages and disadvantages, how and where to access this data, proper storage and filing once giving access rights, and data ownership.
Distinguishing Secondary from Tertiary Data
 Secondary data is data accessed by a researcher outside of the original study. They then produce their own analysis and interpretation, different than the original (Garrard, 2007; Tantawi, 2017). For example, instead of a researcher conducting a questionnaire about patient satisfaction, the data collected by a hospital is used to answer their own hypothesis about patient satisfaction. U.S. Census and Center for Disease Control National Database for Health Statistics as examples of larger public access secondary data sources.

Get Help With Your Essay
If you need assistance with writing your essay, our professional essay writing service is here to help!
Essay Writing Service

Don't use plagiarized sources. Get Your Custom Essay on
Literature Review of the Essentials of Secondary and Tertiary Data
Just from $13/Page
Order Essay

Tertiary data is a collection of primary and secondary data that is filtered and analyzed together. A tertiary resource is of value to a researcher in that it can group information into one database or one article, can lead the researcher to significant primary and secondary resources and datasets, can analyze larger quantities of research studies or research data that are related to one another, and can assist in referencing a comprehensive article or dataset gathered by another researcher (Garrard, 2007). For example, by locating systematic reviews in the Cochrane Library Database, the authors of these articles have already gathered primary and secondary sources and data into one location based on a similar topic. Most systematic review studies will have inclusion and exclusion criteria in their methods and will filter works that do not meet a specific standard. A meta-analysis is another example of tertiary data collection and is defined by pooling statistics systematically from journal articles (Garrard, 2007). 
Advantages and Disadvantages of Secondary and Tertiary Data Sources
The use of secondary data sources has a variety of advantages. These include peer reviews that insure quality, expert perspective and insight. Secondary data collection can be more financial and labor efficient than going through the planning and execution of your own research intervention and data analysis (Tantawi, 2017). Disadvantages of secondary research is that there is no control over the quantitative component (experiment) or a qualitative component (survey questions). This is seen more in qualitative data in which an author may not have described the survey methods or structured the question appropriate leaving too much subjective bias in the data (Tantawi, 2017; Irwin, 2013).
There is value in using tertiary data. When first starting the literary review process, tertiary data sources offer quick and easy access to enormous amounts of digitalized information that can be gather and deposited into one database (Garrard, 2007). For example, statistical compendiums like the Annual Disability Statistics Compendium. The disadvantage to using tertiary data is that it may be over simplistic or misrepresent information. Relying on tertiary data may result in loosing insight into the research topic (Garrard, 2007).
Data Access and Management
The collection and use of secondary data can be defined as published or unpublished and also defined as private and public (Tantawi, 2017; Tripathy, 2013) Published secondary data can be collected from government and federal databases, like Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). Secondary data can also be collected from published journal articles and scientific reports. An example of unpublished sources wound be a university professor’s correspondence. Care must be taken when evaluating the quality of the data, including a check for reliability, validity, bias, and appropriateness for answering a researcher’s hypothesis (Tripathy, 2013; Bevan, et al., 2013).  
Having access to protocols methods via permission from the primary researchers is essential in determining adequacy of the data. Having access permissions to the raw dataset is what allows for the secondary researchers to perform their own analysis on the original data (Tripathy, 2013; Irwin, 2013). In addition, if informed consent signed by the subject did not included access of their personal information or private health information by anyone other than the primary investor or co-investigator for the primary study, then the secondary data set may require the subject to consent again for secondary data access (Irwin, 2013; Heaton, 2008).

