Your methodology should be the best or most feasible way to gather the information you need to answer your research question or problem, so you must give the reasons for your choice of method or combination of methods.

The language of research methods can be confusing, especially in relation to the use of published sources to inform your investigation. Many of the terms such as 'literature,' 'desktop' and 'secondary sources' mean the same thing or overlap to a great extent. Note also the difference between searching for published material for a) the purposes of background and context when clarifying the purpose of the study and b) when collecting and analysing published material as a research method for answering the research question.

Drawing a distinction between primary and secondary sources can be helpful when choosing appropriate research methods:

Primary sources include interviews, correspondence, surveys, or even time spent as an observer in an organisation. Primary sources can be tailored to match exactly the needs of your investigation and increase the opportunity to obtain meaningful insights into your specific research question or problem. Note that primary sources can take time to organise (for example, creating surveys interview scripts, organising meetings or phone calls, chasing for replies) so be realistic in what you can achieve.
Secondary sources encompass a wide variety of published or otherwise accessible material, including: traditional books and journal articles; newspapers; reports by the major management consultancy firms; websites; government documents; blogs and social media. Secondary sources are material that has already been written. It most resembles primary sources when it is factual in nature and not influenced by an author’s interpretation, for example raw statistics or insurance policy wordings. When the secondary sources are reports, opinions or judgements of other authors, you must bear bias or other limitations in mind when reaching your own conclusions. The secondary sources you chose to draw from must also stand up to scrutiny in terms of relevance, quality and recency of publication.

A desktop method using secondary sources is not necessarily an easier one than the use of primary research methods. A combination of primary and secondary data collection methods generally helps to ensure that the findings and conclusions are more credible and that they are fresher by being informed to some extent by relevant people in the field of the topic.

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