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Desk Research: What it is, Tips & Examples

What is desk research?

Desk research is a type of research that is based on the material published in reports and similar documents that are available in public libraries, websites, data obtained from surveys already carried out, etc. Some organizations also store data that can be used for research purposes.

It is a research method that involves the use of existing data. These are collected and summarized to increase the overall effectiveness of the investigation.

Secondary research is much more cost-effective than primary research , as it uses existing data, unlike primary research, in which data is collected first-hand by organizations, companies, or may employ a third party to obtain the data in your name.

LEARN ABOUT: Data Management Framework

Desk research examples

Being a cost-effective method, desk research is a popular choice for businesses and organizations as not everyone can pay large sums of money to conduct research and collect data. That is why it’s also called “ documentary research “.

Here are some more common secondary research methods and examples:

1. Data available on the Internet: One of the most popular ways to collect data for desk research is through the Internet. The information is available and can be downloaded with just one click.

This data is practically free or you may have to pay a negligible amount for it. Websites have a lot of information that companies or organizations can use to meet their research needs. However, you need to consider a reliable website to collect information.

2. Government and non-government agencies: Data for secondary research can also be collected from some government and non-government agencies. There will always be valuable and relevant data that companies or organizations can use.

3. Public libraries: Public libraries are another good source to search for data by doing desk research. They have copies of important research that has been done before. They are a store of documents from which relevant information can be extracted.

The services offered at these public libraries vary. Most often, they have a huge collection of government publications with market statistics, a large collection of business directories, and newsletters.

4. Educational Institutions: The importance of collecting data from educational institutions for secondary research is often overlooked. However, more research is done in colleges and universities than in any other business sector.

The data collected by universities is mainly used for primary research. However, companies or organizations can go to educational institutions and request data.

5. Sources of business information: Newspapers, magazines, radio and television stations are a great source of data for desk research. These sources have first-hand information on economic developments, the political agenda, the market, demographic segmentation and similar topics.

Companies or organizations can request to obtain the most relevant data for their study. Not only do they have the opportunity to identify your potential customers, but they can also learn the ways to promote their products or services through these sources, as they have a broader scope.

Differences between primary research and Desk Research

How to do a desk research.

These are the steps to follow to conduct a desk investigation:

Identify the research topic: Before you begin, identify the topic you need to research. Once done, make a list of the attributes of the research and its purpose.
Identify research sources: Subsequently, explain the sources of information that will provide you with the most relevant data applicable to your research.
Collect existing data: Once the sources of information collection have been narrowed, check to see if previous data is available that is closely related to the topic. They can be obtained from various sources, such as newspapers, public libraries, government and non-government agencies, etc.
Combine and compare: Once the data is collected, combine and compare it so that the information is not duplicated and put it together in an accessible format. Make sure to collect data from authentic sources so you don’t get in the way of your investigation.
Analyze data: Analyze the data that is collected and identify if all the questions have been answered. If not, repeat the process to dig deeper into practical ideas.
Most of the information is secondary research and readily available. There are many sources from which the data you need can be collected and used, as opposed to primary research, where data must be collected from scratch.
It is a less expensive and time-consuming process, as the required data is readily available and does not cost much if it is extracted from authentic sources.
The data that is collected through secondary or desktop research gives organizations or companies an idea about the effectiveness of primary research. Thus, a hypothesis can be formed and the cost of conducting the primary research can be evaluated.
Doing desk research is faster due to the availability of data. It can be completed in a few weeks, depending on the objective of the companies or the scale of the data required.

Disadvantages

Although the data is readily available, the credibility and authenticity of the available information must be assessed.
Not all secondary data resources offer the latest reports and statistics. Even when they are accurate, they may not be up to date.

Desk research is a very popular research method, because it uses existing and reliable data that can be easily obtained. This is a great benefit for businesses and organizations as it increases the effectiveness of the investigation.

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Desk Research 101: Definition, Methods, and Examples

Parvathi vijayamohan.

2 March 2023

Table Of Contents

If you ever had to do a research study or a survey at some point, you would have started with desk research .

There’s another, more technical name for it – secondary research. To rewind a bit, there are two types of research: primary , where you go out and study things first-hand, and secondary , where you explore what others have done.

But what is desk research? How do you do it, and use it? This article will help you:

Understand what is desk-based research
Explore 3 examples of desk research
Make note of 6 common desk research methods
Uncover the advantages of desk research

What is desk research?

Desk research can be defined as a type of market/product research, where you collect data at your desk (metaphorically speaking) from existing sources to get initial ideas about your research topic.

Desk research or secondary research is an essential process from a business’s point of view. After all, secondary data sources are such an easy way to get information about their industry, trends, competitors, and customers.

Types of secondary data sources

#1. Internal secondary data: This consists of data from within the researcher’s company. Examples include:

Company reports and presentations
Case studies
Podcasts, vlogs and blogs
Press releases
Websites and social media
Company databases and data sets

#2. External secondary data: Researchers collect this from outside their respective firms. Examples include:

Digital and print publications
Domain-specific publications and periodicals
Online research communities, like ResearchGate
Industry speeches and conference presentations
Research papers

What are examples of desk research in action?

#1. testing product-audience match.

Let’s say you’re developing a fintech product. You want to do a concept testing study. To make sure you get it right, you’re interested in finding out your target audience’s attitudes about a topic in your domain. For e.g., Gen Z’s perceptions about money in the US.

With a quick Google search, you get news articles, reports, and research studies about Gen Z’s financial habits and attitudes. Also, infographics and videos provide plenty of quantitative data to draw on.

These steps are a solid starting point for framing your concept testing study. You can further reduce the time spent on survey design with a Concept Testing Survey Template . Sign up to get free access to this and hundreds more templates.

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#2. Tracking the evolution of the Web

As we wade into the brave new world of Web 5.0 , there are quite a few of us who still remember static websites, flash animations, and images sliced up into tables.

If you want to refresh your memory, you can hop on the Wayback Machine . iI gives you access to over 20 years of web history, with over 635 billion web pages saved over time!

Curiosity aside, there are practical use cases for this web archive. SEO specialist Artur Bowsza explores this in his fantastic article Internet Archeology with the Wayback Machine .

Imagine you’re investigating a recent drop in a website’s visibility. You know there were some recent changes in the website’s code, but couldn’t get any details. Or maybe you’re preparing a case study of your recent successful project, but the website has changed so much, and you never bothered to take a screenshot. Wouldn’t it be great to travel back in time and uncover the long-forgotten versions of the website – like an archaeologist, discovering secrets from the past but working in the digital world?

#3. Repairing a business reputation

As a brand, you hope that a crisis never happens. But if hell does break loose, having a crisis management strategy is essential.

If you want examples, just do a Google search. From Gamestop getting caught in a Reddit stock trading frenzy to Facebook being voted The Worst Company of 2021 , we have seen plenty of brands come under fire in recent years.

Some in-depth desk research can help you nail your crisis communication. Reputation management expert Lida Citroen outlines this in her article 7 Ways to Recover After a Reputation Crisis .

Conduct a thoughtful and thorough perception sweep of the reputation hit’s after-effects. This includes assessing digital impact such as social media, online relationships and Google search results. The evaluation gives you a baseline. How serious is the situation? Sometimes the way we believe the situation to be is not reflected in the business impact of the damage.

6 popular methods of desk research

#1. the internet.

No surprise there. When was the last time you checked a book to answer the burning question of “is pineapple on pizza illegal?” (it should be).

However, choosing authentic and credible sources from an information overload can be tricky. To help you out, the Lydia M. Olson Library has a 6-point checklist to filter out low-quality sources. You can read them in detail here .

#2. Libraries

You have earned some serious street cred if your preferred source is a library. But, jokes apart, finding the correct information for your research topic in a library can be time-consuming.

However, depending on which library you visit, you will find a wealth of verifiable, quotable information in the form of newspapers, magazines, research journals, books, documents, and more.

#3. Governmental and non-governmental organizations

NGOs, and governmental agencies like the US Census Bureau, have valuable demographic data that businesses can use during desk research. This data is collected using survey tools like SurveySparrow .

You may have to pay a certain fee to download or access the information from these agencies. However, the data obtained will be reliable and trustworthy.

#4. Educational institutions

Colleges and universities conduct plenty of primary research studies every year. This makes them a treasure trove for desk researchers.

However, getting access to this data requires legwork. The procedures vary according to the institution; among other things, you will need to submit an application to the relevant authority and abide by a data use agreement.

#5. Company databases

For businesses, customer and employee data are focus areas all on their own. But after the pandemic, companies are using even more applications and tools for the operations and service sides.

This gives businesses access to vast amounts of information useful for desk research and beyond. For example, one interesting use case is making employee onboarding more effective with just basic employee data, like their hobbies or skills.

#6. Commercial information media

These include radio, newspapers, podcasts, YouTube, and TV stations. They are decent sources of first-hand info on political and economic developments, market research, public opinion and other trending subjects.

However, this is also a source that blurs the lines between advertising, information and entertainment. So as far as credibility is concerned, you are better off supporting this data with additional sources.

Why is desk research helpful?

Desk research helps with the following:

Better domain understanding. Before doing market research, running a usability test, or starting any user-centric project, you want to see what companies have done in the past (in related areas if not the same domain). Then, instead of learning everything from scratch, you can review their research, success, and mistakes and learn from that.
Quicker opportunity spotting. How do you know if you’ve found something new? By reviewing what has gone before. By doing this, you can spot gaps in the data that match up with the problem you’re trying to solve.
More money saved . Thanks to the internet, most of the data you need is at your fingertips, and they are cheaper to compile than field data. With a few (search and mental) filters, you can quickly find credible sources with factual information.
More time saved . You have less than 15 minutes with your research participant. Two minutes if you’re doing an online survey. Do you really want to waste that time asking questions that have already been answered elsewhere? Lack of preparation can also hurt your credibility.
Better context. Desk research helps to provide focus and a framework for primary research. By using desk research, companies can also get the insight to make better decisions about their customers and employees.
More meaningful data. Desk research is the yin to the yang of field research – they are both required for a meaningful study. That’s why desk research serves as a starting point for every kind of study.

This brings us to the last question.

How do you do desk research?

Good question! In her blog post , Lorène Fauvelle covers the desk research process in detail.

Y ou can also follow our 4-step guide below:

First, start with a general topic l ike “handmade organic soaps”. Read through existing literature about handmade soaps to see if there is a gap in the literature that your study can fill.
Once you find that gap, it’s time to specify your research topic . So in the example above, you can specify it like this: “What is the global market size for handmade organic soaps”?
Identify the relevant secondary data for desk research. This only applies if there is past data that could be useful for your research.
Review the secondary data according to:
The aim of the previous study
The author/sponsors of the study
The methodology of the study
The time of the research

Note: One more thing about desk research…

Beware of dismissing research just because it was done a few years ago. People new to research often make the mistake of viewing research reports like so many yogurts in a fridge where the sell-by dates have expired. Just because it was done a couple of years ago, don’t think it’s no longer relevant. The best research tends to focus on human behaviour, and that tends to change very slowly.

Dr David Travis, Desk Research: The What, Why and How

Wrapping up

That’s all folks! We hope this blog was helpful for you.

How have you used desk research for your work? Let us know in the comments below.

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What is Desk Research? A Guide + Examples

Desk research can help you make data-driven decisions, define or adapt strategies, and uncover untapped market potential to drive growth – when it’s done right!

Nowadays, we have all the information we need at our fingertips; but knowing where to find the right data quickly is key.

So, what is desk research? What does it involve, and how can Similarweb Digital Research Intelligence help?

Let’s find out.

What is desk research?

Desk research is a type of market research that uses existing data to support or validate outcomes and conclusions. Also known as secondary research , it’s a cost-effective way to obtain relevant data from a broad range of channels.

How is desk research used?

From small start-ups to established businesses, doing desk research provides you with crucial insights into trends, competitors, and market size . Whatever you do, desk research can help with product positioning and guide data-driven business decisions that help you become the ultimate competitor and find new ways to grow.

According to the latest data on the Internet of Things , around 130 new devices connect to the web every second. Stats on the state of data show we create and consume data at an exponential rate–data interactions will only continue to rise.

Primary vs. secondary research – what’s the difference?

Most market research methods fall into either primary or secondary research. When we talk about desk research, we tend to focus only on secondary methods. However, most primary research can also be done remotely, from a desk.

Difference between primary and secondary research

Primary research is self-conducted research that gathers data to answer questions. It usually involves going directly to a source, such as a customer or a prospect. Compared to secondary research, it takes longer, costs more, and demands more resources. Primary research methods include interviews, market research surveys , questionnaires, competitor reviews, market mapping , focus groups, etc.

Secondary research is the synthesis or summary of existing research using previously gained information from various sources. Most market research starts with secondary research: It aims to provide a researcher or analyst with a basis of knowledge formed from existing data. Secondary research methods include collecting data from the internet, government databases, reports, and academic journals, to name just a few.

Pros and cons of desk research

As with any type of market research, you need to choose the right method to deliver the best outcome for your research goal. Desk research is advantageous for several reasons, but it won’t always suit every market research project. Market research best practice tells us that we should use desk-based research before primary research – as this helps to reduce or refine the scope of the work before the second, more costly phase.

Here’s a summary of the pros and cons of desk research.

Advantages of desk-based research

Doing secondary market research is highly beneficial; here’s why.

