The distinction concerns who collected the evidence
The distinction concerns who collected the evidence
When your group measures seedling heights for its investigation, those measurements are primary data for your group. When you analyse a published group’s measurements, you are using secondary data. A spreadsheet, photograph or interview record can be primary or secondary depending on its origin. Format does not decide the category.
A teacher-supplied dataset lets you practise analysis, but it does not become a measurement you personally made. If it was invented or generated by a model, it is synthetic teaching data. It may illustrate a method, but it is not empirical evidence that the pictured real-world effect occurred.
Book notes: The distinction concerns who collected the evidence
When your group measures seedling heights for its investigation, those measurements are primary data for your group. When you analyse a published group’s measurements, you are using secondary data. A spreadsheet, photograph or interview record can be primary or secondary depending on its origin. Format does not decide the category.
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A group downloads another researcher’s measurements. For this group they are:
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Sources help refine an investigation
Sources help refine an investigation
Secondary sources can suggest measurement methods, relevant variables and expected ranges. They can reveal that an initial question is too broad or identify alternative explanations. Compare the source’s population, conditions and measurement definitions with your proposed study before using its results as a benchmark.
A disagreement between your data and a published result may arise from different methods, conditions or random variation. It need not mean one source is dishonest. Make comparisons explicit: what was measured, over what interval, with what instrument, and under what conditions?
Book notes: Sources help refine an investigation
Secondary sources can suggest measurement methods, relevant variables and expected ranges. They can reveal that an initial question is too broad or identify alternative explanations. Compare the source’s population, conditions and measurement definitions with your proposed study before using its results as a benchmark.
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Which dataset is primary empirical data for a student group?
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Retain an evidence trail
Retain an evidence trail
A useful source record includes author or organisation, title, date, location or study context, method and the exact table or section used. Assess whether the source provides evidence for its claim. A sales statement without a method should not be treated as equivalent to a documented investigation.
Keep raw data separate from processed values. State cleaning rules and transformations. If you exclude a reading because an instrument failed, preserve the original value and the documented reason. Transparent provenance allows another person to understand the conclusion and identify where uncertainty entered.
Book notes: Retain an evidence trail
A useful source record includes author or organisation, title, date, location or study context, method and the exact table or section used. Assess whether the source provides evidence for its claim. A sales statement without a method should not be treated as equivalent to a documented investigation.
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Which claim about a synthetic dataset is correct?
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Worked example
Worked example: Your group measures 12 seedlings, downloads a council rainfall table, and uses a simulated graph. Label each source.
Seedling heights measured by the group: primary empirical data.
Council rainfall table: secondary empirical data for this group.
Simulated graph: model-generated teaching data, not measured rainfall or plant growth.
Use each for its stated purpose and preserve its origin.
Origin and collection method determine the evidence category; a numerical format does not make synthetic data empirical.
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Activities
Activities
Activity 1
Write a provenance note for a downloaded table that another student could locate.
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Activity 2
Two studies disagree on seedling height. List three context differences to check before choosing one.
Five questions from this lesson’s eight-question bank
Answer the five-question Quick Check. Use the feedback to repair an idea before retrying.
Short answer
Explain and evaluate
Q1. Distinguish primary, secondary and synthetic teaching data using examples.
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Explain and evaluate
Q2. Explain how secondary data can help formulate a new investigation.
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Explain and evaluate
Q3. Two tables disagree. Explain why this alone does not identify which source is wrong.
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Answers and model responses
Activities
Activity 1
Include organisation/author, title, URL, access date, relevant table/period, original measurement method where supplied, and any transformations you applied.
Activity 2
Check plant species/age, light/water/soil conditions, height definition, observation duration, sample size and measurement method. These can make superficially similar numbers non-comparable.
Short Answer Model Answers
Q1: Primary: your own measured temperature records. Secondary: another group’s published measurements. Synthetic: invented or model-generated values for practice. Origin and method, not file type, distinguish them.
Q2: They can identify relevant variables, methods and gaps, provide context and expose alternative explanations. Evaluate relevance before using them to plan a measurable question.
Q3: They may use different populations, conditions, measurement definitions or durations, and both include variation. Compare provenance and methods before treating the disagreement as a factual contradiction.
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Revisit and reflect
Revisit without looking
Distinguish data origin from data format.
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Check the key idea
Origin and collection method determine the evidence category; a numerical format does not make synthetic data empirical.