Public Relations Research Course Text: Primer of Public Relations Research by Don W. Stacks Chapter 1: Understanding Research

1. Understanding research
Chapter One

2. Public Relations & Research
 Research is the beginning of a process that
seeks to bring about a specific objective
 You may be familiar with many of PR processes
discussed in other PR courses. For example:
 Marston’s RACE model (Research, Action,
Communication, Evaluation)
 Hendrix’s ROPE model (Research, Objectives,
Program, Evaluation)
 Cutlip, Center & Broom’s four-step process (Defining
PR Problems, Planning & Programming, Taking
Action and Communicating, Evaluating the Program)

3. History of Public Relations
Research
 It’s often argued that public relations
practitioners fear research, though
practitioners have always relied on research to
some degree

4. What’s Changing in Modern PR
Research?
1. Modern PR strives to deliver show how PR
activities are influencing the bottom line.
1. The profession has moved from looking at
large groups of people to looking at targeted,
specialized groups.

5. Informal & Formal Research
 Observing of
people, events or
objects of interest
as they occur
 Typically use
qualitative methods
 Systematic
gathering,
analyzing, and
evaluating of data
via some
methodology
 May use
quantitative or
qualitative methods
Informal Research Formal Research

6. Why Conduct PR Research?
 Without research, PR practitioners are
essentially guessing when it comes PR
problems and PR campaigns / programs
 This results in a greater risk of being unable to
predict outcomes accurately
 Without research, we can not assess:
 Where a problem begins
 How it evolves
 What the end product will be

7. Research & Decision Making
 As PR has transitioned from a technical to a
management function, the role of research has
become increasingly important
 Management decisions are influenced by many
factors — acquiring and analyzing data are
instrumental to the decision-making process

8. How is Research Used?
 Research is used to:
 Track, measure, assess and evaluate PR actions
 To monitor trends and developments as they
occur
 Research is essential to the assessment and
measurement of PR messages and campaigns
 Helps PR practitioners know what’s working,
what’s not working and what corrective strategies
we need to employ

9. Research & Evaluation
 Evaluation is conducted during all parts of the
PR process, including:
 At the pre-campaign research phase
 During the actual campaign
 At the end of a campaign

10. Evaluation Throughout the PR
Process

11. Methodological Approaches to
Data
 Research encompasses two methodological
approaches to data
 Informal – observations, taken from the
researchers experiences
 Formal – a more objective approach to data,
surveys and polls, social scientist
 Each methodology has advantages and
disadvantages

12. What is Quantitative Research?
Quantitative
Research: The
objective, systematic
and controlled
gathering of data

13. What is Qualitative Research?
Qualitative Research:
relies on the subjective
evaluations that provide
researchers with an in-
depth description and
understanding of a
particular subject or
event

14. Quantitative vs. Qualitative
Research
Quantitative Research Qualitative Research
Data Collection
• Controlled
• Objective
• Systematic Observation
• Uncontrolled
• Subjective
• Random Observation
Data Assessment
• Can be reliably measured
• Validity can be measured
• Is deductively interpreted
• Cannot be measured reliably
• Validity is assumed
• Is inductively interpreted
Outcomes
• Description
• Understanding
• Prediction
• Control
• Description
• Understanding

15. Quantitative vs. Qualitative
Research
 Quantitative research creates population norms
 Qualitative research provides in-depth
understanding that is found outside of population
norms
 Quantitative and Qualitative methods
compliment one another
 When combined, we can both predict how groups
acted or reacted and provide richer detail and
understanding as to why they reacted a certain way
 Triangulation: Using more than one research
method in order to provide a better understanding of
the problems under study

16. Introducing Theoretical & Applied
Research
 Two basic types of research
 Theoretical – seeks to provide an underlying
framework for the study of public relations
 Applied – seeks to use theory-driven research in
business world situations

17. How Does Theoretical Research
Work?
 The theoretical researcher's ideas are put to the test in
laboratory settings
 This means the researcher is trying to test research questions
in as “pure” a condition as possible
 The researcher establishes which variables cause changes
in other variables
 There is little theoretical research performed in the PR field,
though this is changing due to an increased emphasis on
demonstrating how PR contributes to the “bottom line” (i.e.
return on investment, ROI)