💰 Low cost – most secondary research sources are low-to-no cost.
💨 Speed – as the data already exists, data collection is quick.
💎 Clarity – desk research drives & add-value to primary research actions.
🌱 Scalability – due to the large datasets used in secondary research.
📆 Availability – pre-collected data is readily available to analyze.
💡 Insightful – get valuable insights and help resolve some initial research questions.

Disadvantages of desk-based research

As any good researcher will attest, it’s always good to look at a topic from every angle. Here are a few things to consider before starting any secondary research process.

Out of-date data – consider if the coverage dates of the research are relevant. In a fast-moving market, having access to up-to-date information could be critical.
Lack of perceived control over the data – secondary research is undertaken by a third party; as such, methodology controls need to be reviewed with caution.
No exclusivity – desk research data is widely available and can be used by other researchers.
Verification & interpretation – particularly when working with large data sets, it can take time to analyze and review to ensure the information is suitable for your research.

Types of desk-based research

Nowadays, you can do most market research from a desk. Here, I’ll focus solely on secondary research methods: Where finding and using the right resources is key. The data you use needs to be up-to-date and should always come from a trusted source.

Desk research methods – internal data resources

Before stepping into external research, look for any relevant internal sources. This data can often prove invaluable, and it’s a great place to start gathering insights that only you can see. The information is already yours, so aside from the fact it won’t cost a dime, it’s data your rivals won’t have access to.

Sources of internal information that can help you do desk research include:

Historical campaign and sales analysis: Everything from website traffic and conversions through to sales. Accessible through your own analytics platform(s).
Website and mobile application data: Your own platforms can also tell you where users are – such as the device split between mobile and desktop.
Existing customer information: audience demographics , product use, and efficiency of service.
Previous research conducted by other analysts: Even if the research seems unrelated, there could be indicative information within.

Desk research methods – external data resources

Using external data sources for desk research is an ideal way to get information about market trends, and explore a new topic.

The internet: A virtual aggregator of all secondary research sources – always validate findings with credible sources.
Commercial resources: Research associations and company reports usually cost money but give you data that’s specific to your industry/aim.
Trade association reports: To see if there’s a trade association of interest, do a quick search online or use the Encyclopedia of Associations , the Directory of Associations , or the National Trade and Professional Associations Directory
Industry Experts: Expert consultancy is an efficient way of getting information from someone who has ‘been there, done that.’ Also, consider ‘influencers.’
Research associations & journals: Most research associations are independent and offer bespoke, specialized reports.
Media coverage: TV, radio, newspapers, and magazines can often help uncover facts and relevant media stories related to your topic.
Market research intelligence software: Platforms like Similarweb give you actionable insights into industry and competitors’ trends. With access to mobile app intelligence , you get a complete picture of the digital landscape.
Government & non-government agencies: In the US, the biggest generator of data is the federal government. US Census Bureau , Congressional Research Service , US Government Publishing Office , US Small Business Administration , and the Department of Education . Most information from these sources is free.
Local government sites: A reliable source to find data on population density or employment trends.
Public library records: Access data via the Digital Public Library of America in the US or the National Archives in the UK.
Competitor information: Sign-up for mailing lists, view comparison reports, and read online reviews.
Educational institutions: Academic research papers and journals are well-researched. If you can find a relevant one, you’ll likely get solid data from credible sources.

How to choose the best type of desk research

With so many freely-available sources online for desk-based research; it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. The best guidance I can offer is to keep a list of key questions you are trying to answer with this research, and consider:

What are you hoping to learn from your research?
Why is this data relevant?
Is there an action you can take from this information?
How up-to-date is the data you are using?

Always keep the questions you’re trying to answer front of mind. It’ll help you stay focused and keep your desk research on the right track. Time and money will usually determine the right type of desk research to use, but, even then, it’s important to stay focussed on where you spend your time vs. the return on that investment.

Inspiration: This article outlines some of the best market research questions to ask.

How to do desk research in five steps

Follow these steps to guide you through doing desktop research:

1. Clearly define your research topic Identify your topic and its purpose, then list any relevant research attributes.

2. Select appropriate resources Make a list of sources that’ll provide relevant information for your research topic.

3. Look for existing data Once you’ve collated your research sources, look for internal and external data relevant to your research topic. Remember to only use data from authentic sources.

4. Collate, compare & assemble Next, you’ll need to collate all the data you’ve obtained, remove any duplication, and bring it together into a usable format.

5. Data analysis The final step of doing desk research is to analyze the data. At this point, you should be able to see if your research questions have been answered. If any questions remain unanswered, go back to step 2, and look for alternative resources that will help you get clearer insights.

Desk-based research tools

Online resources are by far your most valuable asset for doing secondary research. However, software like Similarweb Digital Research Intelligence , Google Analytics (GA), and Google Search Console (GSC) can save you time and give you a more visually-appealing view of relevant data.

My list of go-to tools for desk research includes:

Google Analytics & Search Console – your own site’s performance and visitor stats.
Similarweb Digital Research Intelligence – uncover market, industry & competitor trends across web, mobile, and apps.
Tableau – data visualization for presenting your findings.
Competitor data – on rival’s websites, newsletters, and social media accounts.

Read: The best market research tools of 2023

Note that GA and GSC are free to use but limited in terms of what you can see outside your own site. With Similarweb, you can access virtually limitless industry-wide data.

Stop Guessing, Start Analyzing

Get actionable insights for desk research here

How Similarweb helps with desk research

Here are just a few examples of how Similarweb Digital Research Intelligence can help you with secondary research.

Benchmarking yourself against your industry – Competitor benchmarking
Understand how competitor websites and apps perform – Company research
Get a full picture of your industry – Market research & industry analysis
Understand how apps are impacting your market – App Intelligence
Analyze consumer behavior – Audience analysis
Understand the complete customer journey – Consumer journey tracking

Using research intelligence tools will save you time and money while removing bias from the data – ultimately giving you clarity and a complete view of the digital world relevant to your research topic.

Success Story: See how Airbnb uses Similarweb to reveal growth opportunities in new markets .

Desk research examples with Similarweb

A good example of desk research in action is looking into an industry to uncover market leaders, trends, relevant search trends, and an overview of a complete industry. Using the market analysis module in Similarweb, you can find out exactly what’s happening in your market, and make data-driven decisions that’ll help you increase market share , and drive faster, more sustainable business growth.

For this particular desk research example, I chose the airline industry.

Let’s dive in.

Industry Overview

See a snapshot of industry traffic and engagement metrics . This data is typically based on Similarweb’s index of the top 100 websites in a chosen vertical. You can easily create a custom industry , allowing you to do competitive benchmarking against specific companies in your market.

Industry Leaders

Quickly see who is winning in an industry using the Market quadrant analysis graph and industry leaders table. Analyze top-performing websites in your vertical, and dive into their traffic and engagement performance to view bounce rates, visit duration, monthly visits, month-on-month changes, unique visitors, pages/visits, and traffic share .

Industry Trends

Analyze trends in near real-time so you can take action when it matters most–not a quarter later. Create a personalized view of your industry for in-depth analysis and make informed decisions that will help you grow your market share.

Marketing Channels

Access valuable traffic metrics and insights for each marketing channel. See data for direct, social, display ads, paid search, referrals, emails, and organic traffic channels and evaluate performance for each. Uncover opportunities to grow your own traffic share, evaluate engagement and quality of traffic, and identify trends over time.

Search Trends (within an industry)

Discover trending topics and emerging search terms in any industry. View what’s trending, search volume, % change, volume trend, and traffic leaders for both branded and non-branded search in your sector. Use these insights to get an understanding of market demand, search intent, and audience interests within a specific category, brand, or product.

Similarweb search trends - platform screenshot

Demographics

Gain crucial insights into the audiences visiting your website, your competitors’ websites, and your industry as a whole. See gender and age distribution across web, mobile, or combined traffic channels, and compare your demographics with that of your rivals.

The market analysis element of Similarweb will help you answer some of your most important research questions, such as:

How a specific industry grew over time
Who the top and emerging players are in your industry
Which products or services are trending and/or what are consumers searching for
What demographics are relevant to you, and your competitors

The app intelligence module completes the picture and gives you a broad view of the digital landscape across your market. You can quickly see how apps are impacting your industry, and look at download, engagement, installs, ranking, and more.

Here, I’m sticking with the airline industry to establish whether or not android or iOS is the best fit for a new app. Immediately, I can see there are between 1-1.5M monthly active users on iOS vs. an equivalent of around 350,000k on Android.

Like what you see? Take a tour of Similarweb for yourself.

Discover industry insights for desk research here

Wrapping up

Good desk research helps you quickly uncover key information that can shape and steer successful market research projects. When done right, you’ll be able to answer questions and discover crucial data about your industry, competitors, and key trends to consider while building a strategy for growth.

Asking the right research questions from the onset and keeping these at the forefront of your mind throughout will save time and help direct your market analysis in the right direction.

Is desk-based research free?

Depending on the method used, desktop research can be done for free. If you require industry or government agency reports, these often carry a charge but are more likely to be free from bias when compared to commercially produced reports that (sometimes) receive sponsorship.

Which businesses can utilize secondary desk research?

Desk-based research can uncover crucial insights into market trends, market sizing, and competitors. The information can be used by any size business to help guide strategic decision-making and help refine a product’s positioning.

Should you do secondary research before primary research?

Absolutely, yes. Secondary research should always come before primary or field research. The formative research phase helps pinpoint where more in-depth primary research is required. Desk research can also verify and support findings from field research but should not replace primary research–as they are each utilized under different circumstances.

Who does desk-based research?

Desk research can ‘technically’ be done by anyone, but it’s typically performed by a researcher, an analyst, or a marketing professional. Good market research has solid foundational data to drive critical business decisions. Experienced researchers and analysts are best-placed to spot opportunities, trends, and patterns when the stakes are this high.

So, while anybody can access secondary data free of charge, investing the necessary resources to do things right to get the most out of the process is essential.

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Wondering what similarweb can do for you.

Here are two ways you can get started with Similarweb today!

Desk Research: Definition, Types, Application, Pros & Cons

If you are looking for a way to conduct a research study while optimizing your resources, desk research is a great option. Desk research uses existing data from various sources, such as books, articles, websites, and databases, to answer your research questions.

Let’s explore desk research methods and tips to help you select the one for your research.

What Is Desk Research?

Desk research, also known as secondary research or documentary research, is a type of research that relies on data that has already been collected and published by others. Its data sources include public libraries, websites, reports, surveys, journals, newspapers, magazines, books, podcasts, videos, and other sources.

When performing desk research, you are not gathering new information from primary sources such as interviews, observations, experiments, or surveys. The information gathered will then be used to make informed decisions.

The most common use cases for desk research are market research , consumer behavior , industry trends , and competitor analysis .

How Is Desk Research Used?

Here are the most common use cases for desk research:

Exploring a new topic or problem
Identifying existing knowledge gaps
Reviewing the literature on a specific subject
Finding relevant data and statistics
Analyzing trends and patterns
Evaluating competitors and market trends
Supporting or challenging hypotheses
Validating or complementing primary research

Types of Desk Research Methods

There are two main types of desk research methods: qualitative and quantitative.

Qualitative Desk Research

Analyzing non-numerical data, such as texts, images, audio, or video. Here are some examples of qualitative desk research methods:

Content analysis – Examining the content and meaning of texts, such as articles, books, reports, or social media posts. It uses data to help you identify themes, patterns, opinions, attitudes, emotions, or biases.

Discourse analysis – Studying the use of language and communication in texts, such as speeches, interviews, conversations, or documents. It helps you understand how language shapes reality, influences behavior, constructs identities, creates power relations, and more.

Narrative analysis – Analyzing the stories and narratives that people tell in texts, such as biographies, autobiographies, memoirs, or testimonials. This allows you to explore how people make sense of their experiences, express their emotions, construct their identities, or cope with challenges.

Quantitative Desk Research

Analyzing numerical data, such as statistics, graphs, charts, or tables.

Here are common examples of quantitative desk research methods:

Statistical analysis : This method involves applying mathematical techniques and tools to numerical data, such as percentages ratios, averages, correlations, or regressions.

You can use statistical analysis to measure, describe, compare, or test relationships in the data.

Meta-analysis : Combining and synthesizing the results of multiple studies on a similar topic or question. Meta-analysis can help you increase the sample size, reduce the margin of error, or identify common findings or discrepancies in data.

Trend analysis : This method involves examining the changes and developments in numerical data over time, such as sales, profits, prices, or market share. It helps you identify patterns, cycles, fluctuations, or anomalies.

Examples of Desk Research

Here are some real-life examples of desk research questions:

What are the current trends and challenges in the fintech industry?
How do Gen Z consumers perceive money and financial services?
What are the best practices for conducting concept testing for a new fintech product?
Documentary on World War II and its effect on Austria as a country

You can use the secondary data sources listed below to answer these questions:

Industry reports and publications

Market research surveys and studies
Academic journals and papers
News articles and blogs
Podcasts and videos
Social media posts and reviews
Government and non-government agencies

How to Choose the Best Type of Desk Research

The main factors for selecting a desk research method are:

Research objective and question
Budget and deadlines
Data sources availability and accessibility.
Quality and reliability of data sources
Your data analysis skills

Let’s say your research question requires an in-depth analysis of a particular topic, a literature review may be the best method. But if the research question requires analysis of large data sets, you can use trend analysis.

