Abstract:

The chapter is split into two sections: the first dealing with the uses and practices of desk research - what is desk research, what it can do, who undertakes it and in what circumstances; the second covering the all-important question of sources of information - with no sources there can be no desk research. The chapter deals with the British scene, with a small sub-section devoted to considering overseas data sources. This is because, while the practice is broadly similar the world over, the sources used vary not only in title, but in origin, from country to country.