What is a major limitation of secondary research?

A major limitation of secondary research is that the data may not be relevant to the current study. Secondary research involves the use of already existing data that was collected for a different purpose or context. This means that the information might not align perfectly with the specific research questions or objectives of the current study. For example, the demographic, temporal, or contextual factors surrounding the original data collection may significantly differ from those pertinent to the new research, leading to potential discrepancies in conclusions drawn.

In contrast, the other options discuss aspects that may not accurately reflect the nature of secondary research. Although secondary research can sometimes be costly, it typically is much less expensive than primary research because it involves the analysis of data that has already been collected. Additionally, secondary research does not inherently require extensive primary data collection and is often utilized precisely because of the lack of need for primary data. Finally, while bias can exist in secondary data sources, it is not always the case that all secondary data is biased. Instead, the level of bias depends on the source and its context.