Research by Subject: Business: Conducting Primary Research

Primary Research Tools and Advice

Primary Research Advice from SAGE Research Methods:

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Primary Research Tools:

Qualtrics
Access: SDSU - Current Affiliates
Provided by San Diego State University's IT department. A sophisticated survey solution available at no cost for current UCI faculty, staff, and students. With Qualtrics, people can easily create, manage, and share surveys; collect, analyze, and export data; and produce reports.
Google Forms
Access: Public
Included in the Google Drive office suite, Google Forms features all of the collaboration and sharing features found in Docs, Sheets, and Slides. Choose from a range of question options, from multiple choice to drop-downs to a linear scale. Add images and YouTube videos, or page branching and question skip logic.
Survey Monkey
Access: Public
"Basic" plan features allow you to create an unlimited number of surveys with up to 10 questions and 100 responses per survey. Choose from 13 different formats for your survey questions, including multiple choice, text box, matrix, NPS, and A/B comparisons.

Most of this content was written by or adapted from UCI Libraries (Current as of October 1st, 2021).

Methods of Primary Research

Three common research methods are surveys, interviews, and focus groups. For more information on these, and other research methods, see: Chapter 2 of The Handbook for Market Research for Life Sciences Companies (Links to an external site.).

Method	Definition	Pros	Cons
Survey	Participants are asked to respond to a pre-defined series of questions. Can include both open- and closed-ended questions. Can yield a mix of quantitative and qualitative feedback, depending on how the survey is designed. Can be conducted in-person, by telephone or mail, or online.	Cost-effective way to reach greater number of participants. Option for participant anonymity.	The rise of “survey fatigue” – the frequency with which individuals receive surveys may reduce response rates.
Interview	One-on-one conversation between the researcher and the participant. Usually involve open-ended questions. Yields mostly qualitative responses. Can be conducted in-person or virtually. Option for audio/video recording of responses.	Can explore topic more in-depth. Flexibility - can adjust questions based on participant’s responses.	Can involve substantial time and/or money.
Focus Group	Discussion of a topic amongst a small group of participants. The researcher facilitates the groups’ discussion by asking questions and observing responses. Yields mostly qualitative responses. Can be conducted in-person or virtually. Option for audio/video recording of responses.	Receive feedback from multiple participants at one time (can be more efficient than one-on-one interviews). Interactions among participants can provided additional insight for the researcher.	Potential for “group think” – the desire to conform to the opinions of the group may reduce the quality of participant responses. One participant may dominate the session, preventing others from sharing their opinions. Participants may be less forthcoming in a group setting.

*Most of this content was written by or adapted from UCI Libraries (Current as of October 18th, 2021).

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Primary Research Tools and Advice

Methods of Primary Research