Which of the following is NOT a method for collecting primary data?

When discussing methods for collecting primary data, it's important to understand that primary data refers to information collected firsthand for a specific research purpose. Surveys, focus groups, and observations are all methods that involve direct interaction with subjects or phenomena, allowing researchers to gather original data tailored to their research questions.

Surveys involve asking individuals questions to gather quantifiable information, focus groups rely on guided discussions with a small group to explore perceptions and ideas, and observations involve directly watching subjects to gather data about their behaviors or interactions in real-time.

In contrast, conducting an online database search does not involve collecting new or firsthand data; instead, it entails accessing and analyzing existing data that has already been gathered by others. This means that utilizing an online database is a method for secondary data collection, where researchers use previously collected information rather than generating new insights themselves. Hence, the identification of the online database search as the method that does not fit the category of collecting primary data is accurate, as it fundamentally differs from the others listed.