18. How Does Applied Research
Work?
 Theoretical research findings are used by the applied
researcher
 The applied researcher practices strategic research
and evaluation research
 Evaluation provides a baseline at a campaign’s start
and allows researchers to set benchmarks
against their research
 Benchmarks enable researchers to determine how their
campaign / program results compare to the industry or
other companies

19. The Theoretical Researcher as the
Architect
The Theoretical Researcher as
the Architect
Creates abstract plans that
determine what the structure
should look like
Creates the framework for
how concepts and ideas work
together
Specifies how certain
materials should be used
Specifies which concepts or
ideas can be used

20. The Applied Researcher as the
Builder
The Applied Researcher as
the Builder
Takes the plans and uses
them to construct the end-
product
Uses the theoretical
researcher’s framework &
applies it to solve real-world
problems

21. Research Questions
 The relationship between applied vs. theoretical
research and quantitative vs. qualitative research
is driven by the kinds of research questions that
are asked
 A research question is actually a statement made
into a research question

22. Types of Research Questions

23. Questions of Definition
Questions of definition: define what is it
that we are attempting to observe
Most basic question asked by PR researchers
These questions are judgmental in that they seek
to define what it is that we should be observing
May be answered by quantitative or qualitative
methodology

24. Questions of Fact
Questions of Fact: seek to compare across
or between groups
QoF arise from questions of definition
Answer questions dealing with quantity — how much, how
many
Questions of fact can be verified or refuted through observation
(i.e. quantitatively)
Not capable of being answered through qualitative research
Often used when:
 We want to know whether a communication strategy has produced
change in how a public views a product
 Whether a communication vehicle (how the message was delivered)
has made a difference in the perceptions of an organization’s

25. Questions of Value
Questions of Value: ask “how well” or
“how good” something is
Can be answered quantitatively or qualitatively,
but are best answered qualitatively
 Answering QoV quantitatively means that
researches must rely on attitude measure
 Answering QoV qualitatively allows researchers
to ask individuals what they think of the
research object being measured and why

26. Questions of Policy
Questions of Policy: ask what should be
done
QoP are always strategic
Are almost always categorized as applied research
Answered by carefully looking at the findings of
questions of definition, fact and value
 Require agreement on the definition of the problem,
on the findings of fact and value
In its application, the QoP most often addressed is
the actual development and execution of a
communication campaign or program

27. Use of Research in PR
 Research is on the rise and is getting increasingly
sophisticated
 Employing both formal and informal research methods
 Using more complex statistical analyses
 More theoretical research is being conducted by
the industry
 As we become increasingly global, there is a need
for better understanding of complex social and
economic issues

28. Best Practices in Public Relations
1. Research methods & procedures should:
1. Be clear and have well defined research
objectives
2. Have a through research design and strictly
adhere to it
3. Provide detailed supporting documentation
2. Quality and substantive research findings
should:
1. Demonstrate effectiveness
2. Link outputs (tactics) to outcomes
3. Develop better communications programs
4. Demonstrate an impact on business outcomes

29. Definitions
 Applied research: seeks to use theory-driven research in business world
situations
 Data: The observations we make of the world around us via some
methodology
 Deductive reasoning: a “top-down” approach where research begins with a
theory which is narrowed into a more specific hypothesis, tested through
observation, and then confirmed or denied.
 Evaluation research: provides assessments of how well the program or
campaign is working
 Formal research: the systematic gathering, analyzing and evaluating of
data vis some methodology
 Inductive reasoning: A “bottom-up” approach where research begins with
specific observations and measures, begin to detect patterns and regularities,
begin to formulate a tentative hypothesis, and finally develop general
conclusions or theories
 Informal research: the observing of people, events, or objects of interest as

30. Definitions
 Laboratory research: research that has been carefully controlled to exclude
anything that might influence the relationships under study other than the
specific concepts under study
 Quantitative Research: The objective, systematic and controlled gathering
of data
 Qualitative Research: relies on the subjective evaluations that provide
researchers with an in-depth description and understanding of a particular
subject or event
 Strategic research: the development of a public relations campaign or
program that uses theoretical elements (e.g., messages, sources) in a practical
way
 Theoretical research: seeks to provide an underlying framework for the
study of public relations
 Triangulation: Using more than one research method in order to provide a
better understanding of the problems under study
 Variables: concepts that have been carefully defined for measurement