Outline two limitations of using secondary data in fieldwork analysis.

• A. Data may be outdated and not collected for your purpose
• B. Data may be outdated, not collected for your purpose, or may have different units/definitions.
• C. Data is always appropriate for any purpose
• D. Data is rarely useful

Answer: (B)

Using secondary data means relying on information gathered by someone else for a different purpose, so two main limitations stand out. First, the data may be outdated, so it might not reflect current conditions or trends relevant to your fieldwork. Second, the data may have been collected for a different aim, meaning the variables, sampling design, or geographic scope may not align with your questions, making direct comparison or analysis inappropriate unless you adjust or harmonize them. An additional common wrinkle is that units or definitions can differ (for example, measurement scales or classification categories), which adds extra work to make the data usable. This is why this option captures the practical limitations more completely than the others.