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Once you've settled on a research topic, the next crucial step is determining your research method. Research methods broadly fall into two categories, Primary Research and Secondary Research (also known as Literature Review). Understanding these methods is essential as they dictate how you collect and analyze data. Both Primary and Secondary Research start with defining research questions and hypotheses. The key difference lies in how evidence and data are collected to answer these questions.


 

Primary Research
Concept

In Primary Research, also known as empirical research, investigators directly observe, experiment, or measure phenomena to gather original data. This method allows researchers to uncover patterns, trends, and relationships that address their research questions. It is particularly suited for exploring new phenomena where existing data is scarce or when causal relationships need to be established.

 

Example of Applying Primary Research

Psychology / Sociology / Psychiatry Research
To study the impact of social media on self-esteem, researchers collect survey data from participant groups and analyze responses to identify patterns and correlations.

Medicine / Engineering / IoT
Designing and evaluating a wearable device to monitor sleep quality involves coding multiple functions on the device and tracking each monitoring result.


 

Secondary Research
Concept

Secondary Research, also known as Second Research, involves using existing data sources—such as books, journals, articles, government reports, or institutional papers—to present new perspectives, analyses, or interpretations. This method synthesizes and analyzes existing data to address research questions when acquiring new data is impractical or when focusing on analyzing existing datasets.

 

Example of Applying Secondary Research

Sociology / Media Studies / History
Researching the history of Native American human rights movements in Oklahoma involves collecting and analyzing speeches, news articles, and reports from local libraries.

Medicine / Psychiatry
Analyzing ADHD-related psychiatric literature using statistical software like R to track the impact of childhood ADHD treatment on adult ADHD onset.

 

The choice between these methods in academic writing depends on your research questions, available data sources, and research goals. Primary research allows for designing experiments and generating new data but requires significant time and resources. On the other hand, secondary research leverages existing data but demands meticulous analysis and synthesis in line with academic research standards. For high school students with time and budget constraints, conducting secondary research—analyzing existing data—is often the most feasible option.



Research Opportunity for High School Students

GIRE provides a fellowship program that enables students to collaborate with professors from prestigious universities like Yale, Johns Hopkins, and Columbia, guiding them from the research phase to publication. Additionally, GIRE offers an internship program where students can gain experience as research assistants, participating in advanced research activities.

• Fellowship Program: Students can conduct research with professors and receive writing coaching from Ph.D. graduates, leading to publication in academic journals.
• Internship Program: Students can gain valuable experience by participating in research projects within professors' areas of expertise as research assistants.
  
  

If you’d like more information, please book an info session (click here!) to learn more!