<P> Secondary research involves the summary, collation and / or synthesis of existing research . Secondary research is contrasted with primary research in that primary research involves the generation of data, whereas secondary research uses primary research sources as a source of data for analysis . A notable marker of primary research is the inclusion of a "methods" section, where the authors describe how the data was generated . </P> <P> Common examples of secondary research include textbooks, encyclopedias, news articles, review articles, and meta analyses . </P> <P> When conducting secondary research, authors may draw data from published academic papers, government documents, statistical databases, and historical records . </P> <P> The term is widely used in health research, legal research and market research . The principal methodology in health secondary research is the systematic review, commonly using meta - analytic statistical techniques, but other methods of synthesis, like realist reviews and meta - narrative reviews, have been developed in recent years . Such secondary research uses the primary research of others typically in the form of research publications and reports . </P>

Research is based on the work of others