Differences Between Primary Research and Desk Research

The main difference between primary research and desk research is the source of data. Primary research uses data that is collected directly from the respondents or participants of the study. Desk research uses data that is collected by someone else for a different purpose.

Another key difference is the cost and time involved. Primary research is usually more expensive, time-consuming, and resource-intensive than desk research. However, it can also provide you with more specific, accurate, and actionable data that is tailored to your research goal and question.

The best practice is to use desk-based research before primary research; it refines the scope of the work and helps you optimize resources.

Read Also – Primary vs Secondary Research Methods: 15 Key Differences

How to Conduct a Desk Research

Here are the four main steps to conduct desk research:

Define Research Goal and Question

What do you want to achieve with your desk research? What problem do you want to solve or what opportunity do you want to explore? What specific question do you want to answer with your desk research?

Identify and Evaluate Data Sources

Where can you find relevant data for your desk research? How relevant and current are the data sources for your research? How consistent and comparable are they with each other?

You can evaluate your data sources based on factors such as-

– Authority: Who is the author or publisher of the data source? What are their credentials and reputation? Are they experts or credible sources on the topic?

– Accuracy: How accurate and precise is the data source? Does it contain any errors or mistakes? Is it supported by evidence or references?

– Objectivity: How objective and unbiased is the data source? Does it present facts or opinions? Does it have any hidden agenda or motive?

– Coverage: How comprehensive and complete is the data source? Does it cover all aspects of your topic? Does it provide enough depth and detail?

– Currency: How current and up-to-date is the data source? When was it published or updated? Is it still relevant to your topic?

Collect and Analyze Your Data

How can you collect your data efficiently and effectively? What tools or techniques can you use to organize and analyze your data? How can you interpret your data with your research goal and question?

Present and Report Your Findings

How can you communicate your findings clearly and convincingly? What format or medium can you use to accurately record your findings?

You can use spreadsheets, presentation slides, charts, infographics, and more.

Advantages of Desk Research

Cost Effective

It is cheaper and faster than primary research, you don’t have to collect new data or report them. You can simply analyze and leverage your findings to make deductions.

Prevents Effort Duplication

Desk research provides you with a broad and thorough overview of the research topic and related issues. This helps to avoid duplication of efforts and resources by using existing data.

Improves Data Validity

Using desk research, you can compare and contrast various perspectives and opinions on the same topic. This enhances the credibility and validity of your research by referencing authoritative sources.

Identify Data Trends and Patterns

It helps you to identify new trends and patterns in the data that may not be obvious from primary research. This can help you see knowledge and research gaps to offer more effective solutions.

Disadvantages of Desk Research

Outdated Information

One of the main challenges of desk research is that the data may not be relevant, accurate, or up-to-date for the specific research question or purpose. Desk research relies on data that was collected for a different reason or context, which may not match the current needs or goals of the researcher.

Limited Scope

Another limitation of desk research is that it may not provide enough depth or insight into qualitative aspects of the market, such as consumer behavior, preferences, motivations, or opinions.

Data obtained from existing sources may be biased or incomplete due to the agenda or perspective of the source.

Read More – Research Bias: Definition, Types + Examples

Data Inconsistencies

It may also be inconsistent or incompatible with other data sources due to different definitions or methodologies.

Legal and Technical Issues

Desk research data may also be difficult to access or analyze due to legal, ethical, or technical issues.

How to Use Desk Research Effectively

Here are some tips on how to use desk research effectively:

Define the research problem and objectives clearly and precisely.
Identify and evaluate the sources of secondary data carefully and critically.
Compare and contrast different sources of data to check for consistency and reliability.
Use multiple sources of data to triangulate and validate the findings.
Supplement desk research with primary research when exploring deeper issues.
Cite and reference the sources of data properly and ethically.

Desk research should not be used as a substitute for primary research, but rather as a complement or supplement. Combine it with primary research methods, such as surveys, interviews, observations, experiments, and others to obtain a more complete and accurate picture of your research topic.

Desk research is a cost-effective tool for gaining insights into your research topic. Although it has limitations, if you choose the right method and carry out your desk research effectively, you will save a lot of time, money, and effort that primary research would require.

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Secondary Research

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Secondary research: definition, methods, & examples.

19 min read This ultimate guide to secondary research helps you understand changes in market trends, customers buying patterns and your competition using existing data sources.

In situations where you’re not involved in the data gathering process ( primary research ), you have to rely on existing information and data to arrive at specific research conclusions or outcomes. This approach is known as secondary research.

In this article, we’re going to explain what secondary research is, how it works, and share some examples of it in practice.

Free eBook: The ultimate guide to conducting market research

What is secondary research?

Secondary research, also known as desk research, is a research method that involves compiling existing data sourced from a variety of channels . This includes internal sources (e.g.in-house research) or, more commonly, external sources (such as government statistics, organizational bodies, and the internet).

Secondary research comes in several formats, such as published datasets, reports, and survey responses , and can also be sourced from websites, libraries, and museums.

The information is usually free — or available at a limited access cost — and gathered using surveys , telephone interviews, observation, face-to-face interviews, and more.

When using secondary research, researchers collect, verify, analyze and incorporate it to help them confirm research goals for the research period.

As well as the above, it can be used to review previous research into an area of interest. Researchers can look for patterns across data spanning several years and identify trends — or use it to verify early hypothesis statements and establish whether it’s worth continuing research into a prospective area.

How to conduct secondary research

There are five key steps to conducting secondary research effectively and efficiently:

1. Identify and define the research topic

First, understand what you will be researching and define the topic by thinking about the research questions you want to be answered.

Ask yourself: What is the point of conducting this research? Then, ask: What do we want to achieve?

This may indicate an exploratory reason (why something happened) or confirm a hypothesis. The answers may indicate ideas that need primary or secondary research (or a combination) to investigate them.

2. Find research and existing data sources

If secondary research is needed, think about where you might find the information. This helps you narrow down your secondary sources to those that help you answer your questions. What keywords do you need to use?

Which organizations are closely working on this topic already? Are there any competitors that you need to be aware of?

Create a list of the data sources, information, and people that could help you with your work.

3. Begin searching and collecting the existing data

Now that you have the list of data sources, start accessing the data and collect the information into an organized system. This may mean you start setting up research journal accounts or making telephone calls to book meetings with third-party research teams to verify the details around data results.

As you search and access information, remember to check the data’s date, the credibility of the source, the relevance of the material to your research topic, and the methodology used by the third-party researchers. Start small and as you gain results, investigate further in the areas that help your research’s aims.

4. Combine the data and compare the results

When you have your data in one place, you need to understand, filter, order, and combine it intelligently. Data may come in different formats where some data could be unusable, while other information may need to be deleted.

After this, you can start to look at different data sets to see what they tell you. You may find that you need to compare the same datasets over different periods for changes over time or compare different datasets to notice overlaps or trends. Ask yourself: What does this data mean to my research? Does it help or hinder my research?

5. Analyze your data and explore further

In this last stage of the process, look at the information you have and ask yourself if this answers your original questions for your research. Are there any gaps? Do you understand the information you’ve found? If you feel there is more to cover, repeat the steps and delve deeper into the topic so that you can get all the information you need.

If secondary research can’t provide these answers, consider supplementing your results with data gained from primary research. As you explore further, add to your knowledge and update your findings. This will help you present clear, credible information.

Primary vs secondary research

Unlike secondary research, primary research involves creating data first-hand by directly working with interviewees, target users, or a target market. Primary research focuses on the method for carrying out research, asking questions, and collecting data using approaches such as:

Interviews (panel, face-to-face or over the phone)
Questionnaires or surveys
Focus groups

Using these methods, researchers can get in-depth, targeted responses to questions, making results more accurate and specific to their research goals. However, it does take time to do and administer.

Unlike primary research, secondary research uses existing data, which also includes published results from primary research. Researchers summarize the existing research and use the results to support their research goals.

Both primary and secondary research have their places. Primary research can support the findings found through secondary research (and fill knowledge gaps), while secondary research can be a starting point for further primary research. Because of this, these research methods are often combined for optimal research results that are accurate at both the micro and macro level.

Sources of Secondary Research

There are two types of secondary research sources: internal and external. Internal data refers to in-house data that can be gathered from the researcher’s organization. External data refers to data published outside of and not owned by the researcher’s organization.

Internal data

Internal data is a good first port of call for insights and knowledge, as you may already have relevant information stored in your systems. Because you own this information — and it won’t be available to other researchers — it can give you a competitive edge . Examples of internal data include:

Database information on sales history and business goal conversions
Information from website applications and mobile site data
Customer-generated data on product and service efficiency and use
Previous research results or supplemental research areas
Previous campaign results

External data

External data is useful when you: 1) need information on a new topic, 2) want to fill in gaps in your knowledge, or 3) want data that breaks down a population or market for trend and pattern analysis. Examples of external data include:

Government, non-government agencies, and trade body statistics
Company reports and research
Competitor research
Public library collections
Textbooks and research journals
Media stories in newspapers
Online journals and research sites

Three examples of secondary research methods in action

How and why might you conduct secondary research? Let’s look at a few examples:

1. Collecting factual information from the internet on a specific topic or market

There are plenty of sites that hold data for people to view and use in their research. For example, Google Scholar, ResearchGate, or Wiley Online Library all provide previous research on a particular topic. Researchers can create free accounts and use the search facilities to look into a topic by keyword, before following the instructions to download or export results for further analysis.

This can be useful for exploring a new market that your organization wants to consider entering. For instance, by viewing the U.S Census Bureau demographic data for that area, you can see what the demographics of your target audience are , and create compelling marketing campaigns accordingly.

2. Finding out the views of your target audience on a particular topic

If you’re interested in seeing the historical views on a particular topic, for example, attitudes to women’s rights in the US, you can turn to secondary sources.

Textbooks, news articles, reviews, and journal entries can all provide qualitative reports and interviews covering how people discussed women’s rights. There may be multimedia elements like video or documented posters of propaganda showing biased language usage.

By gathering this information, synthesizing it, and evaluating the language, who created it and when it was shared, you can create a timeline of how a topic was discussed over time.

3. When you want to know the latest thinking on a topic

Educational institutions, such as schools and colleges, create a lot of research-based reports on younger audiences or their academic specialisms. Dissertations from students also can be submitted to research journals, making these places useful places to see the latest insights from a new generation of academics.

Information can be requested — and sometimes academic institutions may want to collaborate and conduct research on your behalf. This can provide key primary data in areas that you want to research, as well as secondary data sources for your research.

Advantages of secondary research

There are several benefits of using secondary research, which we’ve outlined below:

Easily and readily available data – There is an abundance of readily accessible data sources that have been pre-collected for use, in person at local libraries and online using the internet. This data is usually sorted by filters or can be exported into spreadsheet format, meaning that little technical expertise is needed to access and use the data.
Faster research speeds – Since the data is already published and in the public arena, you don’t need to collect this information through primary research. This can make the research easier to do and faster, as you can get started with the data quickly.
Low financial and time costs – Most secondary data sources can be accessed for free or at a small cost to the researcher, so the overall research costs are kept low. In addition, by saving on preliminary research, the time costs for the researcher are kept down as well.
Secondary data can drive additional research actions – The insights gained can support future research activities (like conducting a follow-up survey or specifying future detailed research topics) or help add value to these activities.
Secondary data can be useful pre-research insights – Secondary source data can provide pre-research insights and information on effects that can help resolve whether research should be conducted. It can also help highlight knowledge gaps, so subsequent research can consider this.
Ability to scale up results – Secondary sources can include large datasets (like Census data results across several states) so research results can be scaled up quickly using large secondary data sources.

Disadvantages of secondary research

The disadvantages of secondary research are worth considering in advance of conducting research :

Secondary research data can be out of date – Secondary sources can be updated regularly, but if you’re exploring the data between two updates, the data can be out of date. Researchers will need to consider whether the data available provides the right research coverage dates, so that insights are accurate and timely, or if the data needs to be updated. Also, fast-moving markets may find secondary data expires very quickly.
Secondary research needs to be verified and interpreted – Where there’s a lot of data from one source, a researcher needs to review and analyze it. The data may need to be verified against other data sets or your hypotheses for accuracy and to ensure you’re using the right data for your research.
The researcher has had no control over the secondary research – As the researcher has not been involved in the secondary research, invalid data can affect the results. It’s therefore vital that the methodology and controls are closely reviewed so that the data is collected in a systematic and error-free way.
Secondary research data is not exclusive – As data sets are commonly available, there is no exclusivity and many researchers can use the same data. This can be problematic where researchers want to have exclusive rights over the research results and risk duplication of research in the future.

When do we conduct secondary research?

Now that you know the basics of secondary research, when do researchers normally conduct secondary research?

It’s often used at the beginning of research, when the researcher is trying to understand the current landscape . In addition, if the research area is new to the researcher, it can form crucial background context to help them understand what information exists already. This can plug knowledge gaps, supplement the researcher’s own learning or add to the research.

Secondary research can also be used in conjunction with primary research. Secondary research can become the formative research that helps pinpoint where further primary research is needed to find out specific information. It can also support or verify the findings from primary research.

You can use secondary research where high levels of control aren’t needed by the researcher, but a lot of knowledge on a topic is required from different angles.

Secondary research should not be used in place of primary research as both are very different and are used for various circumstances.

