Dissertation: What is Primary Research?

Hello, this is Study Coach. I imagine that you have spent hours trying to make up your mind on what is the best topic to research. I know that some students will simply choose a topic because they believe that there are numerous researches on the particular topic. I think that it is better to choose a topic that you find interesting, remember that if you’re to do well you need to engage with the topic. For example, Safeguarding might be a popular topic, following reports on Jasmine Beckford, Victoria Climbie, Baby P and others, but if you find the topic too disturbing then it is better to choose another research area; the dissertation at undergraduate level will usually require you to write 7,000 – 8,000 words. 

PRIMARY or SECONDARY research

Once you have settled on a dissertation topic you will need to start thinking about the type of research you will be conducting. The assessment guidelines will stipulate whether you will be conducting a primary research study or doing secondary research. The term primary and secondary can be a bit confusing for some students, so firstly let’s take a look at what is mean’t by primary research. 

THE FIELD

If you have been instructed to carry out primary research, it means that you will be going out into the field, into the community to gather data. You will therefore be producing an original piece of work. Example of what is mean’t by ‘field’ = GP surgery, shopping mall, park, prison, library, private home, basically it is the research environment. If you were to sit in the library and gather data from students about attitudes towards Brexit, then the library is the field/environment, and you would be conducting Primary research. 

FURTHER EXAMPLE

Let’s say that you are studying for a media degree and that you are interested in how television programmes can impact on people’s lives. A certain character in a television programme is innocent of charge, but they have been given a custodial sentence. You are aware that many fans are deeply upset and have made their views known via social media and they have made complaints to the BBC. In regard to writing the dissertation you would like to hear from the television producer and writer about their perspective  on the public outcry. As student researcher you would need to make contact with the producer and writer and schedule an appointment to speak with them. It is likely that you will need to visit the television studio (therefore you are going into the field). 

PRIMARY RESEARCH 

What is Primary research? Answer: You will go out into the research community and collect research data pertaining to the aim of your research statement or hypothesis. Going out into the field, doing empirical work, is therefore doing Primary research. If you’re not going out to collect original data first hand, then you are not doing Primary research – you are doing something else. 

 

ARTICLES by STUDY COACH

On the Study Coach website: www.studycoach.uk.com you will find a page entitled Articles, over the coming weeks you will find Articles (1,300 words) on various aspects of writing a dissertation. Visit the site when you can, scroll through the articles for further support. If you want to have a chat with me, or want to request an Article not yet written, then phone 07944 849271 or Email: info@studycoach.uk.com