Find Out How UKEssays.com Can Help You!
Our academic experts are ready and waiting to assist with any writing project you may have. From simple essay plans, through to full dissertations, you can guarantee we have a service perfectly matched to your needs.
View our services

With tertiary data collections from systematic reviews, data is extracted into tables and compared to the research question by listing out descriptive characteristics of the studies. In a meta-analysis, comparable data is pooled into one summary statistic from similar studies. Computer software program can analyze the data into a confidence interval and are weighted based on population size of the contributing studies (Garrard, 2007).
Research data management involves collection, processing, storing, sharing, and ownership of research data throughout the life of the study and after the study ends. Data ownership pertains to who has the legal rights to the data and who retains the data after the study ends. It is important to understand who can possess and publish data. Ownership is dependent on funding, affiliations and sources of the research itself (Garrard, 2007; Office of Research Integrity, 2006). When there is a sponsoring university, the primary investigator becomes the steward for the data and can control if the data gets published and copyrights of any research contingent on review. A funding from federal grants, private sponsors, and non-profit associations may have stipulations on how the data will be used and retained. In the private sector, it is usually assumed that the data will belong to the business. Study subjects may also have an interest in the data being collected. Whether or not a subject can have access to their own data or a summarization of data analyzed from the study should be detailed out in the informed consent (Office of Research Integrity, 2006; Tripathy, 2013).
Data storage pertains to where and the amount of data to be stored so the methods can be reproducible. Using electronic data management storage is a low cost, easy way to archive data (Office of Research Integrity, 2006). Data storage security includes the use of encrypted serves, computers, and file with limited access by key study personnel. Some institutions use a data protection database software program, especially if the primary investigator cannot secure a locked office (Office of Research Integrity, 2006).
Conclusion
The literature review process is an essential component of a research study’s development. It is up to the research team to select appropriate resources (secondary or tertiary) and raw data to assist in answering their research question. Every researcher must make sure they consider the following when evaluating datasets: adequacy, reliability, and validity for answering the research question. In addition, there are ethical and legal standards for handling data. The research team should answer the following: Is the data open access or private? Does the data involve human subjects? Does the data de-identify human subject private information? Are there restrictions on the data’s use? Is a secondary informed consent required to access the data?
References

Garrard, J. (2007). Chapter 2: Basic Concepts. Health science literature review made easy: The matrix method (2nd ed., pp.30-32). Sudbury, MA: Jones and Bartlett Publishers.
Tantawi, R. (2017). Secondary data. Salem Press Encyclopedia. Retrieved from       Retrieved from http://prx-sa.lirn.net/login?url=http://search.ebscohost .com/login.aspx ?direct=true&db=ers&AN=90558446&site=eds-live.
Tripathy J. P. (2013). Secondary Data Analysis: Ethical Issues and Challenges. Iranian Journal of Public Health, 42(12), 1478-9.
Bevan, S. et al. (2013). Understanding selection bias, time-lags and measurement bias in secondary data sources: Putting the Encyclopedia of Associations database in broader context. Social Science Research, 42(6), 1750–64. Print.
Irwin, S. (2013). Qualitative secondary data analysis: Ethics, epistemology and context. Progress in Development Studies, 13(4), 295–306. Print.
Heaton, J. (2008). Secondary analysis of qualitative data: An overview. Historical Social Research, 33(3), 33-45.
Office of Research Integrity, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (2006). Guidelines for responsible data management in scientific research. Retrieved from https://ori.hhs.gov/education/products/clinicaltools/data.pdf

What Will You Get?

We provide professional writing services to help you score straight A’s by submitting custom written assignments that mirror your guidelines.

Premium Quality

Get result-oriented writing and never worry about grades anymore. We follow the highest quality standards to make sure that you get perfect assignments.

Experienced Writers

Our writers have experience in dealing with papers of every educational level. You can surely rely on the expertise of our qualified professionals.

On-Time Delivery

Your deadline is our threshold for success and we take it very seriously. We make sure you receive your papers before your predefined time.

24/7 Customer Support

Someone from our customer support team is always here to respond to your questions. So, hit us up if you have got any ambiguity or concern.

Complete Confidentiality

Sit back and relax while we help you out with writing your papers. We have an ultimate policy for keeping your personal and order-related details a secret.

