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 report
Part 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
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.
• Ddefineany concepts or
ter ms whic h 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 ofrelationships
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.
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