This volume presents strategies for locating survey data and provides a comprehensive guide to US social science data archives, describing several major data files. Although the data sets are American, the techniques are widely applicable.

One central and enduring image of the social science researcher is of an individual who commits a great deal of time to collecting original, primary data from a field of enquiry. This approach is often underpinned by a sincerely held belief that key research questions can only be explored by the collection of ever new, and ever greater amounts of data, or that already existing data are insufficient for researchers to test their ideas. Yet such an approach to social science research can be problematic not least because the collection of primary data can be an expensive, time-consuming, and even wasteful approach to social enquiry. Secondary analysis can serve many purposes, as well as being a valid approach in its own right. However, despite its widespread application, secondary analysis is often undervalued or perceived to be the preserve of only those interested in the re-use of large-scale survey data. Highlighting both the theory and practice of secondary analysis and the use of secondary sources, this collection considers the nature of secondary analysis as a research tool; reflects on the definitional debates surrounding terms such as secondary analysis, data re-use and restudies; illustrates how secondary analysis is used in social science research; and finally reviews the practical, methodological and ethical aspects of secondary analysis. Volume One: Using Secondary Sources and Secondary Analysis Volume Two: Quantitative Approaches to Secondary Analysis Volume Three: Qualitative Data and Research in Secondary Analysis Volume Four: Ethical, Methodological and Practical Issues in Secondary Analysis

Secondary data is a powerful tool for providing context to an otherwise small-scale study, as well as being an efficient way of bringing together a large amount of data, particularly where access to the field may be difficult. This comprehensive guide introduces students to the use of secondary data in educational and social research, and provides a practical resource for researchers who are new to the field of secondary data analysis. The author encourages researchers to consider the potential for using secondary data both as their primary research method, but also as a useful strategy in mixed methods designs. The first part of the book explores the role of secondary data analysis in contemporary social research. It considers the arguments for and against its use and addresses its particular benefits in mixed method research designs, especially those in the political arithmetic tradition. The second part introduces worked examples which show the potential for using secondary sources to answer a varied range of research questions. It provides step-by-step guidance on how to manipulate and analyse secondary data. The inclusion of recent national and international datasets as exemplars allows students to place their research in a 'real life' context and to consider current and topical research issues.

Secondary Data in Mixed Methods Research by Daphne C. Watkins, the latest contribution to the Mixed Methods Research Series, offers unique and necessary instruction in this growing topic. With the increasing amount of secondary data available through journals and repositories, researchers have a trove of sources for new investigations at their fingertips, but few books to guide them. This brief text provides readers with a step-by-step procedure for incorporating secondary data into various mixed methods research designs, as well as identifying key characteristics of existing datasets that make them good candidates for mixed methods projects and giving ideas for new uses of secondary data. Introductory chapters help the reader understand the “what” and “why” of secondary data. Subsequent chapters address the use of secondary data in convergent, exploratory sequential, explanatory sequential, and other complex research designs. The final chapters delve into writing and reporting on projects before, during, and after the project. Quotes throughout the chapter help readers remember key bits of knowledge, while learning objectives and summaries in each chapter structure the reading experience. Application questions at the end of each chapter help readers recall information and apply it to their own research projects. By emphasizing how to use existing qualitative and quantitative datasets in mixed methods research, Secondary Data in Mixed Methods Research will help readers answer new and ongoing questions in social science research.

Annotation This text describes and explains for researchers and professionals in criminology and criminal justice the various approaches to the evaluation and analysis of secondary data.

First published in 1991. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.