What is a common drawback of primary data collection when fieldwork is needed?

What is a common drawback of primary data collection when fieldwork is needed?

• A. Expensive to travel to places to collect data.
• B. Provides immediate results.
• C. Requires no planning.
• D. Always covers the entire region.

Answer: (A)

The main point is that primary data collection in fieldwork is often limited by cost. Traveling to multiple sites, paying for accommodation, transport, equipment, and the time researchers spend collecting and organizing data can add up quickly. This expense is a common drawback because it restricts how many sites you can visit, how long you can stay, and how much data you can realistically gather, which can affect the representativeness and reliability of the findings. Providing immediate results isn't inherently a drawback—it's more of a potential benefit, though processing and analysis can still take time. Requiring no planning isn’t accurate for fieldwork, which needs careful design, sampling, permissions, and safety considerations. And fieldwork doesn’t guarantee that the entire region will be covered; sampling typically targets specific sites due to time and budget constraints.

The main point is that primary data collection in fieldwork is often limited by cost. Traveling to multiple sites, paying for accommodation, transport, equipment, and the time researchers spend collecting and organizing data can add up quickly. This expense is a common drawback because it restricts how many sites you can visit, how long you can stay, and how much data you can realistically gather, which can affect the representativeness and reliability of the findings.

Providing immediate results isn't inherently a drawback—it's more of a potential benefit, though processing and analysis can still take time. Requiring no planning isn’t accurate for fieldwork, which needs careful design, sampling, permissions, and safety considerations. And fieldwork doesn’t guarantee that the entire region will be covered; sampling typically targets specific sites due to time and budget constraints.