Generally speaking there are two types of research: 1. 2.
Primary Research Secondary Research
Primary Research refers to original research undertaken by you for a specific purpose. Secondary Research refers to any factual or theoretical material that is the result of the collation, interpretation and contextualisation of primary research by the author(s) of the secondary work. You will be expected to gather evidence of both types of research, from a wide range of sources, to support your written assignments. Primary Research
Secondary Research
If you were investigating the way youths are represented in the media to identify whether they are shown in a positive or negative way, primary research could include actual examples of:
Secondary research refers to any factual or theoretical material gathered by you that has already been interpreted and published in the form of:
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television programmes, films, magazine articles, newspaper reports, and / or examples of advertising featuring youths
These examples of primary research could be used to evidence, support or challenge current theories relating to media representation. You could also undertake a: • survey, • questionnaire, or • form a focus group. Once primary research has been gathered, interpreted and published by another author, it becomes ‘secondary’ research.
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books, journals, periodicals, magazines, newspapers, Academic papers, reports, and / or the Internet.
At undergraduate level it is accepted practice to use theories, concepts and ideas from secondary research sources. You may then support, compare, contrast or challenge them with the evidence you have gathered during your ‘primary’ research activities.