Questions to ask before conducting secondary research

Before you start your secondary research, ask yourself these questions:

Is there similar internal data that we have created for a similar area in the past?

If your organization has past research, it’s best to review this work before starting a new project. The older work may provide you with the answers, and give you a starting dataset and context of how your organization approached the research before. However, be mindful that the work is probably out of date and view it with that note in mind. Read through and look for where this helps your research goals or where more work is needed.

What am I trying to achieve with this research?

When you have clear goals, and understand what you need to achieve, you can look for the perfect type of secondary or primary research to support the aims. Different secondary research data will provide you with different information – for example, looking at news stories to tell you a breakdown of your market’s buying patterns won’t be as useful as internal or external data e-commerce and sales data sources.

How credible will my research be?

If you are looking for credibility, you want to consider how accurate the research results will need to be, and if you can sacrifice credibility for speed by using secondary sources to get you started. Bear in mind which sources you choose — low-credibility data sites, like political party websites that are highly biased to favor their own party, would skew your results.

What is the date of the secondary research?

When you’re looking to conduct research, you want the results to be as useful as possible , so using data that is 10 years old won’t be as accurate as using data that was created a year ago. Since a lot can change in a few years, note the date of your research and look for earlier data sets that can tell you a more recent picture of results. One caveat to this is using data collected over a long-term period for comparisons with earlier periods, which can tell you about the rate and direction of change.

Can the data sources be verified? Does the information you have check out?

If you can’t verify the data by looking at the research methodology, speaking to the original team or cross-checking the facts with other research, it could be hard to be sure that the data is accurate. Think about whether you can use another source, or if it’s worth doing some supplementary primary research to replicate and verify results to help with this issue.

We created a front-to-back guide on conducting market research, The ultimate guide to conducting market research , so you can understand the research journey with confidence.

In it, you’ll learn more about:

What effective market research looks like
The use cases for market research
The most important steps to conducting market research
And how to take action on your research findings

Download the free guide for a clearer view on secondary research and other key research types for your business.

Related resources

Market intelligence 10 min read, marketing insights 11 min read, ethnographic research 11 min read, qualitative vs quantitative research 13 min read, qualitative research questions 11 min read, qualitative research design 12 min read, primary vs secondary research 14 min read, request demo.

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Desk research: the what, why and how

The “where” (at your desk) and the “when” (at the beginning of your project) are easy questions to answer. But what is it, why do you need to to do it, and how should you go about doing desk research to make sure it adds value to your project? — David Travis , Jan 4, 2016

By David Travis Jan 4, 2016 / strategy

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What is desk research?

Desk research is another name for secondary research. Broadly speaking, there are two types of research activity: primary research (where you go out and discover stuff yourself); and secondary research (where you review what other people have done). Desk research is not about collecting data. Instead, your role as a user researcher carrying out desk research is to review previous research findings to gain a broad understanding of the field.

Why do desk research?

Before carrying out a field visit, developing a prototype, running a usability test, or embarking on any project that you want to be user centred, it makes sense to see what people have done in the past that relates to the product’s domain. Although it’s unlikely that anyone has carried out the exact research activity you’re planning, someone has almost certainly tried to answer related questions. Reviewing this research is the quickest and cheapest way to understand the domain.

Carrying out desk research is a critical first step, for at least three reasons:

If you don’t know what has gone before, you won’t know when you’ve discovered something new.
You’ll sound credible when you get face-to-face with users and stakeholders. If you’ve not done this “due diligence”, you’ll ask dumb or irrelevant questions and may find your participants cut your sessions short.
Failing to do preparatory research is disrespectful of your participants’ time. You may get less than an hour with a user of your system. Do you really want to waste half that time understanding the domain issues that you could have covered elsewhere?

How do you approach desk research?

At this point, I’ve had many user researchers tell me that they’re working on a bleeding edge design project so there isn’t any desk research to do. There’s a common misconception that no research exists.

In my experience, there is almost always something you can build upon. Here’s an approach I take to go about finding it. It helps me stay focussed but also makes sure that I remember to check all the possible nooks and crannies where relevant research findings may be hiding.

A Venn diagram showing users, goals and environments. Where these three overlap is the sweet spot for user research.

The Venn diagram describes the context of use: your users, their goals and the environments where the action occurs. The best kind of research is where all three of these dimensions overlap: field visits that focus on your users trying to achieve their goals in context. This kind of research is so specific and relevant to your project that it may be hard to find, so don’t get discouraged if you can’t turn anything up in this area.

This set of Venn diagrams shows that research into the overlap between users and goals, environments and goals and users and envrionments can also yield useful insights.

But there is potentially useful research in the other areas of overlap on our Venn diagram. This falls into three broad areas:

Research about your users and their goals, but that was not carried out in context. This kind of research will take the form of surveys, customer interviews and focus groups.
Research that addresses the goals your system will support and the environment it will be used in, but doesn’t tell us much about users. Examples include call centre or web analytics.
Research that uncovers information about your users in their environment, but that may not address the goals that your system will support. This will take the form of field research by teams who are designing a product for the same kinds of user but to meet different needs.

The most likely place you’ll find this kind of research is within your own organisation. But you need to be prepared to dig. This is because research findings, especially on agile projects, are often treated as throw-away by-products that apply to a specific project. The findings aren’t shared outside the design team but typically make a fleeting appearance on a research wall or end up buried in someone’s email inbox. Even when research findings are written down, and even when the report is archived somewhere, people typically don’t know how to go about finding it. Organisations are generally poor at creating a shared repository of knowledge and rarely teach staff how to use the intranet or where past reports might be located. The result of these obstacles is that companies waste time and money either doing research that already exists or asking the wrong research questions.

So within your organisation, you should:

Talk to your stakeholders. Get to know the product owner and understand their goals, vision and concerns.
Examine call centre analytics or web analytics (if there is an existing service).
Talk to front line, customer facing people who currently interact with users.

In almost every project, you'll find some research that exists into users, goals and environments. This may not be directly relevant to your specific research questions but it will help you become knowledgeable about the domain.

Once you’ve covered the areas of overlap, your next step is to look for more generic information about your users, the environment in which they’ll use the system, and the kinds of goals your system will support.

What research has been done with your users, even if it’s not directly relevant to their goals when using your system?
What research has been done on the kind of goals your system will support, even if the research has been done with a different user group?
What research exists on the kinds of environment where you expect your system to be used (environment means hardware, software and the physical and social environments in which your system will be used).

In this step, you’ll find it useful to:

Review existing research done by Government organisations.'In the UK, the Office for National Statistics has a wealth of information about citizens that may be useful to understand your users, such as demographics about Internet users , consumer trends and facts about online retail sales in the UK
Review research carried out by relevant charities. For example, if you’re developing a new kind of tool to help diabetics measure their sugar levels, you should bookmark the research done by Diabetes UK . Web sites like Charity Choice allow you to browse through and locate hundreds of different charitable organisations so you’re bound to find at least one that’s relevant.
Search Google Scholar to find relevant research carried out by universities. Although you may struggle to appreciate the nuances of certain academic arguments, you could always use this route to find the researcher’s contact details and give them a call.
If your system will be used in a work context, study interviews at careers web sites. For example, The Guardian's careers section has interviews with people working as tattoo artists , forensic scientists , and as a royal footman so the chances are that you'll be able to get some context for whatever job title your system is aimed at. You should also check the Guardian's " What I'm Really Thinking " series.

Judging the quality of the research you find

Judging the quality of research is a whole article in itself. Fortunately, Philip Hodgson’s guidelines for reviewing consumer research reports has it covered.

There’s just one thing I’d add to Philip’s guidelines. Beware of dismissing research just because it was done a few years ago. People new to research often make the mistake of viewing research reports like so many yogurts in a fridge where the sell-by dates have expired. Just because it was done a couple of years ago, don’t think it’s no longer relevant. The best research tends to focus on human behaviour, and that tends to change very slowly.

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About the author

Dr. David Travis ( @userfocus ) has been carrying out ethnographic field research and running product usability tests since 1989. He has published three books on user experience including Think Like a UX Researcher . If you like his articles, you might enjoy his free online user experience course .

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What Is Desk Research And How To Do It?

When it comes to pushing out a product to market, research and usability testing raises your chances of success. We have already covered a lot of different research and testing topics , but this time we wanted to focus on one of the easiest research methods – desk research. What is it and how you can do it?

What Is Desk Research?

There’s two types of research – primary and secondary. Primary research is when you actually go out and get first-hand data and gather information “in the wild”. Secondary research, which includes desk research, is when you look at secondary data or data that’s already available . So, instead of interviewing users or doing A/B testing (primary research) you just search for and sort through everything others published that is relevant to the issue at hand. The resources you find may vary greatly from simple articles, through industry reports to complex studies done by research institutes. All those things can be done from your desk or desktop (which is why some call desk research desktop research). That’s why this particular method of research is so popular.

Why Should You Do Desk Research?

There’s a common misconception that desk research will not be of any value to you, because the project is so cutting-edge and really innovative. And while that may be true, that doesn’t mean you should just rely on primary research. The data available online may not be 100% accurate but it doesn’t mean it’s not relevant to your project. You should search for any information that can be found about the specific market your business operates on. Doing this will save you time when planning your primary research and will help you ask your users more relevant questions. That’s the number one reason people do desk research – trying to find out information that somebody already researched and published is just a waste of time.

Besides that, desk research is completely free. Sitting at your desk, looking at market research, analyzing data and making conclusions is definitely cheaper than organizing primary research activities like focus groups or 1:1 interviews. It’s kind of like preparing for a job interview – you need to first get yourself familiar with the company you’re interviewing for, their market, process, competition etc. Otherwise you will seem unprofessional. To sum up, desk research is free, can be done right at your desk anytime and anywhere and will get you the information necessary to be more prepared for your other research activities.

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How to carry out desk research.

Because desk research is focused on searching for existing information, people tend to get lost in the available resources. If you just search for your question in Google you will get thousands and thousands of results. And you may find that quite overwhelming. Which sources should you trust? How to use available statistics? Which research is relevant to your specific business? How to sort through this information ? Your desk-based research should fall into one of these categories: users, their goals, their environment or an overlap of two or more of those. Here’s a Venn diagram we use to help us identify which pieces of information we found will be useful:

As you can see, the diagram has three circles which overlap. Each represents something that is a contact for how the users use your product. The spot where all three (users, goals and environments) overlap is the best kind of market research. And that’s because it contains information about who uses your product in a very specific context.

However, this kind of information is very hard to obtain, especially from secondary data. You will usually need to gather primary data from field visits to get such specific information. But that doesn’t make other data not relevant. You may not find market research that lies within all those categories. But there’s definitely some research published that will get you an overview of your users and their environments or the users and their goals. Just remember, desk research is not here to replace any research activities. It’s here to help you refine your studies.

Which Kinds Of Research To Look For?

Based on the diagram above, you can see that you can search for research that falls into three areas: users and goals, users and environments as well as environments and goals. When in doubt, you can always check the diagram to see which category does a specific research piece fall into. Here’s what to look for during your desk research:

Research that covers your users and their goals but not in the context of their environment. This type of information can be found in the form of surveys, focus groups or customer interviews. All those will get you data about the target audience and their needs. But you will not get any information about how they might use the product in their natural environment.
Research that provides information about what goals users want to achieve and their use environment but doesn’t cover the actual users themselves. This type of information may be published as a call centre analysis or a web analysis.
Research that has information about the users in their environment but doesn’t contain any data on their goals. This can be found in the form of market research for the same target group but different functionalities.

Resource Types To Look For

These three types of data will help you find missing spots that you can fill in later with your field research. It may be hard to find articles and studies that cover those topics, so don’t forget to look inside your company. Chances are, there’s a lot of data from previous projects that can be used to aid your efforts. Another great resource are government websites and research institutes. They often publish a lot of different research papers, so finding the one most useful for you may take some time. But the quality of market research from those sources is top-notch! Also, when you search for data, opt for using Google Scholar. It’s a specific section of Google that you can use to find scientific, data-based research and academic papers. If you narrow your search it will be much easier to find relevant information.

If you’re looking for an experienced team to help you research your business idea – contact us and let’s set up a research plan together!

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What is Desk Research? Definition & Useful Tools

Desk research typically serves as a starting point for design projects, providing designers with the knowledge to guide their approach and help them make informed design choices.

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What is Desk Research?

Desk research (secondary research or literature review) refers to gathering and analyzing existing data from various sources to inform design decisions for UX projects. It’s usually the first step in a design project as it’s cost-effective and informs where teams may need to dig deeper.

This data can come from published materials, academic papers, industry reports, online resources, and other third-party data sources. UX designers or researchers use this information to supplement data, learn about certain markets/user groups, explore industry trends, understand specific topics, or navigate design challenges.

The importance of desk research in the design process

Desk research gives designers a comprehensive understanding of the context, users, and existing solutions. It allows designers to gather valuable insights without conducting primary research which can be time-consuming and resource-intensive.

Desk research helps designers better understand the problem space, explore best practices and industry trends , and identify potential design opportunities without reinventing the wheel while learning from others’ mistakes.

Primary Research vs. Secondary Research

Primary research: new and original data from first-hand sources collected by the team, such as questionnaires, interviews, field research, or experiments, specifically for a particular research project.
Secondary research: utilizing existing data sets and information that others have collected, including books, articles, reports, and databases.

