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- NURS601 Discussion 2.1
It is a discussion assignment in which we can identify the difference between primary research and types of secondary research, such as literature reviews, systematic reviews, and meta-analyses. This discussion will set out to describe each of the types, the nature of each type, the processes involved, and the applications of types in scholarly research. It is aimed at explaining and synthesizing knowledge regarding these ways of research in the establishment of knowledge in various areas.
Definition of Primary Research
The main sources of research are those sources that imply gathering new data related to the subjects or phenomena under study (Taherdoost, 2021). These studies are intended to assist in answering research questions that are put forth in the study based on already determined forms of research, such as experiments, surveys, interviews, or observations.
Primary research refers to the kind of research that involves obtaining new information, which is used to enhance knowledge on a certain subject. Some of the real-life examples may involve experiments carried out to determine the effectiveness of new drugs in clinical trials, a poll that may seek to establish people’s perceptions and attitudes, and an ethological study that may focus on observing the behaviors of living organisms in their habitat.
Type of Secondary Research
Literature Review
Literature reviews involve summarisation and writing of the already existing research studies and publications on a specific topical field or research question. They are supposed to give an insight into the current state of research and map out the state of the art, main topics, issues, directions, and voids as observed from the recently published articles (Chowdhury et al., 2022). The concept dominates the systematic method of reviewing articles, documents, or other papers collected from available literature and does not entail data collection, as it only aims to analyze the existing literature for theoretical purposes or to help define new research areas.
Systematic Review
Systematic reviews are other research methodologies that can be defined as formal and complex intervention procedures that aim at identifying, evaluating, and integrating research findings from various studies to answer a specific question (Chowdhury et al., 2022). The owners also use exceptionally clear procedures to minimize unfairness and enhance the objectivity of the reviews. Systematic reviews explicitly attempt to answer certain research interrogations by synthesizing the results of all existing studies and, in case of possibility, use meta-analysis to summarize quantitative data.
Meta-Analysis
Meta-analysis may be defined as a process of quantitative synthesis or integration, which could be conducted on a large number of research questions. It involves the pooling of the findings of contributing studies to approximate the overall effect or measure of effect, which is probably holistically more accurate than the particular figure realized in any of the studies (Chowdhury et al., 2022). Meta-analysis adds together different findings of different studies in totality and aims at providing the pattern, association, or contradiction of the literature and hence enhancing the consistency and transferability of study findings.
Comparison and Differentiation
Primary Research vs. Literature Review
Primary research is conducted to gather new data and information, to answer research questions, or to test hypotheses in a holistic manner. It emphasizes the collection of primary data and data analysis. On the other hand, literature reviews provide an overview of the existing literature and patterns over a certain period to help in the determination of gaps in existing literature (Lim et al., 2022).
Primary research involves methods, techniques, or activities of collecting data previously unknown to the subjects or phenomena through the use of experimental research, survey research, or observation research. It entails direct communication with the participants or study subjects in the study process. Literature reviews, however, include data collection of the available literature by search and review processes without data collection ever being made of the source.
Literature Review vs. Systematic Review
These are primarily two types: narrative or descriptive type that is employed in carrying out the literature reviews in providing an account and analysis of literature in general. It also might lack the reporting of the specific and methodical searching and selecting of the papers that were conducted in systematic reviews. In contrast, systematic reviews do so in a specific way, including a protocol and the explicit eligibility criteria of the reviewed studies, data extraction, and assessment of quality, which minimizes bias and increases the transparency of the review (Hennink & Kaiser, 2022).
Traditionally, the quality synthesis of data that is processed within the frames of different studies is reflected in literature reviews and is aimed at presenting themes, theoretical orientations, or methods. It quantifies and/or qualifies systematically findings to make a more precise and consistent general review of evidence related to a specific research question or theme.
Systematic Review vs. Meta-Analysis
We can assume that systematic reviews are one way to find evidence of multiple studies that fit into a research question conducted in a systematic way. They generate a synthesis of the literature evidence of the findings to practice and policy. A meta-analysis, as part of the systematic reviews, goes a step further and statistically combines its data to derive an aggregate of effects or estimates and makes the conclusions that further enhance the strength of the findings (Salari et al., 2021).
In incorporating the results of individual studies, systematic reviews incorporate qualitative and quantitative syntheses of studies, and also highlight the quality, type, and homogeneity of research. Meta-analysis especially involves the use of statistical methods to combine the obtained data of many studies; the quantitative results are then put together to get the mean or total impact estimate or to search for trends across the studies.
Conclusion
In conclusion, it is critical to comprehend the differences between the two categories of research to conduct proper practice of research. Primary data collection is conducted to analyse research questions directly, but the secondary type of research, including reviews and meta-analyses, summarises current information.
With these differences being considered, one can choose the right methods in the environment of the goals of the researchers, who may be interested in new knowledge or in the examination of the literature. This knowledge enhances the quality and use of research findings and is advantageous to academics, physicians, policymakers, and such organizations that require research findings.
References
Hennink, M., & Kaiser, B. N. (2022). Sample sizes for saturation in qualitative research: A systematic review of empirical tests. Social Science & Medicine, 292(1), 1–10. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2021.114523
Lim, W. M., Kumar, S., & Ali, F. (2022). Advancing knowledge through literature reviews: “What”, “why”, and “how to contribute.” The Service Industries Journal, 42(7-8), 481–513. https://doi.org/10.1080/02642069.2022.2047941
The global prevalence of osteoporosis in the world: A comprehensive systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Orthopaedic Surgery and Research, 16(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s13018-021-02772-0
