Presentation by

Lindsey Townson

Top 5 Things PR Students Need to Know About Conducting Research

Background Research

• Discover information on the subject you wish to research

(Have there been similar studies conducted before? What were their limitations?)• Taking the time to do this will save you a lot of time down the road

Citing Your Work

• Don’t plagiarize• Be familiar with APA,or the appropriate style for your research, and use it!

Ethics!

•Get your participants’ consent before beginning any research•Your participants should be aware of the research methods you will be using and how the research results will be used•If your conscious tells you to not to do something, don’t do it!

Ethics! Ethics! Ethics!

Surveys and Questionnaires Should be easy-to-read

Describe jargon clearly

Don’t waste time: ask questions that only have to do with the research

Deliver the questions in an appropriate form… Electronic? In-person? Snail mail?

Let the participants (truthfully) know approximately how long the questioning will take

Organize the answers/data well

Monitor an Array of Media• Be familiar with a variety of media…today• This will help you in doing background research as well as when you’re a PR professional