Skip to main content

What is Secondary Use Research? (Part 1 of 2)

 


In previous issues, I have addressed the forms required for secondary use of data as well as how, in some cases, participants’ consent may not be required for secondary use projects. This week, I will define what a secondary use research project really is (to be continued in the next issue). In future articles, I will detail how to complete the secondary use REB form, section by section.

So, what differentiates a secondary use research project from a traditional research project? The short answer is: when the data were collected. If you are proposing to collect data from participants during your study, then you’re not engaged in a research project that would fall under secondary use. If the data have already been collected, and you simply plan to use those previously-collected data in order to answer your research question, then you’d fall in the secondary use category. Essentially, a project that falls under secondary use involves harnessing past data for new research.

Where do these data come from? The source could be your own previous research project or someone else’s; pedagogical data to which you have access (e.g., student performance in previous semesters), historical or archival data, or publicly available databases (e.g., City of Oshawa, Statistics Canada, Government of Canada). There are also searchable data repositories through Portage (e.g., FRDR) or listed through the DC library’s Open Data Guide. In each of these cases, you are not collecting new data; you are sourcing previously-collected data in order to answer a new research question.

The TCPS2 discusses the unique requirements that guide secondary use of data as it relates to research ethics in a number of locations. Interested parties can search the PDF of the TCPS2 document. Although some secondary use of data projects do not need Research Ethics Board (REB) approval, only the REB can make that determination, so all projects should be submitted for review (even if possibly exempt).

What types of research questions lend themselves to this type of data? Stay tuned to the next edition for some examples.

If there is anything I can do to support your research or if you have suggestions for me in my role as Research Coordinator, please reach out via email or pop in to my “office hours” on Fridays from 12:30-1:30pm on Whereby. 

 


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Developing a Research Question - Part 1: Generate Your Own Research Question from Scratch

  Today, I’d like to provide some guidance about research questions. This will be a two-part feature. Part 1 will include a description of research questions and guidance to help you develop your own. For Pat 2 (in 2 weeks), I will focus on how to use other sources as inspirations for your research questions. A research question is used to clarify the scope of your research project. It is a narrower version of the topic that you’re interested in studying. A good research question should be specific, include the variables you are interested in studying, and be testable in a finite amount of time. Your variables should also be operationally defined. It’s not enough to say “children” for example; you should specify “5-8-year-olds”. Similarly “do better” is not a good way to operationalize student success because it’s not easy to measure; instead, phrase it as “earn higher scores on Test 3” because that is how you will measure whether they have done better. Although specific, “When w...
Post a Comment
Read more

Tips for Completing the REB Form for Secondary Use (Part 2 of 2)

  Last time, I began to go through the Secondary Use of Data Research Ethics Board form (which is on ICE: Teams – Academic – Research Services, Innovation and Entrepreneurship – Research Ethics Board, then click on “Related Forms” on the left hand side; or click here ). Remember that the secondary use of data form is only to be used when the data are already available either publicly (Statistics Canada) or privately (your previous semester students’ performance). This week, I’ll be reviewing the rest of the sections of the form, beginning with Section 4.0. In the first sub-section (4.1), you’ll explain your research question, why it’s important and what you think the outcome will be (if you have a hypothesis). Then, you’ll explain where the data came from (who the participants were) and the purpose for the original (primary) data collection. For example, if you’d like to examine a previous semester’s student outcomes, the data were originally collected to provide feedback/grades to...
Post a Comment
Read more