COLLECTION OF PRIMARY DATA

One or more of the following methods are employed to collect primary data:

• Direct Personal Investigation
• Indirect Investigation
• Collection through Questionnaires
• Collection through Enumerators
• Collection through Local Sources

DIRECT PERSONAL INVESTIGATION

In this method, an investigator collects the information personally from the individuals concerned. Since he interviews the informants himself, the information collected is generally considered quite accurate and complete. This method may prove very costly and time-consuming when the area to be covered is vast. However, it is useful for laboratory experiments or localized inquiries. Errors are likely to enter the results due to personal bias of the investigator.

INDIRECT INVESTIGATION

Sometimes the direct sources do not exist or the informants hesitate to respond for some reason or other. In such a case, third parties or witnesses having information are interviewed. Moreover, due allowance is to be made for the personal bias. This method is useful when the information desired is complex or there is reluctance or indifference on the part of the informants. It can be adopted for extensive inquiries.

COLLECTION THROUGH QUESTIONNAIRES

A questionnaire is an inquiry form comprising of a number of pertinent questions with space for entering information asked. The questionnaires are usually sent by mail, and the informants are requested to return the questionnaires to the investigator after doing the needful within a certain period. This method is cheap, fairly expeditious and good for extensive inquiries. But the difficulty is that the majority of the respondents (i.e. persons who are required to answer the questions) do not care to fill the questionnaires in, and to return them to the investigators. Sometimes, the questionnaires are returned incomplete and full of errors. Students, in spite of these drawbacks, this method is considered as the STANDARD method for routine business and administrative inquiries. It is important to note that the questions should be few, brief, very simple, and easy for all respondents answer, clearly worded and not offensive to certain respondents.

COLLECTION THROUGH ENUMERATORS

Under this method, the information is gathered by employing trained enumerators who assist the informants in making the entries in the schedules or questionnaires correctly. This method gives the most reliable information if the enumerator is well-trained, experienced and tactful. Students, it is considered the BEST method when a large-scale governmental inquiry is to be conducted. This method can generally not be adopted by a private individual or institution as its cost would be prohibitive to them.

COLLECTION THROUGH LOCAL SOURCES

In this method, there is no formal collection of data but the agents or local correspondents are directed to collect and send the required information, using their own judgment as to the best way of obtaining it. This method is cheap and expeditious, but gives only the estimates.