This document defines and discusses various types of research used to study media products, including terminology, advantages, disadvantages, and examples. It covers primary and secondary research, quantitative and qualitative research, audience research, market research, production research, and objective versus subjective research. Key terms are defined, such as circulation, hits, box office figures, ratings, and sales. Different research methods like questionnaires, surveys, focus groups, and interviews are also outlined. Finally, the document provides an example of the Harvard referencing style.

1. Research
Luke Ross

2. Terminology
• Circulation – how much of a print product have been
distributed.
• Hits – how many views one webpage gets
• Box Office Figures – how much a film has made while being
shown at the cinema
• Ratings – how good the film is thought to be by people
such as critics or audience gives a score for other people to
see (10/10, 5/5, 5 stars and 100%)
• Sales – how many of the product has been sold to people.

3. Primary Research
• Definition – research that you carry out yourself and allows the researcher and the audience to be
in direct contact.
• Advantages – allows you to get the viewers to give you an opinion on what they think and you can
use what they say how you choose, for example give ratings on it.
• Disadvantages – people can lie and others have different opinions on the product and to base
something of certain persons opinion isn't right and can underrate the product.
• Example –
- questionnaires / surveys
- focus groups
- critics
- vox pops
- product analysis
- interviews

4. Secondary Research
• Definition – studying previous research that has already been
taken. Taking somebody else's research in your own work.
• Advantages – the research has already been done all that you
have to do is copy it and use it in your project. There's a lot of
available things to use.
• Disadvantages – the research can be difficult to find and when
you do find it might not be what you want. You are going off
somebody else's work which could be wrong or slightly
incorrect.
• Example – using Google as research, library or achieves.

5. Quantitative Research
• Definition – something that is all quantity such as percentages,
fractions and numbers and measuring them. It is mainly used as a
closed question which means it is given as a one word answer or
sometimes short answers.
• Advantages – gives exact figures and short answers which are easy
to use and record and use, saves time is an easy form of research.
• Disadvantages – you don’t find out weather or not thing can be
improved you cant go into detail on the research that you get.
• Example – sales, website hits, box office figures and TV ratings
.closed questions requiring a yes or a no answer or a tick a box
sheet.

6. Qualitative Research
• Definition – much more in depth research finding out nearly everything
there is including things such as opinions, beliefs and reasoning's.
Presented as a detailed discussion, makes the person reflect on what they
have said and take it further. It is used with open question, which means
the person asked has to give a full opinion.
• Advantages – gives you lots of detail and information to use and go off and
can be used as quotes as evidence of what people have said from your
research.
• Disadvantages – the information given might be by people with a very
specific review and might be biased and not reliable but it might be
depending on who is asked for the information.
• Example – reviews, responses, discussions and forums

7. Audience Research
• Definition – finding out about who uses the product and what they thought of it
from the audience.
• Advantages – you find out what the audience thought of the product which if done
over a large amount of people can go on the majority thoughts.
• Disadvantages – people may lie or be biased to specific opinion and not like the
product and the research takes a long time to record and gather together before it
can be used.
Example - questionnaires / surveys
- focus groups
- critics
- vox pops
- product analysis
- interviews

8. Market Research
• Definition – finding out about the location that the product is sold and researching
it, and gathering information about the product and finding out consumer needs.
• Advantages – you finding out what the consumer wants and how to improve the
product as well as finding out about the location that the product is sold and
weather it is the best place and if people visit it or enough people.
• Disadvantages – people wont always be truthful and not everyone will feel
combatable being asked questions.
• Example –
- questionnaires / surveys
- focus groups
- critics
- vox pops
- product analysis
- interviews

9. Production Research
• Definition – finding out information about the products to produce a piece of media. Information
such as costs of things, e.g. equipment, software etc… as well as finding information about the
target audience.
• Advantages – you are able to find out cost of everything that you need and be prepared about what
your going to pay before you have to pay it. You also find out information about what the audience
likes.
• Disadvantages – it takes a lot of time to gather all the information that is needed and work out all of
the costs and add it all up.
• Example –
- questionnaires / surveys
- focus groups
- critics
- vox pops
- product analysis
- interviews

10. Terminology
• Objective – research that is not influenced by personal
feelings and opinions
• Subjective – research that is influenced by personal feelings
and opinions.
• Valid – weather the research is able to answer valid
questions that will come up about the product and if its
relevant to the product in general.
• Reliable – research that produces accurate and reliable
results that are consistent to the questions asked about the
product and in line with what the product is.

11. Harvard Referencing
Name of the film being researched;
1. Star wars : revenge of the sith (2005)
2. Mud, sweat and tears (14th of October 2016) Bear Grylls
3. www.Amazon.co.uk (1994-Present)
4. The professor wore a hijab in solidarity – then lost her job
1. Film
2. Book
3. Website
4. Magazine article