What is it? Research conducted by gathering and reviewing data from existing source 

When is it best used? When you want to gain an understanding about any topic - including but not exclusively product, market, audience, company, organization, competitor, regions, cultures, history, origins, etc., of any subject and data already exists that can inform understanding or perspective. It is often a beneficial first step to become more familiar with a topic, before or in lieu of primary research. It is widely used for many purposes, including in a competitive analysis or market audit.

What does it entail? Defining the scope of the topic, the search criteria and sources to be explored. These might include many sources on the internet such as blogs, magazine articles, websites, big data, social media listening, product reviews, etc., as well as previous primary research studies, text books, podcasts, historical records, museums, libraries, testimonials, other media sources, government and syndicated data, etc. Most secondary research can be conducted while sitting at a desk and therefore is also known as “desk research”.

Use in a sentence: We conducted secondary research about our competitors’ products by reviewing their websites, recent articles and published reports on the industry to provide background information to help us better design our primary research study.

Related terms: Primary research, qualitative research, quantitative research, market research, literature review, competitive analysis

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