Table Of Contentebook
THE GUILFORD PRESS
PRIMER OF PUBLIC RELATIONS RESEARCH
Primer of
Public
Relations
Research
THIRD EDITION
DON W. STACKS
THE GUILFORD PRESS
New York London
Copyright © 2017 The Guilford Press
A Division of Guilford Publications, Inc.
370 Seventh Avenue, Suite 1200, New York, NY 10001
www.guilford.com
All rights reserved
No part of this book may be reproduced, translated, stored in a retrieval
system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical,
photocopying, microfilming, recording, or otherwise, without written permission
from the publisher.
Printed in the United States of America
This book is printed on acid-free paper.
Last digit is print number: 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Stacks, Don W., author.
Title: Primer of public relations research / Don W. Stacks.
Other titles: Primer of public relations research
Description: Third edition. | New York : Guilford Press, [2017] | Includes
bibliographical references and index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2016015029 | ISBN 9781462522705 (hardcover)
Subjects: LCSH: Public relations—Research.
Classification: LCC HM1221 .S78 2017 | DDC 659.2072—dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2016015029
Preface
W
elcome to the third edition of the Primer of Public Relations Research.
This book is the product of many years spent attempting to prove that
research really does matter in public relations. My treatment is based on the
belief that public relations professionals need to understand the research
process—not that they will conduct research daily (some will), but that
they will have to make important and informed decisions about hiring research
firms, evaluating their proposals and end products, and helping to deter-
mine how that research benefits the bottom line. The book is a primer for
research and presents an analysis, in what I hope is a simple and direct way,
of what research is, why it is conducted, and what strategies (methods) are
appropriate to answer the questions being discussed. Further, it provides
understanding of what statistics are, how they are interpreted, and what
they actually tell the professional. The book also offers advice on how to
present research findings directly and simply, avoiding what some call the
“chi-square approach.” Finally, the Primer advocates for a public relations
practice that takes into account three important issues: (1) a business-like
approach, (2) establishment of standards for the practice of research, and (3)
an understanding that we can predict outcomes as successfully as any mar-
keting or advertising professionals can through the evaluation of measured
outcomes as related to business/client goals and objectives.
Since publication of the second edition, a number of changes have taken
place that have made research even more important. The profession’s con-
tinued movement toward setting baselines, creating benchmarks, assessing
progress in a public relations campaign, and making final evaluations has
v
vi Preface
become almost routine practice. The third edition focuses on several new
dimensions that have improved our ability to evaluate public relations out-
comes and present them to the client (internal or external), thus adding to
our impact on research return on investment.
First, probably the most important change in public relations research
has been the move toward standardization. The second edition stressed best
practices as cutting-edge research; the third takes it further and begins to set
forth standards against which results can be assessed and evaluated. Second,
the new edition introduces the reader to what has been labeled “Big Data.”
Big Data are enormously large data sets that present both advantages and
disadvantages to the researcher. Big Data and extremely fast and powerful
computers are being used to set up predictive formulas (algorithms), which
are then used in data analytics. Third, the definitional and strategic use of
the key performance indicator (KPI; data that provide evidence of campaign
performance against key pre-agreed criteria such as sales, number of inqui-
ries, and clickthroughs) in public relations practice has expanded, partially
due to the movement toward standardization, to include those most valued
in the social media.
The third edition, then, adds to our knowledge of research in public
relations. It takes no shortcuts, it is a little more expansive, but it continues
the premise laid out in the first edition: Research questions drive research
method(s), which drive analytical tools, which drive evaluation. Of impor-
tance are understanding how outputs, outtakes, and outcomes are defined,
measured, assessed, and evaluated. As will be seen, the major methods
have not changed dramatically, but the scope and ability of public relations
researchers to obtain valid and reliable data have increased with a sophisti-
cated understanding of the research process. Finally, several new analytical
tools will be discussed from an approach of understanding more than actual
running of the analytical programs.
As in the second edition, the Primer includes aids to enhance under-
standing of the text’s material. Each chapter opens with an introduction to
set the stage for the chapter’s material. The chapters conclude with review
questions so that readers can test their comprehension of concepts, and a
practice problem for implementing what they’ve learned when doing a pub-
lic relations project.
An Instructor’s Manual in .docx format will automatically be e-mailed to
all instructors who request a desk copy of this book from The Guilford Press.
Included in the manual are a test bank with multiple-choice, true–false, short-
answer, and essay questions; suggested readings; chapter outlines; and case
studies. Use some or all of these materials to gauge your students’ retention
and comprehension. In addition, PowerPoint slides of selected illustrations
and other related materials can be found at www.guilford.com/stacksmanual.
I would be remiss if I didn’t thank a number of people who were
instrumental to this edition’s success: Donald K. Wright, Boston University;
Preface vii
Shannon A. Bowen, University of South Carolina; David Michaelson, man-
aging director, Teneo; and current graduate students Yi Grace Ji, Zifei Fay
Chen, and Bo Ra Yook from the University of Miami. Much appreciated
help came from Zongchao Cathy Li, University of South Carolina; Melissa
D. Dodd, University of Central Florida; Marcia DiStaso, Pennsylvania State
University; Koichi Yamamura, principal, TS Communications (Tokyo); Rita
Linjuan Men, University of Florida; and Tina McCorkindale, CEO, Institute
for Public Relations.
Finally, I would like to express my thanks to my friends at The Guil-
ford Press (I refer to them as “friends” because they have become that to me
in my working through the third edition). First, to C. Deborah Laughton,
thanks for seeing the merit in the third edition and challenging me to add
the new material in such a way as the student and the professional will gain
an understanding of the total research process: from secondary research to
primary research to methodological considerations to data decisions to anal-
yses to results and, finally, to evaluation. And, to Katherine Sommer, who
became my own assistant editor and put up with a barrage of questions from
me on a number of different topics and concerns—the third edition is better
because of your help. Finally, to the rest of the folks at Guilford who have
shepherded me through two previous editions—thanks for the faith!
To all of those, including my family, who have helped me make this
book one of the most referenced public relations methods books and one that
has been highly awarded in the academic and professional worlds, and to
my colleagues and students (undergraduate and graduate) who continually
asked me for more additions, thanks for everything!
DON W. STACKS
Coral Gables, Florida
