Chapter Seven

• Research and evaluation, two very important steps in the public relations process, are interconnected. Research eventually leads to evaluation, but evaluation requires research for a meaningful understanding of the results. It is important to use research and evaluation to understand what different publics feel/need/want etc. before any planning or communication of PR plans can occur.
• In designing a research strategy, one must identify answers to the questions “What do I want to know?” and “How will I gather that information?” (pg. 206 Public Relations A Values- Driven Approach).
• How well research is done and therefore how accurate its results are is contingent on the resources (i.e. money, personnel and time) available to the PR practitioner.
• Surveys are a very in-depth research method. They are often time consuming because they are heavily concerned with appropraite and representative sample selections. But, this concern allows for better accuracy of results in the end.

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