What does secondary data analysis involve?

Secondary data analysis involves analyzing data that has already been collected by someone else for a different research purpose. This method allows researchers to utilize existing datasets to draw new conclusions, saving time and resources that would be required to collect original data.

In secondary data analysis, researchers explore a variety of data types, such as surveys, census data, or previous studies, in order to address new research questions or confirm existing theories. This approach can be particularly beneficial because it enables the researcher to benefit from large-scale datasets or historical records that they would not have the means to collect on their own.

The other options focus on different research activities. Collecting original data for the first time refers to primary data collection, which is not applicable here. Conducting experiments with new subjects also pertains to primary research methods, as it involves gathering fresh data through experimentation. Compiling existing literature on a topic describes a literature review, which is another research technique, but does not involve the analysis of previously collected data in a systematic manner as in secondary data analysis.