Convenient collection: Convenient collection is a remarkable feature of second-hand materials. Because second-hand data is existing information, researchers don't need to collect original data themselves. These data may come from government reports, industry statistics, market research reports, academic research papers, commercial databases and other channels, all of which have been preliminarily sorted out and analyzed. Therefore, researchers can easily obtain the required data by consulting relevant literature, accessing databases or contacting data providers. This convenience greatly saves researchers' time and energy and enables them to concentrate more on data analysis and research.
Fast data collection: Fast data collection is another advantage of second-hand data. The collection of first-hand information often takes a lot of time to conduct questionnaires, interviews and field observations, while the collection of second-hand information is relatively rapid. Researchers can quickly obtain the information they need by searching, filtering and sorting out the existing data resources. This rapidity enables researchers to quickly understand the market situation, industry trends or the status quo of research fields, and provide timely and effective support for decision-making.
Low collection cost: Low collection cost is also an important feature of second-hand materials. Compared with the cost of manpower, material resources and time required for first-hand data collection, the cost of second-hand data collection is usually lower. This is because most of the second-hand data come from public channels or commercial databases, and researchers can obtain the required data only by paying a relatively low access fee or purchase cost. In addition, because multiple researchers can share the same data resources, this further reduces the cost of unit research.