Primary and secondary research complement each other in comprehensively understanding a topic or problem. While primary research provides new first-party data specifically for a project’s goals , secondary data leverages existing knowledge and resources to gain insights.

What is the Purpose of Desk Research?

user bad good review satisfaction opinion

Understanding the problem or design challenge

Desk research helps designers comprehensively understand the problem or design challenge. By reviewing existing knowledge and information, designers can grasp the context, identify pain points, and define the scope of their design project.

For example, when tasked with designing a new mobile banking app, desk research can provide insights into user preferences, common challenges in the banking industry, and emerging trends in mobile banking.

Gathering background information

Desk research allows designers to gather background information related to their design project. It helps them explore the domain, industry, target audience, and relevant factors that may influence their design decisions.

For example, when designing a fitness-tracking app, desk research may involve collecting information about fitness activities, wearable technologies, and health guidelines.

Exploring existing solutions and best practices

Desk research enables designers to explore existing solutions and best practices. By studying successful designs, case studies, and industry standards, designers can learn from previous approaches and incorporate proven techniques.

For example, when creating a website’s navigation menu , desk research can involve analyzing navigation patterns used by popular websites to ensure an intuitive user experience.

Identifying trends and patterns

Desk research helps designers identify trends and patterns within the industry or user behavior. Designers examine market reports, user surveys, and industry publications to identify trends, emerging technologies, and user preferences.

For example, when designing a smart home app, desk research can involve analyzing market trends in connected devices and user expectations for seamless integration.

Informing decision-making and design choices

Desk research provides designers valuable insights that inform their decision-making and design choices. It helps designers make informed design decisions based on existing knowledge, data, and research findings.

For example, when selecting a color palette for a brand’s website, desk research can involve studying color psychology, cultural associations, and industry trends to ensure the chosen colors align with the brand’s values and resonate with the target audience.

Secondary Research Methods and Techniques

Researchers use these methods individually or in combination, depending on the specific design project and research objectives. They select and adapt these based on the nature of the problem, available resources, and desired outcomes.

Literature review : gathers and analyzes relevant data from academic and research publications, government agencies, educational institutions, books, articles, and online resources (i.e., Google Scholar, social media, etc.). It helps designers gain a deeper understanding of existing knowledge, theories, and perspectives on the subject matter.
Market research : studying and analyzing market reports, industry trends, consumer behavior, and demographic data. It provides valuable insights into the target market, user preferences, emerging trends, and potential opportunities for design solutions.
Competitor analysis : examines and evaluates the products, services, and strategies of competitors in the market. By studying competitors’ strengths, weaknesses, and unique selling points, designers can identify gaps, potential areas for improvement, and opportunities to differentiate their designs.
User research analysis : User research analysis involves reviewing and analyzing data collected from various user research methods, such as surveys, interviews, and usability testing. It helps designers gain insights into user needs, preferences, pain points, and behaviors, which inform the design decisions and enhance the user-centeredness of the final product.
Data analysis : processing and interpreting quantitative and qualitative data from various sources, such as surveys, analytics, and user feedback. It helps designers identify patterns, trends, and correlations in the data, which can guide decision-making and inform design choices.

How to Conduct Desk Research

Defining research objectives and questions

Start by defining the research objectives and formulating specific research questions. A clear goal will inform the type and method of secondary research.

For example, if you’re designing a mobile app for fitness tracking, your research objective might be to understand user preferences for workout-tracking features. Your research question could be: “What are the most commonly used workout tracking features in popular fitness apps?”

Identifying and selecting reliable sources

Identify relevant and reliable sources of information that align with your research objectives. These sources include academic journals, industry reports, reputable websites, and case studies.

For example, you might refer to academic journals and industry reports on fitness technology trends and user behavior to gather reliable insights for your research.

Collecting and analyzing relevant information

Collect information from the selected sources and carefully analyze it to extract key insights.

For example, you could collect data on user preferences for workout-tracking features by reviewing user reviews of existing fitness apps, analyzing market research reports, and studying user surveys conducted by fitness-related organizations.

Organizing and synthesizing findings

Organize the research data and synthesize the findings to identify common themes, patterns, and trends.

For example, you might categorize the collected data based on different workout tracking features, identify the most frequently mentioned features, and analyze user feedback to understand the reasons behind their preferences.

Limitations and Considerations of Secondary Research

Considering these desk research limitations and considerations allows designers to approach it with a critical mindset, apply appropriate methodologies to address potential biases, and supplement it with other research methods when necessary.

Potential bias in sources: Desk research heavily relies on existing information, which may come from biased or unreliable sources. It is essential to critically evaluate the credibility and objectivity of the sources used to minimize the risk of incorporating biased information into the research findings.
Limited access to certain information: Desk research may have limitations in accessing certain types of information, such as proprietary data or sensitive industry insights. This limited access can restrict the depth of the research and may require designers to rely on alternative sources or approaches to fill the gaps.
Lack of real-time data: Desk research uses existing data and information, which may not always reflect the most up-to-date or current trends. It is essential to consider the data’s publication date and recognize that certain aspects of the research may require complementary methods, such as user research or market surveys, to capture real-time insights.
Necessary cross-referencing and triangulation: Given the potential limitations and biases in individual sources, it is crucial to cross-reference information from multiple sources and employ triangulation techniques. This due diligence helps validate the findings and ensures a more comprehensive and accurate understanding of the subject matter.

Test Research Findings With UXPin’s Interactive Prototypes

Secondary research is the first step. Design teams must test and validate ideas with end-users using prototypes. With UXPin’s built-in design libraries , designers can build fully functioning prototypes using patterns and components from leading design systems, including Material Design, iOS, Bootstrap, and Foundation.

UXPin’s prototypes allow usability participants and stakeholders to interact with user interfaces and features like they would the final product, giving design teams high-quality insights to iterate and improve efficiency with better results.

These four key features set UXPin apart from traditional image-based design tools :

States : create multiple states for a single UI element and design complex interactive components like dropdown menus , tab menus , navigational drawers , and more .
Variables : create personalized, dynamic prototype experiences by capturing data from user inputs and using it throughout the prototype–like a personalized welcome message or email confirmation.
Expressions : Javascript-like functions to create complex components and advanced functionality–no code required!
Conditional Interactions : create if-then and if-else conditions based on user interactions to create dynamic prototypes with multiple outcomes to replicate the final product experience accurately.

Gain valuable insights with fully functioning prototypes to validate UX research hypotheses and make better design decisions. Sign up for a free trial to build your first interactive prototype with UXPin.

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What is desk research: Definition, tips & examples

What is desk research: Definition, tips & examples

Defne Çobanoğlu

Every research starts with thinking and then continues with reading. Lots of reading 🤓. It’s because you have to know what other scientists, marketers, and researchers have found on the subject so you can build on it. This is basically what desk research is.

In this article, you will learn what secondary or desk research is and how to do it with some excellent tips and examples. Let us get started with the basic definition!

What is desk research?

In layman’s terms, desk research is a type of research where you gather data while “ sitting at a desk .” It is another name for secondary research where the study itself is desk-based research and not experiment-based research.

Broadly speaking, there are two types of main research types. One of them is primary research , where the researcher tries to gather data firsthand (directly from the data source). The other one is secondary research , where the researcher is going through secondary data from published books, case studies, and other quantitative research. In other words, secondary research basically equals desk research.

Why do you need desk research?

No matter the objective of the study, desk research should always be the first step. Because previously done experimental research and explanatory research give a good starting point. If you can take advantage of the existing information, it is always constructive to see what was previously said. But that is not the only reason to use this research method. So here are the advantages of desk research:

✅Insightfulness

It would be foolish of you to just jump into the middle of research without doing any research beforehand. A researcher who collects data before going along with their plan will gather substantial information and continue with their plan with this obtained insightfulness.

✅Time efficiency

Conducting a full-on study from start to finish is quite time-consuming. However, secondary data is right there waiting to be inspected. Thanks to that, the data collection is very quick.

✅Availability

As mentioned above, the secondary data collection sources are available on many platforms. They can be found in libraries, databases, online sources, booklets, and many more.

✅Cost-effectiveness

In addition to the other advantages, doing desk research is very cheap, too. So long as you can access a library or have an internet connection, you can gather the appropriate data without a cost.

The benefits of desk research

How to do desk research

The best approach to any research is a systematic one. That is why you should always have a plan or outline you will follow during your research. And we have gathered this step-by-step plan to guide you on your desk research. You can use it as is or build on these steps.

Identify the topic: The first thing is to identify the research topic clearly to make sure you know what you want to know.. (You can change the topic as you explore the concept further.)
Find research sources: Secondly, go on and identify the research sources.
Collect data: Afterward, you can start collecting data from these sources. Go through every option to gather as much information as possible.
Combine everything: Combine all that you gathered and compare it with the other information you collected. Make sure there are no contradictions.
Make an informed analysis: The last step is to try to see if the findings answer the research topic well enough or not. If not, you can change the question or repeat the process. If you are satisfied with the findings you can decide if you want to continue with exploratory research methods to further your findings.

5 Steps to conduct a desk research

Expert tips for desk research

Even the simplest task is best done by following a structured plan and organization. In addition to this, if you are planning to start your desk research, you should mind these smart tips to guide you in your way:

Make sure the data you collect is not outdated .
Take systematic notes while going through the sources so as not to get mixed up.
Be critical and analytical and question your findings to make sure there are no contradictions.
Do not limit yourself to just a few sources. It is better to make use of all options .
Do not be biased. Stay open-minded . If you limit yourself to only a number of sources, your findings will be more than likely, insufficient. You should broaden your perspective by looking into various sides and frames.
You can change course according to your findings. Do not feel limited to a frame.
You can combine and support your findings with some primary research techniques such as surveys, interviews, or observations.
Applications of desk research

Now, we know how to do desk research, what to have in mind, and its advantages. But on what occasions can you use this type of research? Let us see some examples of desk research.

1. Doing market research on a subject

When you want information on the latest fashion trends and clothing preferences of teenagers, it is best to consult appropriate data. You can read through magazines, fashion articles, fashion brand reports, and so on. Worth the data you obtain, you can build your fashion brand or create an eye-catching ad.

2. When you have an academic approach

Let us say you are a scholar who specializes in second language acquisition in children in a bilingual household. You can check out available online academic sources such as Google Scholar, ResearchGate, Wiley Online Library, or Library Genesis. There, you can find previously done studies, articles, and statistics.

3. Getting a general idea of a specific group of people

Let us say you will work with or around university students aged 18-28, and you want to know more about their behaviors and preferences to make informed decisions. You can use sources such as textbooks, news articles, reviews, journal entries, and previously done interviews and surveys.

Frequently asked questions about desk research

What are the common resources for desk research?

The sources for desk research are limitless. Because they are basically every study conducted on the research topic. As long as they are organized, tangible, and objective , there is no problem using them. Some appropriate resources for desk research are:

Published books
Case studies
Directories
Company financial data
Government statistics
Commercial publications

When is desk research not reliable?

You may go through the relevant sources all you want, but if you fail to make sure the data is accurate, this can disrupt your project. There are some instances where desk research is not reliable and usable. For example, you can not use information that is outdated, biased, insufficient, irrelevant, or inaccurate .

Desk research vs. Empirical research

Empirical research is based on observation as directly experienced by the researcher. And even though secondary research backs up the theory part, empirical data is a primary research method . In desk research, the researcher goes through existing sources; therefore, desk research is a secondary research method.

Desk research vs. Primary research

Desk research is also known as secondary research and it involves collecting data from secondary sources such as published documents. And, primary research involves collecting data directly from the original sources. For example, doing experiments, observations, or interviews.

Desk research vs. Field research

Desk research, also known as secondary research, is when data collection is completed from secondary sources such as published documents or website sources. Field research, also known as primary research, is when data collection is directly from the source about a specific subject.

In desk research you collect pre-existing information while in field research you create new knowledge via exploration.

Desk research is an essential part of any study, no matter the concept. Thanks to desk research, the researcher collects all available data to draw their own conclusions or support their research theory.

It can be done using a number of source materials from books, reports, analyses, and entries. İt is a valuable part of the study. Desk research has its own advantages, and it can be perfected with some tips as well. What's more, you can use a smart tool such as a form and survey maker tool like forms.app to help you with all your research subjects!

Defne is a content writer at forms.app. She is also a translator specializing in literary translation. Defne loves reading, writing, and translating professionally and as a hobby. Her expertise lies in survey research, research methodologies, content writing, and translation.

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How to conduct effective desk research for UX and service design?

As designers, we are often thrust into projects on topics and within industries that we know next to nothing about. Part of our job is to dive deep into a new subject and learn as much as we can quickly in order to ramp up and be able to design better experiences. Exploratory research in the form of in-depth interviews , diary studies , and workshops is one way to do that, but there is often great value in conducting secondary research, too! This means looking into research that’s already been conducted and can be applied to your new project. Desk research is the best way to orient ourselves to the industry and context we will be working within. Today’s post will tell you exactly how to conduct desk research in UX and service design.

Back in Part One of our series on desk research, how to use desk research in UX and service design? , we set a solid foundation for what desk research is, when to use it in the design process, and the six main types of desk research, (document review, as-is data sources, web audits/google analytics device, literature review, jurisdictional scans, and comparative analysis) used in UX and service design. In this post, we are taking things a step further and looking at exactly how to conduct desk research used most often in a UX or design research project.

We’ll cover…

The desk research planning process

How to conduct a literature review and trend analysis in ux and service design.

