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Topic 3.1 of Data Collection and Analysis Methods

Primary and Secondary Data

The difference between data you collect yourself and data someone else collected first, and why a secondary dataset's original labels deserve scrutiny before you trust them for a new question.

~15 min total·4 quadrants of structured content

By the end of this topic, you will

Distinguish primary data from secondary data with a security research example
List where security research data typically comes from, primary and secondary
Explain why a reused dataset's original labelling scheme needs to be checked before trusting it for a new study

Quadrant 1 · e-Tutorial

Video lectures and walkthroughs

Quadrant 2 · e-Content

Articles and case studies

research-methodology

Primary and Secondary Data

Running a phishing simulation and recording who clicks is primary data. A CERT's published incident record is secondary data the moment someone else picks it up. The difference decides how much you can trust what you reuse.

6 min read

Quadrant 3 · Web Resources

Downloadable material and curated external links

Web resources coming soon.

Quadrant 4 · Self-Assessment

Test your knowledge — earn a certificate on first pass

Assessment coming soon.