Desk research is another name for secondary research. Broadly speaking, there are two types of research activity: primary research (where you go out and discover stuff yourself); and secondary research (where you review what other people have done). Desk research is not about collecting data. Instead, your role as a user researcher carrying out desk research is to review previous research findings to gain a broad understanding of the field.

• The information already exists and is readily available  -> quick & low cost
• Helps guide the focus of any subsequent primary research being conducted
• Internal secondary data uses categories and breakdowns that reflect a corporation’s preferred way of structuring the world
• Secondary research may be the only available source of specific pieces of information (i.e. government data)
• Assess easy, low-cost and quick knowledge;
• Clarify the research question;
• Help align the focus of primary research in a larger scale and can also help to identify the answer; and
• Rule out potentially irrelevant project proposals (ex. The proposed work may have already been carried out).

Read more at designresearchtechniques.com – Secondary Research