Deep dive: running a comparative analysis in UX
Conducting a SWOT analysis

The best way to tackle desk research is to be prepared with a solid plan! Here are five key steps to starting the desk research planning process:

Talk to your stakeholders. You want to go into desk research with a solid understanding of what the company or organization already knows about the topic at hand, and one of the best ways to do that is by talking to stakeholders and executives! It’s important to involve stakeholders early and wherever possible, so book their time in advance and keep in frequent contact. When you get the chance to sit down with them, get granular with your questions and listen carefully to their answers. It’s likely you’ll identify more problem areas you weren’t aware of, and develop more questions. Remember, the majority of what you’re learning from these stakeholder conversations comes from their own unique understanding and perspective, which isn’t always the entire picture. The great thing about desk research is it gives you the opportunity to cleanse your palate and get to the facts!
Define the goal or questions at hand. What problem are we trying to solve? What information are you trying to find? What would be most helpful to the product or service you are designing?
Determine which types of desk research you’ll use. Which methods will be most effective for your research question and project goals? There are many different types of desk research you can dig into, so depending on what information you’re looking for, you’ll want to consider both internal and external desk research. Internal research is usually the starting point, and will tell you what’s going on within your organization through data that’s readily available to you. For more info on internal vs. external research and an entire breakdown of the six types of desk research, check out part one of this blog series!
Make a list of potential topics that you want to dig into. Think of everything that impacts this project! Stakeholders will be of great help here. There will be one obvious topic, which is what your project is on, but you’ll need to branch out from there and think about other subjects that might impact your main topic. A great way to do this is by creating a mind map – start with your main topic in the centre and work outwards. For example, if travel is at the centre of your mind map, moving outward you might write subtopics like domestic travel, international travel, the economy, illness, climate change, etc.
Jot down a rough plan! Once you’ve set some goals, create a rough plan. Write down everything you’ve found out so far, the topics you want to uncover through the literature, how you’ll use the information you uncover, etc.

Now that you have spoken with stakeholders and executives, defined goals, solidified the questions you’re looking to answer and made a rough plan, it’s time to get into actually conducting the desk research. A literature review can be about anything, but a trend analysis means you’re looking in the literature for trends about the topic at hand. You’ll want to look for what’s going on right now, what’s a few years away, and what might happen in the future. Do this by adding search terms like, “topic + travel + 2025” or “2030” (aka travel trends 2025).

A modern literature review often starts with a google search. Look for online journal articles, reputable online blogs and articles, research reports, and white papers. For a UX or service design project, we typically look for 20-30 credible sources.

Note: A critical piece of desk research is choosing your sources – where will you extract your information from, both internally and externally? Your sources will help you to expand and dive deeper into the information you uncovered during your preparatory phase. Choose sources that are highly credible, reputable, and top sources. How can you know if you’ve found a credible source? There are a handful of frameworks, like The 5 W Questions , a SMART Check , and CRAAP Test , which you can use to critically assess your selected sources.

Let’s get into it…

Start with broad search terms based on key topics. Type these broad terms into Google and start by clicking on the top-level links that are being served to you. Read through them and learn more about each of these topics, and keep the links to the first articles you stumble upon. They might not be the articles you end up sourcing in the end, but they’ll help by giving you more keywords to search for! You’ll notice patterns as trends emerge in the keywords you’re searching for, allowing you to discover more specific trends and subtopics.
Save links and cut snippets of text. Use an excel spreadsheet to keep track of your sources as you go. Copy paste snippets of text that are interesting and add them to a cell in your spreadsheet, make sure you provide a link back to the original article inside the cell – otherwise things can get a little messy! This will help you with your data analysis later on.
For example, if you’re reading an article titled, “Top 10 Trends in Travel,” you might notice they’re talking about climate change, technology, safety and cleanliness, etc. Once you’ve read a few articles and these themes continually overlap, they become your subtopics. You’ll then try to get five credible articles around “climate change and travel” that will help support your topic!
Create summaries per subtopic. Typically, once you uncover a few themes that would be relevant to your project, write up a few descriptive paragraphs summarizing each theme and provide links to references.
Draw connections and inferences. As you start to summarize your themes, you’ll be able to draw connections in the literature about how that insight may impact your product, service, or organization. These insights are most important –it’s a major reason for conducting desk research in the first place.
Draft a report. While a report isn’t always required, we recommend at least putting together a summary package with highlights and links to your chosen sources! If for some reason another team member hops on your project or you need to pivot, whoever is coming in isn’t starting from scratch.

Deep dive: running a comparative analysis in UX

In addition to conducting a literature review, a comparative analysis is particularly useful in UX-specific projects. A comparative analysis should be performed early on in the UX design process as it is useful for understanding the product, mapping out the existing marketplace, and discovering potential threats and opportunities to the product/business. It involves comparing and evaluating the current products or services in the market, and is particularly helpful in UX/UI projects when you want to understand where your product will fit in the market, how it differs from the competition and any gaps or areas of opportunity that may be untapped. The value of a competitive analysis is that it can bring the design team a lot of inspiration, it can prove or disprove the value of your product/service, and help your team to find ways to differentiate your service further. It can include things like a simple feature list comparison between the various applications/products in the same space (like Trivago, Hotels.com and HotWire.) It may also include documenting detailed user flows by grabbing screenshots.

If there are several products/services being looked into, you can create a spreadsheet to compare all the different experiences. Looking into your competition can also involve creating a dummy account on their website to capture the experience, or testing out their product and documenting your findings, capturing screenshots and making screen recordings of your interaction(s) with competitor experiences in order to compare them against several different criteria most beneficial to your users. The criteria may include, but are not limited to:

Look (UI design) and feel (UX design)
User reviews (both good and bad!)
Data entry requirements
Accessibility compliance
Technology constraints
Ideal user paths/journeys
Number of clicks
Ease of use, features, friction, functionality, and flow.

SWOT analysis

A great way to evaluate a company’s competitive and strategic position is by conducting a SWOT analysis. “A SWOT analysis is designed to facilitate a realistic, fact-based, data-driven look at the strengths and weaknesses of an organization, initiatives, or within its industry.” – Investopedia . By breaking down a company’s Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats, you can make inferences based on what you learn and see, and determine how this could impact your client. Is this an opportunity, or is it a threat to look out for? The information you’ve learned from external literature reviews and your comparative analysis would inform the opportunities and threats piece of the SWOT analysis, whereas the strengths and weaknesses portion would be gathered through stakeholder workshops and internal desk research (such as previous research reports and presentations).

For example, how might the climate crisis affect the travel and tourism industry? Tourism and travel are massive generators of income, but also contribute greatly to the climate crisis, which is negatively impacting many popular travel destinations. However, if travel hotspots lose tourism numbers because of the climate crisis, their local economies suffer. This makes climate change a threat to the travel industry as it impacts people’s abilities to travel and the destination’s ability to host tourists.

We hope this post helped you understand more about actually conducting desk research for your next UX or design research project. The best way to approach desk research is by being “bright-eyed and bushy-tailed.” Always go in with a beginner’s mindset , be curious, and absorb as much information as you can.

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Desk Research: Definition, Importance and Advantages

June 12, 2023 | By Hitesh Bhasin | Filed Under: Marketing

Research is an integral part of the marketing of every business . The success of a business depends on the acceptability of the product . Research is used to understand the expectation of the target audience. The outcome of thorough research helps in developing a successful marketing plan .Research can be categorized into two broad categories, primary research and desk research or secondary research .

Read this article to learn the definition of desk research, what is desk research, the importance of desk research, reasons to conduct desk research, advantages of desk research, and steps to do desk research.

Table of Contents

Desk research can be defined as a type of market research where the information about the topic in research is available in printed form or published on the internet, in newspapers, magazines, and government reports is collected and analyzed.

What is desk research?

Desk research is a type of research that can be performed over a desk. In this type of research, a researcher finds, collects, and reviews the publicly available data about the research topic. In primary research, the researcher interacts with people and collects data firsthand using different primary research methods.

On the other hand, desk research is conducted by gathering and analyzing information available on public platforms such as internet forms, newspaper articles, magazines, market intelligence , government reports, databases, statistics, and data sets.

The desk research is also popularly known as secondary research, as in this research, the data for the analysis is not collected by involving participants. But the previously existed data is gathered and studied. The researcher conducts research sitting behind his or her desk by collecting the previously existing data.

Many organizations prefer desk research because it helps to establish an understanding of the research topic at a very low-cost. In addition to this, the information collected from the desk research is verified by the public. Hence, the outcome of the research is reliable.

Moreover, desk research can be categorized into two categories: internal desk research and external desk research. Internal desk research is referred to as the analysis of internal reports, data sets, and organization statistics. At the same time, external desk research is applied to the study of information collected from the external sources.

Market research is an essential part of every business. A business needs to understand the product’s demand that they want to launch in the market. Research is the only method to learn about the market condition and the acceptability of the product.

Companies adopt two research methods to analyze the market condition, such as primary research and secondary research. However, conducting primary research is quite expensive and requires a lot of effort and resources.

Therefore, organizations opt for secondary research methods to learn about the field of research. Conducting desk research is a cost-effective method to establish an understanding of the area.

Advantages of desk research

Desk research is one of the essential market research that many organizations opt to learn about their investment. The following are the advantages of conducting desk research.

1. Inexpensive

The first benefit of conducting desk research is that it costs almost nothing. You need to have a desktop and internet connection to perform this type of research.

If you are new in the business world and want to start your business from scratch, then it is understood that you are low on budget to conduct primary research.

Therefore, secondary research is the best option for you to understand the market segment you want to enter and the demand for the product in the market.

2. Helpful in making well-informed decisions

Marketing plays an essential role in the success of every business. A company spends a considerable amount of money to market their product. A manager can make better decisions when they understand the field better.

The desk research allows managers to understand the demands and needs of consumers . Thus, they can create effective marketing plans for their products and services.

3. Helpful in finding new opportunities

Through desk research, a manager can learn about the business opportunities available in the market.

They can analyze the competition in the market and can position their product in such a way so that they can increase their market share .

4. It takes less time to conduct

Secondary research can be undertaken in comparatively less time than the primary research. With the help of technology and using public sources, the information can be collected in very little time.

5. Helpful in focusing the research

Many times, managers face the problem of having one focused research topic. In such a scenario, conducting primary research will be a waste of time and a waste of resources.

The companies can either hire experts in conducting secondary research or use the services of third-party organizations that help you in conducting the secondary research.

Disadvantages of desk research

1. Unreliability of data

Relying on the data collected through desk research is a little risky. The data that you are basing your research on can be outdated as government organizations don’t update their data regularly. Their statistics and database are updated once or twice a year.

2. Difficult to find specific data

Another disadvantage of desk research is that you can’t find accurate data for your research topic. Secondary research is useful to establish an understanding of the research topic, but reaching conclusions only based on the desk research outcome is not advisable.

3. No control over the participants and the methods of research

In secondary research, the data you collect or analyze is based on the research conducted by others. Therefore, as a researcher, you cannot control the research participants and the methods used by them.

Here is a video by Marketing91 on Desk Research.

Resources of desk research

The following are the sources that can be used to collect data for desk research.

1. Business libraries and databases

All large libraries have business sections where one can access the latest material in different fields of business. Many libraries also provide access to online business sources. Therefore, if you are an entrepreneur and want to do preliminary research for your business, libraries are the best source for you to conduct your desk research.

2. Local directories

Local directories are the best place to conduct desk research if you want to start a business locally and have information about your competitors.

Local directories can provide you information about your local competitors and the product and services.

3. Trade associations

The members of an industry form trade associations.

If you want to enter an industry, it will help you have connections in their trade association. Business associations provide statistics, reports, and data to their members.

4. Market research report

Market research reports contain information about a particular market segment. These reports contain information such as threats and opportunities in a specific market. Several organizations sell market research reports.

You can buy research reports to conduct desk research.

5. Newspapers and magazines

Newspapers and magazines are one of the cheapest and readily available sources. In all newspapers, there is a business section where they print business news and market.

Similarly, business magazines publish news about different industries. You can buy their latest copies and can access older copies from your local library.

Steps to conduct desk research

Carrying desk research requires skills and knowledge to scrutinize the right sources to collect data. Whether you want to write a personal story or research a business opportunity, desk research will help you do it effectively.

In this section, you will learn about the steps you can follow to conduct effective desk research.

Step 1: Define the objective of your research

Conducting desk research will become a lot easier if you have a predefined objective for your research. If you are not sure about your research’s objective, you should list down all the questions you want to research.

Your research should be focused on finding the answers to all of these questions. Follow the logic of going from general research to reaching a precise research topic. Lastly, have a rough idea of how much information you want to collect so you will know when to move to the next step.

Step 2: Make a research plan

Now, this step might contradict your pre-notion about the desk research. Most people believe that desk research takes place without following a plan. But, trust me, having a research plan will make your research work a lot easy.

Choose a research method that you will use and the tool that you will use to collect and analyze your research data.

Step 3: Select a deadline

Having a deadline to conclude your research will make your research work fast and will save you from wasting your time procrastinating, and you will end up conducting your research in less time.

Step 4: Conduct research

Conducting desk research means collecting the data from reliable sources and analyzing them to reach conclusions. Ensure the reliability of the data source and analyze the information collected using tables and flow charts.

