Sources of Secondary Data

When existing data is re-used, it comes from either published or unpublished sources.

Published sources. Data already printed and available to the public:

• Official government publications — reports and bulletins of central and state statistical agencies, the census, and departments of agriculture, industry, labour and finance.
• Semi-official and international publications — reports of bodies such as central banks and international agencies (economic and trade statistics).
• Reports of committees and commissions appointed by government to enquire into specific problems.
• Publications of trade associations, chambers of commerce, and research institutions and universities.
• Journals, newspapers and periodicals carrying regular economic and business data.

Unpublished sources. Data that exists in records but has not been printed for the public:

• The internal records and files of businesses and offices — a firm's own sales, purchase, cost and personnel records.
• Records maintained by government departments and research workers that are not released as publications.

Precautions before using secondary data. Because secondary data was collected by others for another purpose, it must be scrutinised before use. The investigator must check its:

1. Suitability — does it match the present enquiry's definitions, units, coverage and time period?
2. Reliability — who collected it, by what method, and with what accuracy? Is the source dependable and unbiased? …