Why do PR research?

•Knowledge

•To set goals and objectives

•Plan PR campaigns

•To succeed

Research steps - topic relevance• Not the first idea. Need to be

motivated.

• Usually a significant personal issue

• Natural interest

• Avoid overly-familiar topics

• Observation

Step 1: choosing a topic•Addresses the assignment

•Narrowly-defined

•Touches your life

•Bring insight

•Not overdone

•Lends itself to questions

•Can be surveyed

•Can hold focus group

Sample topics• Privatisation of water in WA

•Smoking bans in Fremantle café strip

•State liquor laws liberalisation

•Uranium mining in WA

•Construction of airport to city rail link

•Staffing crisis in school canteens

•Protection of Kakadu from uranium mining

•Changes to watering laws (including bore restrictions)

•Housing (rental) crisis

•Perth multi-purpose stadium

Framing the questions• Try to develop several questions relating to the topic

•Choose best one for the overall goal

•Develop specific questions

Lit review• Locate background info.

• Journals, media

•Be wary of online material

Develop the statement• Freewriting

•What do I think about this issue?

•Focus on ideas

•Test on friends

•Off topic - rephrase

Next week: writing the reportPart 1 - INTRO

Identify research problem

Review literature and derive hypothesis

Part 2 - METHOD

Design surveys (pilot first)

Conduct surveys

Part 3 - RESULTS/DISCUSSION

Analyse results

Interpret findings

Layout/content•Title

•Abstract

•Introduction – literature review and hypotheses

•Method – participants, materials, procedure

•Results

•Discussion – outcome, theoretical context, limitations, implications

•References

•Appendices (if any)

Title Summarise the main idea of a report in 10-12 words.

Salient - omit words that are unnecessary or words that can be reasonable inferred from the study.

Abstract•Appears first, written last

•Clear and concise.

•Summarises essential elements of the study and should be a single paragraph, no more than 120 words and contain: - The problem - what was done - what was found - what is means

•No statistics in abstract

•Inverted pyramid

Intrduction•Introduce the reader to the

area of research.

•Make it clear what you are reporting.

• Ddefine any concepts or terms which the reader may be unfamiliar with.

Lit. review Outline the area of investigation

Refer to existing theories

(A supposition [uncertain belief] or a system of ideas intended to explain something)

Define unfamiliar concepts or terms

Hypothesis•A statement of relationships between two or more variables

•Propose a tentative solution or outcome, based on a theoretical foundation.

•Requires support from existing literature. Can’t be a guess.

•Must be clear & and unambiguous

•Consistent in wording throughout the whole report.