Step 5: Reach conclusions

Once you have collected enough information and have organized and analyzed it properly, then reaching conclusions will not be difficult for you.

Your whole effort to conduct research will be successful only if you understand the information entirely and draw conclusions from it without any confusion.

Desk research or secondary research is conducted by collecting and analyzing the data collected by other researchers. Using desk research, you can establish an understanding of your research field by spending fewer resources like time and money.

Liked this post? Check out the complete series on Market research

Research Ethics – Importance and Principles of Ethics in Research
What is Research Design? Type of Research Designs
How to Write Research Proposal? Research Proposal Format
7 Key Differences between Research Method and Research Methodology
Qualitative Research: Meaning, and Features of Qualitative Research
Descriptive Research – Characteristics, Methods, Examples, Advantages
Operations Research – Types, Advantages, Disadvantages
Primary Research – Meaning, Process and Advantages
What is Survey Research? Objectives, Sampling Process, Types and Advantages
What is the Importance of Qualitative Research to an Organization?

About Hitesh Bhasin

Hitesh Bhasin is the CEO of Marketing91 and has over a decade of experience in the marketing field. He is an accomplished author of thousands of insightful articles, including in-depth analyses of brands and companies. Holding an MBA in Marketing, Hitesh manages several offline ventures, where he applies all the concepts of Marketing that he writes about.

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Desk Research - Methodology and Techniques

As depicted by name Desk Research is the research technique which is mainly acquired by sitting at a desk .

Desk research is basically involved in collecting data from existing resources hence it is often considered a low cost technique as compared to field research, as the main cost is involved in executive’s time, telephone charges and directories. However, it could also be a complete waste of time and money if the researcher does not have the proper knowledge of how the research is performed.

Desk research is very effective and can be conducted in starting phase of market research as it is quite quick and cheap and most of the basic information could be easily fetched which can be used as benchmark in the research process.

There are basically two types of desk research techniques:

The main advantage here in performing internal desk research is that it involves internal and existing organizational resources to organize the collected data in such a way that it is not only efficient but also usable. Internal desk research is comparatively very cheap and effective as internal recourses are deputed and the expenditure in getting data from outside is less.

There could be two approaches for digging out the relevant information from internet, one is directly browsing the specific information from industrial, marketing or business sites and extracting the information out of these sites. Secondly, using the various search engines like www.google.com, www.yahoo.com, www.infoseek.go.com, www.altavista.com etc, for modulated searching.

The important aspect here is to refine the searching techniques in such a way that results are promising and relevant. For this it is necessary that the researcher should know the importance of the research and follow the guideline intellectually to reduce the efforts made and time consumed in searching.

Customers are the one who are considered the most informed as they are actually using products and services and are aware of the current market trends more than any other. Hence the feedback and information provided by customers is the most accurate and useful data which can be used most effectively in the further process of research.

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Authorship/Referencing - About the Author(s)

The article is Written By “Prachi Juneja” and Reviewed By Management Study Guide Content Team . MSG Content Team comprises experienced Faculty Member, Professionals and Subject Matter Experts. We are a ISO 2001:2015 Certified Education Provider . To Know more, click on About Us . The use of this material is free for learning and education purpose. Please reference authorship of content used, including link(s) to ManagementStudyGuide.com and the content page url.

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CRM and Marketing
Misunderstandings about CRM
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CRM (Customer Relationship Management) Software and Its Importance
What is Customer Relationship
Types of Customers
Orientation of Customers
Customer Modeling
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Quality of Relatiosnhip with Customers
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Desk research.

Knowing what others have already discovered means you can contribute new, original thought to an existing knowledge base.

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Start with what’s there

Where to start is one of the hardest questions to answer when researching a problem. Depending on the type of project, you’ll need to look into a variety of research types to learn what’s been done before. Understanding past research will help you to focus on where you can do new research, and how best to frame that research.

This process is known as benchmarking. Essentially, it means doing traditional desk-based research to find out what others have discovered in the field you’re investigating. You should also look for research that supports, or does not support, items that you might already know, or think you know, about the subject.

This process both informs and gives direction to your work. If you know where others have been, you can build off of their work, and contribute to the overall knowledge in this topic through your original research.

Academic Research can help you uncover what people have already done in your topic area. Use search engines like Google Scholar or Academia.edu, and publications like the Harvard Business Review, the Stanford Social Innovation Review, and the MIT Technology Review to find projects related to your subject. Read the abstracts of articles that sound interesting, then check those papers’ bibliographies to find additional articles and works.

Statistical Research can help you properly frame your area of interest. For example, historical statistics will allow you to understand whether your problem frame should widen out or focus in. Always evaluate the source of your data to maintain data hygiene and fidelity.

Data hygiene refers to the quality of the data collection and interpretation.
Data fidelity refers to the precision with which the data has been recorded. If the data collection or interpretation is illogical or messy, move on and find better data on which to base your work.

Internal-to-Organization Research is helpful if your project relates to a program or set of programs already underway in your organization. Look at those programs to see what’s already being done. Talk to the program leaders, review their documents, and, if possible, observe them working in the field. This process will help you frame your approach to avoid duplication of work, and increase your contribution to work already in process.

External-to-Organization Research means seeking out and studying existing programs outside of your organization. Look across all sectors: private, non-profit, academic, or other government organizations. Learning what others are developing will help you frame your project in a way that builds on this work. As you notify others of your work, you will also contribute to the community of knowledge on your subject.

Organize your research

Always properly cite and document desk research sources. Follow the examples below; either print them, or take a screenshot and mark them up digitally.

Keep all your citations organized and together. Keeping track of research sources means you can quickly and easily find content that you would like to reference or cite in a final report or communication.

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Desk Research

Desk research methodology is a method of collecting and analyzing information from available secondary sources, such as documents, reports, academic publications and other materials available online or in libraries. The purpose of desk research is to gain a broader perspective on the problem or issue under study, as well as to supplement or confirm knowledge on the topic. Desk research is particularly useful for research on historical events or processes and theoretical studies.

Application of Desk Research

Methods for implementing desk research include various ways to collect and analyze available market information without conducting face-to-face surveys with users. Here are some example methods: Analysis of available industry reports and publications: you can collect data from available industry reports and publications, such as market reports, industry analysis, scientific reports, etc. Analysis of statistical data: you can use available statistical data, such as demographic data, sales data, labor market data, etc. Review of websites and industry portals: you can collect data from various websites and industry portals, such as those of manufacturers, distributors, industry organizations, etc. Analysis of newspaper articles: you can analyze newspaper articles posted in newspapers, magazines and the Internet to gain information about the market and its trends. Internet search: you can search for market information using search engines such as Google to gain a wide range of available information. Social media data analysis: you can collect and analyze data from social media such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc., to gain information about users’ opinions and preferences.

Methods of implementing Desk Research

The methods for carrying out desk research are as follows: Searching databases: Various databases, such as industry, statistical or scientific databases, can be used to find the information needed. Reviewing documents and reports: You can also review various types of documents and reports, such as financial reports, market statistics or industry reports, to obtain information on an issue of interest. Analyzing data from the Internet: You can also use various sources available on the Internet, such as websites, online forums and social media to find the information you need. Literature research: You can also conduct literature research, that is, you can analyze the available scientific literature and review articles from scientific journals or books in the field. Data analysis from other sources: You can also use data available from other sources, such as data files from government offices or institutions or data collected by other companies or organizations.

Our company Fieldstat specializes in Desk Research. We provide top-notch services and our teams are professionally qualified. We do market research, product quality research, competitive research, consumer research, social media research, technology research and much more. We have a wealth of tools and knowledge to meet our clients’ needs and deliver the best results. If you are looking for someone to help you gather and interpret information, please contact us.

Who commissions Desk Research?

Desk research is commissioned by various individuals or institutions that need information on a particular issue or market. Examples of people or institutions that may commission desk research: Companies: Many companies commission desk research to learn about the market situation, customer needs and preferences, competition or industry trends. Non-profit organizations: Non-profit organizations, such as foundations or associations, often commission desk research to obtain information on a particular field or social problem. Government institutions: Government institutions, such as ministries or offices, may also commission desk research to obtain information on various issues, such as to develop public policy. Individuals: Individuals can also commission desk research, such as if they want to learn about the market for services or products in order to make purchasing or investment decisions.

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Desk research: how to conduct secondary research efficiently.

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If you’re already familiar with UX Design, you know how essential research is to get to know the users of a product and understand their needs.

Basically, there are two types of research: primary (where you collect information yourself by surveys, interviews, observations, etc.) and secondary (searching for data compiled from previous findings). Desk Research falls into the second category.

Keep reading to know the best practices and a step-by-step to research successfully from your own desk!

What is Desk Research?

Desk Research is a method that explores data from existing documents and previous research — secondary data — to gather information over a particular topic.

It can provide solid arguments and help you elaborate a line of thought or fight for your ideas. And to do this, Desk Research relies on data already collected from other people.

Therefore, before spending time and money on field visits, prototypes, or usability tests, it’s wise to see what the world already knows that could be relevant for you and your team.

Why should you have a Desk Research?

Desk Research should be used as a research method before starting any Product Design project. It’s always constructive to see what previous studies and experts say about a particular topic, especially if you can take advantage of the information already out there.

Secondary research has the objective of any investigation: to provide information that could support and guide decision-making.

So in terms of objectives , using Desk Research is not that different from Primary Research.

Primary and Secondary Research

Primary and Secondary Research share the same object of study but are different in their process.

Primary research is first-hand research created and tailored to meet specific needs. The source of this kind of research is the individuals or organization behind the investigation.

Additionally, primary research uses raw data, which needs to be filtered and organized in order to be analyzed and reported.

On the other hand, secondary research collects data from previous research, so it doesn’t belong to anyone.

Needless to say, primary research demands more time and money, while secondary research is cheaper and faster to gather results.

Desk Research: where to look?

Since Desk Research relies on other people’s findings, pay close attention to the sources and always run check facts.

There are all kinds of information online so we need to be diligent to filter good quality material.

Also, the internet is not the only possible source of information to carry out Desk Research. You may want to check:

Existing products in the market;
Your own organization records;
Academic records;
Government organizations;
Relevant NGO’S.

Products in the market

An insightful resource is observing products that are already on the market.

Furthermore, evaluate the products that your own company has already launched.

Look at the concepts, interactions, and experiences these products provide.

Company records

Go through research and analysis your own company has conducted in the past.

This type of information is extremely valuable to understand ideas, opportunities, and difficulties the company has faced in the past and that can serve as a starting point for your own proposal.

Investigate further, look at the people in charge of these data, and if possible, try to talk to them directly and exchange knowledge about what they have found out, and what you intend to do.

Most of the time, internal research helps to clarify essential points, due to the fact they were applied in the same context, in the same market segment.

External Sources

External research sources are perhaps the most common and widely known. However, as we already mentioned, it’s important to understand which sources are reliable.

With that in mind, we compiled a few aspects for your consideration:

Data available from the Web

Internet is the most popular and accessible source of information there is. With just one click you can download any data or research you want.

Despite much information being available for free, that are company sites that sell information and reports.

If you’re digging the internet for free content, check reliable websites with known expertise in the field.

For example, in the case of research and data about usability, it’s common to rely on data from the Nielsen Norman Group . The consulting firm is an expert on UX, has authority and reputation in the market.

In times when the internet rules the era of information, libraries end up being underestimated. But they can be excellent sources for desk research.

Of course, recent studies will most likely be found online but there may be old interesting research published only on paper. So, apart from books, beware to check articles, papers, and research from a wide range of authors.

Don’t dismiss studies that are not recent. Even if research was carried out a couple of years ago, it can still be extremely relevant and serve to support your ideas, provide you answers, questions, or insights.

Human behavior, for example, changes very slowly, so studies that focus on that, won’t lose its “expiration date” so soon.

Academic Records

In addition to using university libraries, you can search for more specific research conducted by students or professors at the institutions.

As a general rule, educational institutions conduct a variety of primary research that can be requested and used as Desk Research by companies.

Desk Research can also rely on newspapers, magazines, and even news transmitted on TV or radio.

However, it is always important to be diligent when using this type of information because it is generally superficial and informational for the public.

Relying solely on media data can bring biased and shallow information. Nevertheless, it can be a good start for your Desk Research.

A step-by-step to Desk Research

It’s wise to consider a couple of measures to ensure the quality and efficiency of your Desk Research.

So we’ll describe a step-by-step to help you in your endeavor.

Of course, as you gain experience with this research method, you can adapt each step to make it more coherent to the way you work. But be sure to go through them.

1) Define your goal

Before starting the research, identify its purpose: What do you want to know? Which question do you need to answer?

Without a pre-determined objective, you won’t be a good judge whether the information you’re coming across is relevant or not for your project.

Establishing objectives is all about setting a clear path to the questions you want to answer; this will ground you and help you stay focused, so you don’t end up wasting precious time.

Your research objectives can revolve around:

a number: like seeking to find five articles from different sources or collecting information from 20 user interviews;
an assumption: here, your goal is to find arguments and information that support your hypothesis. However, make sure to also look for information that may disprove your statement.

2) Map your sources

Will you only use the internet? Or will you also go to public libraries? Are you going to talk to people in your company too?

Mapping the sources you intend to use saves time and prevents you from losing focus. At this stage, identify which sources are more likely to bring you the best results.

Remember to have a plan B, too. For example, if you can’t find all the information on websites, find out what the next trusted source you should be using.

