ABSTRACT
This step begins with definitions of research, secondary research, and primary research, then discusses doing your own research. This is followed by a discussion of research ethics, including guidelines for the ethical treatment of people and ethical use of research data. Next, nonprobability sampling and probability sampling are discussed, including definitions for sample and census. This is followed by a discussion of types of nonprobability sampling, including convenience sampling, volunteer sampling, purposive sampling, snowball sampling, and quota sampling. Next, the types of probability sampling are discussed, including random sampling, systematic sampling, stratified sampling, and cluster sampling. Sampling error and sample size are discussed next. After that, secondary research (including sources such as organizational files, trade and professional associations, libraries, government agencies, commercial information services, and online research) and primary research (including surveys, focus groups, interviews, and content analysis) are discussed, along with how to write a survey questionnaire.
Research, a formal program of information gathering, is like the foundation of a house. It’s essential to the success of a public relations or marketing communication campaign. Your communication tactics might be innovative, but without adequate research, they risk being ineffective.
Generally, you can look to a two-pronged research program for most public relations projects: secondary research and primary research.
