Are free market research reports reliable?

You really need to know the source. Sometimes free research can be just as reliable as paid research. Non-profit groups will often publish very high quality research for free, so it's not fair to assume all free research is poor quality or biased.

Furthermore, there is no guarantee that paid research will be top quality. There are so many variables that make for good research, and whether it's free or paid, you first have to know the source, and this means two things. First, you need to know where they're coming from - if they have an agenda or particular position to defend or advocate.

Second, you need to know the basis of the research. Some research is qualitative and some is quantitative - each can have valid results, but you have to be sure the nature of the conclusions can be reasonably supported by the research. In other words, a market share analysis based on 10 interviews will not likely be as credible as one based on 100 interviews.

Another variable is the timeliness of the data. If your industry is fast-paced, research from two years ago may not be of much value, regardless of how good it it. Many paid research suppliers will offer old reports for free - for this very reason - but to get the good stuff - the most recent research, you definitely have to pay.

I could go on all day here, but will stop now and see if this is helping any.