3) Set a deadline

Working with deadlines is another strategy to maintain focus during research.

Determine whether you will invest hours, days, or a few weeks to carry out your Desk Research.

However, keep in mind that we tend to use up all the time assigned to us. So keep it a tight schedule and propose realistic deadlines to help your productivity and your research efficiency.

4) Hands-on

It’s time to carry out your research, keeping in mind: your objective, the deadline, and reliable sources.

Use whichever method you think is best to identify and gather the necessary information: summarizing, filing, highlighting, or copying.

For instance, you can put all your findings on an online whiteboard (like miro.com ).

Remember to seek different views on the same problem. Don’t fall into so-called confirmation bias, where you only collect data that confirms your assumption.

Look for information that may contradict the initial ideas to bring other perspectives that will be essential upon data analysis.

5) Analyze data

A crucial step of Desk Research is analyzing the data collected. First, carefully read the information and review all the findings. Then, go deeper into your study: compare the results of different sources and define the importance of each one.

Next, check if your research answered the questions and met the initially proposed objective.

If not, redo the research or check if the objective is coherent or needs to be changed.

In this step, you should also formalize the information in a way it’s presentable to others; you can write a report or organize your findings into a presentation.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Desk Research

Secondary Research is cheaper than Primary Research. Thus, if your company does not have the budget to conduct interviews and do field observations, desk research is a good solution;
Desk Research also has a time advantage. Compared to primary Research, secondary Research is much faster to conduct;
The wide availability of information makes Desk Research easier to execute.

Disadvantages

The challenge of finding reliable sources. If the research is done over the internet, it is necessary to be very careful with websites and articles you base upon;
It’s not always possible to find reports and research that is up-to-date and include the most recent information;
Because it is faster and cheaper, Desk Research can create the false impression that it is the best method to use. However, it is essential to understand that primary research is also relevant and has more focus and objectivity to meet the company’s needs.

Every method, or tool, has its pros and cons. Therefore, you need to assess where you are to decide if Desk Research is the right resource for your project. And, of course, it can always – and should – serve as a starting point for Primary Research.

The Beginner’s Guide to Desk Research
Desk research: the what, why and how
How to use desk research to kick-start your design process
Secondary Research- Definition, Methods and Examples.
Secondary Research

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LSU to drill carbon capture research well on campus

LSU’s Petroleum Engineering Research, Training and Testing Lab

This story was originally published by the Louisiana Illuminator .

LSU’s College of Engineering will soon drill a new well on campus to research carbon capture, utilization and storage (CCUS).

The well will be added to LSU’s Petroleum Engineering Research, Training and Testing Lab, a hands-on research facility near Alex Box Stadium made up of two industrial-scale research wells, additional storage wells and surface facilities.

The two wells aren’t used to drill for oil, and no fluid is injected into them. Rather, they allow researchers to simulate conditions at real oil drilling sites. The new well will be similar in this regard, but will be capable of handling carbon dioxide, which is not possible in the existing facilities.

“The CO2 related research will be just to… gain a better understanding of all the physics, all the dynamics, all the technology that happens when you inject CO2 into the ground,” Karsten Thompson, interim dean of LSU’s College of Engineering, said in an interview.

A functioning CCUS well would be unique, petroleum engineering professor Richard Hughes said.

Carbon capture is a process in which CO2 is captured from the atmosphere. It can then be used for industrial purposes or stored deep underground. The stated goal of the technology is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Carbon capture does not yet exist on a meaningful scale , although 30 projects have so far been proposed in Louisiana.

Carbon capture has the support of the fossil fuel industry, though critics say it would be better for oil and gas companies to reduce their CO2 output directly. Many feel the environmental and safety impacts of underground carbon storage have not been fully vetted.

Louisiana has been at the forefront of carbon capture projects, although not without controversy. Proposed projects are often met with distrust from community members who have concerns about how the technology will impact the environment.

LSU and other universities in Louisiana have been the beneficiary of a series of federal grants to fund research into carbon capture and sequestration.

This facility will be funded through a combination of federal and state funds, with oil and gas industry partners supplying much of the equipment. The federal and state money totals about $5.5 million, and in-kind donations from industry could total millions more, Thompson said. Many of the engineering school’s projects include industry equipment donations.

Drilling of the new well could begin by the end of this year, according to Thompson. In addition to the well, the university will construct a building to house part of the external flow loop in order to conduct research in a climate-controlled environment. A flow loop is an above-ground piping system used to pump CO2 at its various phases.

About 10 engineering faculty members would be involved in carbon capture research at the facility. Numerous undergraduate and graduate students would also have an opportunity to engage in research.

In the past three years, there has been a sharp uptick in the demand for research on specific issues related to carbon capture and sequestration, Hughes said. The new facility could be used to research leak detection and other CCUS safety issues, as well as the efficacy and sustainability of new components and other topics related to carbon capture. The facility could be expanded or altered later to answer future questions, Hughes added.

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Horizon Europe Strategic Plan 2025-2027 Maps the Future of Research and Innovation

The Horizon Europe strategic plan for 2025-2027 guides research and innovation (R&) funding during this period, focusing on addressing major global challenges such as climate change, biodiversity loss, the digital transition, and an aging population. Building on an extensive analysis conducted by the Commission services, the strategic plan outlines three key strategic orientations for R&I investment under Horizon Europe for the years 2025-2027:

Green transition
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A more resilient, competitive, inclusive and democratic Europe

In order to create a sound foundation for these key strategic orientations, a number of important, specific cross-cutting issues should be considered when implementing Horizon Europe in 2025-2027. These cross-cutting issues include dissemination and exploitation (D&E) of the research results since they are key to supporting the translation of results into knowledge, goods and services of economic and societal value. Horizon Europe projects play a crucial role in bridging the gap between research and impact by leveraging their outcomes for market adoption, broader scientific utilisation, or informing policymaking to serve society. The European Union's proficiency in knowledge derived from R&I should translate into value that positively impacts society.

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Desk Research: What it is, Tips & Examples
Desk research is a type of research that is based on the material published in reports and similar documents that are available in public libraries, websites, data obtained from surveys already carried out, etc. Some organizations also store data that can be used for research purposes. It is a research method that involves the use of existing data.
Desk Research 101: Definition, Methods, and Examples
Desk research is a type of market/product research where you collect data from existing sources to get initial ideas about your research topic. Learn what are the types, methods, advantages, and examples of desk research, and how to use it for your business or research needs.
Desk Research: Complete Guide & Best Practices
What is desk research? Desk research is a type of market research that uses existing data to support or validate outcomes and conclusions. Also known as secondary research, it's a cost-effective way to obtain relevant data from a broad range of channels.. How is desk research used? From small start-ups to established businesses, doing desk research provides you with crucial insights into ...
Desk Research: Definition, Types, Application, Pros & Cons
Desk research is a type of research that uses existing data from various sources to answer your research questions. Learn the common use cases, methods, and steps of desk research, as well as the advantages and disadvantages of this approach. Find out how to select the best type of desk research for your research.
Secondary Research: Definition, Methods & Examples
Secondary research, also known as desk research, is a research method that involves compiling existing data sourced from a variety of channels. This includes internal sources (e.g.in-house research) or, more commonly, external sources (such as government statistics, organizational bodies, and the internet).
Analysing desk research (Chapter 11)
Summary. Desk research can call for quantitative or qualitative approaches to analysis. Clearly, if you are embarking on the secondary analysis of data, then you will need to follow the same kind of approach that you would if you had collected the data yourself. If, on the other hand, you are analysing the results of a literature or internet ...
Desk Research: The Essential Guide for Designers & UX Researchers
Learn what desk research is, why and when to use it, and how to conduct it effectively. This comprehensive guide covers the benefits, methodologies, and best practices of desk research for UX design and development.
Desk Research: How To Conduct Secondary Research Efficiently
Desk Research is a method that explores data from existing documents and previous research — secondary data — to gather information over a particular topic.
Desk research (Chapter 10)
Even the research that is based on the collection of primary data usually has an element of desk research built in. Few researchers, for example, feel able to manage without some form of literature review or contextual work to position their research. Desk research covers a range of activities. Literature reviews are the most common.
Desk research: the what, why and how
Desk research is a type of secondary research that involves reviewing previous research findings to gain a broad understanding of the field. Learn how to approach desk research, why you need it, and how to find relevant and useful research from different sources.
What Is Desk Research And How To Do It?
There's two types of research - primary and secondary. Primary research is when you actually go out and get first-hand data and gather information "in the wild". Secondary research, which includes desk research, is when you look at secondary data or data that's already available. So, instead of interviewing users or doing A/B testing ...
What is Desk Research? Definition & Useful Tools
Desk research is gathering and analyzing existing data from various sources to inform design decisions for UX projects. Learn how to conduct desk research, its purpose, methods, and tools, and how to test your findings with UXPin prototypes.
Desk Research: What It Is and How You Can Use It
Common Forms of Desk Research. Desk research may come in the form of web searches, online platforms, industry reports, or even physical books. These sources aren't usually relevant in their entirety but may offer valuable snippets of information to help answer your questions. Desk research can also help with qualitative recruiting.
What is desk research: Definition, tips & examples
What is desk research? In layman's terms, desk research is a type of research where you gather data while " sitting at a desk .". It is another name for secondary research where the study itself is desk-based research and not experiment-based research. Broadly speaking, there are two types of main research types.
How to use desk research to kick-start your design process
4. Research can generally be split into two categories: Primary: observations in the field, conducting interviews, usability tests, collecting surveys, diaries. Secondary: desk research. Primary research is time consuming and as I hope you've experienced yourself, exhausting. Furthermore, if results are not summarised and presented well, all ...
How to conduct effective desk research for UX and service design
The desk research planning process. The best way to tackle desk research is to be prepared with a solid plan! Here are five key steps to starting the desk research planning process: Talk to your stakeholders. You want to go into desk research with a solid understanding of what the company or organization already knows about the topic at hand ...
Desk Research: Definition, Importance and Advantages
Desk research is a type of research that can be performed over a desk. In this type of research, a researcher finds, collects, and reviews the publicly available data about the research topic. In primary research, the researcher interacts with people and collects data firsthand using different primary research methods.
Desk Research
Desk Research - Methodology and Techniques. As depicted by name Desk Research is the research technique which is mainly acquired by sitting at a desk. Desk research is basically involved in collecting data from existing resources hence it is often considered a low cost technique as compared to field research, as the main cost is involved in ...
Desk research
Desk research. Knowing what others have already discovered means you can contribute new, original thought to an existing knowledge base. Reading time: 3 minutes Start with what's there. Where to start is one of the hardest questions to answer when researching a problem. Depending on the type of project, you'll need to look into a variety of ...
Desk Research
Desk research methodology is a method of collecting and analyzing information from available secondary sources, such as documents, reports, academic publications and other materials available online or in libraries. The purpose of desk research is to gain a broader perspective on the problem or issue under study, as well as to supplement or ...
Tool: SBAR
Research/Evidence Base Tool: SBAR SBAR, which stands for Situation, Background, Assessment, and Recommendation (or Request), is a structured communication framework that can help teams share information about the condition of a patient or team member or about another issue your team needs to address.
Desk Research: How To Conduct Secondary Research Efficiently
Desk Research is a method that explores data from existing documents and previous research — secondary data — to gather information over a particular topic. It can provide solid arguments and help you elaborate a line of thought or fight for your ideas. And to do this, Desk Research relies on data already collected from other people.
New Jersey to fund research on offshore wind impacts on whales
The new funding will help researchers evaluate the impact of offshore wind activities on whales, birds and the marine ecosystem. New funding in N.J. will be used to research offshore wind turbines, like these in Copenhagen, Denmark, and whether marine mammals are impacted by activities associated ...
LSU to drill carbon capture research well on campus
LSU's Petroleum Engineering Research, Training and Testing Lab in Baton Rouge. This story was originally published by the Louisiana Illuminator. LSU's College of Engineering will soon drill a ...
Horizon Europe Strategic Plan 2025-2027 Maps the Future of Research and
The Horizon Europe strategic plan for 2025-2027 guides research and innovation (R&) funding during this period, focusing on addressing major global challenges such as climate change, biodiversity loss, the digital transition, and an aging population. Building on an extensive analysis conducted by the Commission services, the strategic plan ...
Investor Relations
The company announced the launch of the Cisco Board Pro G2, an AI-fueled and touch-enabled collaboration device and Cisco Desk Phone 9800 Series, designed to bring a modern and personalized productivity hub to any desk. While research finds that employees are increasingly open to coming to the office, over 50% of employers and employees do not ...
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Propels cutting-edge biomedical research to discover and create new treatments and cures that save lives and give people more time with their loved ones. Invests in mental health care and research and strengthens the 988 lifeline —sustaining and building upon key investments made in recent years.

Desk Research: What it is, Tips & Examples

What is desk research?

Desk research examples

Differences between primary research and Desk Research

Disadvantages

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Desk Research 101: Definition, Methods, and Examples

What is desk research?

Types of secondary data sources

What are examples of desk research in action?

#2. Tracking the evolution of the Web

#3. Repairing a business reputation

6 popular methods of desk research

#2. Libraries

#3. Governmental and non-governmental organizations

#4. Educational institutions

#5. Company databases

#6. Commercial information media

Why is desk research helpful?

How do you do desk research?

Note: One more thing about desk research…

Wrapping up

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