Primer of Public Relations Research

by Stacks, Don W.

• ISBN13: 9781572307261
• ISBN10: 1572307269
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2002-02-06
• Publisher: The Guilford Press

Summary

This authoritative guide provides comprehensive coverage of the various research methods available to public relations practitioners. Written in a practical and direct style, the book takes readers step by step through the various elements of designing, conducting, and reporting PR-related research in both corporate and nonprofit settings. Informal and formal research methodologies are discussed in depth, including clear guidelines for using secondary sources, case studies, observational approaches, content analysis, sampling, survey research, and more. Demystifying statistical concepts and methods, the book provides detailed instructions for using SPSS, the widely available statistical software package. Numerous concrete examples, sample research tools and reports, and computer screen shots enhance the utility of the book, as do helpful review questions and practice problems at the end of each chapter.

Author Biography

Don W. Stacks, PhD, is Professor and Director of the Program in Advertising and Public Relations at the University of Miami School of Communication. The author or coauthor of six books and more than 60 articles in referred journals, Dr. Stacks is an award-winning educator and researcher, a frequent conference presenter, and an active member of several professional organizations.

Table of Contents

PART I AN INTRODUCTION TO RESEARCH IN PUBLIC RELATIONS	1	(51)
Research	3	(13)
Why Conduct Public Relations Research?	4	(1)
What Is Research?	5	(8)
Use of Research in Public Relations	13	(1)
Summary	13	(3)
Management of Research in Public Relations	16	(17)
What Is Public Relations?	17	(3)
Programmatic Research in Public Relations	20	(10)
Summary	30	(3)
Ethical Concerns in Public Relations Research	33	(18)
Public Relations Ethics	34	(7)
Ethics and the Conduct of Research	41	(7)
Who Owns the Data?	48	(1)
Summary	48	(3)
PART II INFORMAL RESEARCH METHODOLOGY	51	(72)
Historical and Secondary Research Methods	53	(18)
Gathering Sources of Data	54	(11)
Secondary Research	65	(3)
Summary	68	(3)
Case Studies	71	(13)
The Case Study Defined	71	(2)
The Case Study in Public Relations	73	(5)
Conducting the Case Study	78	(3)
Summary	81	(3)
Informal Methods of Observing People	84	(23)
In-Depth Interviews	85	(6)
Focus Groups	91	(11)
Participant-Observation	102	(3)
Summary	105	(2)
Content Analysis	107	(16)
Defining the Method	107	(1)
Advantages and Limitations	108	(1)
Conducting a Content Analysis	108	(10)
Uses	118	(1)
Summary	118	(5)
PART III FORMAL RESEARCH METHODOLOGY	123	(156)
Measurement in Public Relations	127	(23)
Understanding Measurement	128	(4)
Measurement Scales	132	(12)
An Example in Practice	144	(1)
Summary	144	(6)
Sampling Messages and People	150	(24)
Sampling	151	(1)
Problems---Errors---Encountered in Sampling	152	(2)
Sampling Types	154	(7)
Sample Size and Probability Sampling	161	(8)
Sampling Strategies	169	(2)
Summary	171	(3)
Survey and Poll Methods	174	(21)
Polls versus Surveys	175	(1)
Design Considerations	176	(9)
Questionnaire Construction	185	(5)
Reporting Survey Results	190	(2)
New Technologies	192	(1)
Summary	192	(3)
Experimental Method	195	(14)
What Is an Experiment?	196	(1)
Testing Relationship	197	(2)
Establishing Causation	199	(1)
Establishing Control	200	(1)
Experimental Designs	201	(2)
Types of Experimental Design	203	(3)
Experimental Methodology and Public Relations	206	(1)
Summary	206	(3)
Descriptive Statistical Reasoning and Computer Analysis	209	(30)
Review of Measurement Levels and ``Variables''	210	(2)
Using Computer Packages	212	(1)
Entering Data into the Computer	213	(3)
Describing Quantitative Data	216	(21)
Summary	237	(2)
Inferential Statistical Reasoning and Computer Analysis	239	(40)
Making Quantitative Inferences and Testing Relationships	240	(7)
Inferential Tests	247	(28)
Advanced Statistical Testing	275	(1)
Summary	275	(4)
PART IV OBTAINING AND REPORTING PUBLIC RELATIONS RESEARCH	279	(29)
Writing and Evaluating the Request for Research Proposal	281	(14)
Addressing What You Need	282	(3)
Identifying Potential Researchers and Firms	285	(2)
The Request for Proposal	287	(3)
Evaluating RFPs	290	(3)
Summary	293	(2)
Writing and Presenting the Final Research Report	295	(13)
Writing the Research Report	295	(6)
The Oral Presentation	301	(4)
Summary	305	(3)
Index	308	(10)
About the Author	318