Authentic Sources

We assure you that your document will be thoroughly checked for plagiarism and grammatical errors as we use highly authentic and licit sources.

Moneyback Guarantee

Still reluctant about placing an order? Our 100% Moneyback Guarantee backs you up on rare occasions where you aren’t satisfied with the writing.

Order Tracking

You don’t have to wait for an update for hours; you can track the progress of your order any time you want. We share the status after each step.

image

Areas of Expertise

Although you can leverage our expertise for any writing task, we have a knack for creating flawless papers for the following document types.

Areas of Expertise

Although you can leverage our expertise for any writing task, we have a knack for creating flawless papers for the following document types.

image

Trusted Partner of 9650+ Students for Writing

From brainstorming your paper's outline to perfecting its grammar, we perform every step carefully to make your paper worthy of A grade.

Preferred Writer

Hire your preferred writer anytime. Simply specify if you want your preferred expert to write your paper and we’ll make that happen.

Grammar Check Report

Get an elaborate and authentic grammar check report with your work to have the grammar goodness sealed in your document.

One Page Summary

You can purchase this feature if you want our writers to sum up your paper in the form of a concise and well-articulated summary.

Plagiarism Report

You don’t have to worry about plagiarism anymore. Get a plagiarism report to certify the uniqueness of your work.

Free Features $66FREE

  • Most Qualified Writer $10FREE
  • Plagiarism Scan Report $10FREE
  • Unlimited Revisions $08FREE
  • Paper Formatting $05FREE
  • Cover Page $05FREE
  • Referencing & Bibliography $10FREE
  • Dedicated User Area $08FREE
  • 24/7 Order Tracking $05FREE
  • Periodic Email Alerts $05FREE
image

Our Services

Join us for the best experience while seeking writing assistance in your college life. A good grade is all you need to boost up your academic excellence and we are all about it.

  • On-time Delivery
  • 24/7 Order Tracking
  • Access to Authentic Sources
Academic Writing

We create perfect papers according to the guidelines.

Professional Editing

We seamlessly edit out errors from your papers.

Thorough Proofreading

We thoroughly read your final draft to identify errors.

image

Delegate Your Challenging Writing Tasks to Experienced Professionals

Work with ultimate peace of mind because we ensure that your academic work is our responsibility and your grades are a top concern for us!

Check Out Our Sample Work

Dedication. Quality. Commitment. Punctuality

Categories
All samples
Essay (any type)
Essay (any type)
The Value of a Nursing Degree
Undergrad. (yrs 3-4)
Nursing
2
View this sample

It May Not Be Much, but It’s Honest Work!

Here is what we have achieved so far. These numbers are evidence that we go the extra mile to make your college journey successful.

0+

Happy Clients

0+

Words Written This Week

0+

Ongoing Orders

0%

Customer Satisfaction Rate
image

Process as Fine as Brewed Coffee

We have the most intuitive and minimalistic process so that you can easily place an order. Just follow a few steps to unlock success.

See How We Helped 9000+ Students Achieve Success

image

We Analyze Your Problem and Offer Customized Writing

We understand your guidelines first before delivering any writing service. You can discuss your writing needs and we will have them evaluated by our dedicated team.

  • Clear elicitation of your requirements.
  • Customized writing as per your needs.

We Mirror Your Guidelines to Deliver Quality Services

We write your papers in a standardized way. We complete your work in such a way that it turns out to be a perfect description of your guidelines.

  • Proactive analysis of your writing.
  • Active communication to understand requirements.
image
image

We Handle Your Writing Tasks to Ensure Excellent Grades

We promise you excellent grades and academic excellence that you always longed for. Our writers stay in touch with you via email.

  • Thorough research and analysis for every order.
  • Deliverance of reliable writing service to improve your grades.
Place an Order Start Chat Now
image

Order your essay today and save 30% with the discount code Happy