Research is defined as “ the progress of asking questions and finding answers that provide useful information relevant to the project at hand” according to Joy Chia and Gae Synnott (Chia, J, Synnott, G pg 122).
This week we learnt about the importance of research in public relations, and the different techniques and methods of research.
There are three steps to identifying the research process, and they go as follows:
Inputs: the planning stage that identifies what will go into the communication project or program
Outputs: the implementation phase, the specific tactics of the program are delivered
Outcomes: evaluates the success of communication plan or campaign by addressing whether the outputs had the desired impact on the target publics.
Research can be primary or secondary. According to the textbook, primary research is research data generated by the practitioner, whereas secondary research data is gathered by someone else (Chia, J, Synnott, G pg 146/7). Generally, public relations practitioners begin with secondary data collection, which includes quantitative data such as statistics, media clippings and online databases.
Primary data is undertaken after this, and it can be split into two categories: field research and formal research. Field research involves data collection by talking with experts or opinion leaders, and formal research requires a more structured approach to data collection through qualitative and quantitative methods.
Research about research is an interesting thing, and it opened my eyes up about how much research public relations practitioners actually have to do.
I gained a better understanding this week of how surveys are conducted, including open-ended and closed-ended questions. They need to make sure that they avoid leading and located questions with emotionally charged language.
Chia, J, Synnott, G 2009, An Introduction to Public Relations: From Theory to Practice, Oxford University Press
Chia, J, Synnott, G 2012, An Introduction to Public Relations and Communication Management Second Edition, Oxford University Press, South Melbourne
abellamyy 
