What is a potential downside of using secondary data?

Using secondary data can indeed have a downside related to its quality and accuracy, which is why the selected answer is appropriate. Secondary data is often collected by someone else for a purpose different from the one an investigator might have in mind. Since it is not specifically tailored to the researcher's unique questions or study parameters, the relevance of the data can vary significantly. Additionally, the original data might be subject to biases or errors from the initial collection process, leading to potential inaccuracies that could affect the findings of the new study.

When researchers rely on secondary data, they must critically assess its validity and reliability. This may involve examining how the data was collected, the population it represents, and any limitations that were present at the time of data collection. The more discrepancies and unknowns that exist regarding the data’s origin, the more cautious a researcher must be about its integration into their analysis.

In contrast, options suggesting that secondary data is always specific to the study's focus or less accessible than primary data do not hold true broadly. Secondary data often comes from large databases or published sources that can be easier to obtain than conducting primary research. Similarly, while some secondary data may require considerable time to analyze, it typically does not involve the same level of time commitment as gathering