This document discusses key research terminology and methods. It defines terms like circulation, hits, box office figures, ratings, and sales that are used to measure various media. It also defines and provides examples of primary research methods like questionnaires, interviews, focus groups, and product analysis. Both quantitative and qualitative primary research methods are outlined along with their advantages and disadvantages. Secondary research is also discussed. Quantitative and qualitative research approaches are defined and related to closed and open question types. Finally, purposes of research like audience, market, and production research are touched on along with objective, subjective, valid, and reliable research terms.

1. Theory
Research

2. Research Methods
• There are 5 key terms used when discussing
statistics
– Circulation
– Hits
– Box Office Figures
– Ratings
– Sales
• What do these terms mean?

3. Research Methods
• Circulation
– How many copies of a print product that have been
distributed
• Hits
– How many times a certain webpage had been viewed
• Box Office Figures
– How much money a film has made at the cinema
• Ratings
– How something had been rated (4/5, 5 stars, 95% etc)
• Sales
– How many products have been sold

4. Primary Research
• Definition
– Research you do yourself
– Where the audience and the researcher are in direct contact
• Examples
– Questionnaires/Surveys
– Interviews
– Focus Groups
– Vox Pops
– Product Analysis
• Have you heard/know the definition of any of these terms?

5. Primary Research
• Questionnaires/Surveys
– A series of questions based around a product/subject, often to produce
statistical data
• Interviews
– A discussion between 2 people where one asks the other questions
• Focus Groups
– A group of people are asked a series of questions, often from lots of different
backgrounds
• Vox Pops
– Informally discussing a specific topic with individuals, often on the street
• Product Analysis
– Critically discussing a product/text
• Which of these are examples of Quantitative research and which of these
are examples of Qualitative research? Use your notes to work it out and
remember, there may be some that are both

6. Primary Research
• Questionnaires/Surveys
– Both
• Interviews
– Quantitative
• Focus Groups
– Qualitative
• Vox Pops
– Qualitative
• Product Analysis
• Qualitative

7. Primary Research
• Can you think of any advantages and
disadvantages for primary research?

8. Primary Research
• Advantages
– You can create your own research to get the
information you need for your work
– You could ask extra questions during and interview
• Disadvantages
– It can take a long time to set-up your research. You
then have to gather your results and then present
them
– Finding the right people to ask can sometimes be a
challenge

9. Secondary Research
• Definition
– Studying previously undertaken research
– Using existing research in your own work
• Examples
– Internet research
– Library research
– Archive research
• Have you heard/know the definition of any of
these terms?

10. Secondary Research
• Can you think of any advantages and
disadvantages for secondary research?

11. Secondary Research
• Advantages
– The research has already been done for you. You just need
to look at it and then use it in your project.
– There can be a wide range of resources available
• Disadvantages
– The research may not be quite what you were looking for
– The research might not always be easy to find
– You have to rely on how well others have researched

12. • Definition
– Expressed or expressible as a quantity
– Research that you can quantify/measure and put
into percentages, fractions and numbers
• Quantitative research is conducted with
closed questions
• A closed question is when you ask a question
which requires a short, often one word
answer.
Quantitative Research

13. Quantitative Research
• Do you like the colour blue?
Yes No
80% of people liked blue
20% didn’t like blue
• Come up with your own quantitative question
about your stop motion project
Blue
Yes
No

14. • Sales
• Box Office figures
• Website hits
• TV ratings
• Closed questions
– Yes/No answers
– Tick Box
Do you like the colour blue?
Yes No
Quantitative Research

15. Qualitative Research
• Definition
– Research that goes more in depth- finding out
opinions/beliefs/reasoning
– Presented as full text or discussions
– Makes the person have to reflect and expand on their
answer
• Qualitative research is conducted with open
questions
• An open question requires the interviewee to
expand on their answer in more than a few words

16. Qualitative Research
• Why do you like/not like the colour blue?

17. Qualitative Research
• Reviews
• Responses
• Discussions
• Forums

18. Purposes of Research
• 3 key areas of research are:
– Audience Research
• Finding out about who consumes a product
– Market Research
• Finding out about the market place where a
product is sold
– Production Research
• Finding information and resources required to
produce a piece of media.

19. Research Terms
• Research can be described with specific
research terms
– Objective
– Subjective
– Valid
– Reliable
• Have you heard/know the definition of any of
these terms?

20. Research Terms
• Objective
– Research that is not influenced by personal feelings or
opinions
• Subjective
– Research that has been influenced by personal feelings or
opinions
• Valid
– Whether the research proposed is able to answer the
intended outcome/question
• Reliable
– Research that produces accurate and consistent results

21. Task
• Complete slides 1-10 in the pro-forma
discussing
– Terminology definitions (circulation, hits, box
office, ratings & sales)
– Definitions, advantages, disadvantages and
examples of each type of research
– Terminology definitions (Objective, subjective,
valid and reliable)

22. Harvard Referencing Task
• Choose a film and find a research source for
each category. This can be any source related
to the chosen film;
1. Film
2. Book
3. Website
4. Magazine article
• Write up the sources using the Harvard
method;
– Director/Author (DATE of release/publication) Name of
film/book/webpage (URL if website/Magazine if an article)

23. Bibliography
• Set out each source in the slide’s note section like this
1. Director/Author (DATE of release/publication) Name of film/book/webpage (URL if
website/Magazine if an article)
• Examples
1. Truffaut, F. (1959) The 400 Blows
2. Greene, N. (2007) The French New Wave - A New Look
3. Hitchman, S. (2008) A History of French New Wave Cinema
(http://www.newwavefilm.com/about/history-of-french-new-wave.shtml)
4. Smith, J. (2014) French New Wave Cinema (Total Film, Issue 332)
5. Truffaut, F. cited in Smith, J (1994) Interview with Truffaut (Sight and Sound, issue
67)
6. Anon (accessed 2014) The French New Wave (www.realwebsite.com)
1. Film
2. Book
3. Website
4. Magazine article
5. Citation
6. Unknown
author/date