Audience Research Design Proposal

You have been commissioned to conduct some audience research by an organisation. Your task is to write up a detailed proposal for the specific research you plan to undertake.the following topic

Topic 3

A commercial news media organisation wants to commission research to find out the relationship between its online news audiences and its print news audiences, in order to determine how to maximise their investment in each medium and increase their audience subscription base.
The research question to be answered is:
Why do readers of our newspaper [name] prefer the print or online versions, and is there any overlap in readership? How can we move more of our readership onto our online news platform?

Design a research proposal to be funded by a specific news organisation (include in your proposal the name of the organisation and the newspaper/s it publishes).

Having chosen your topic, you can then refine the research question or questions by giving it a specific scope. Note that you are expected to produce a design for research, not the actual research findings. Explain and justify the theoretical assumptions underpinning your approach, making reference to issues discussed in the course materials. Write up your proposal as a submission for

a committee from whom you are seeking permission to conduct the research. It should be structured around the issues listed below.
1. Key Research Questions.
2. Theoretical Framework.
3. Related Research OR Literature Review (either heading is fine).
4. Research Method.
5. Uses of the Findings OR Report to Stakeholders (either heading is fine).
6. Political and Ethical Issues.
7. Resources Required.

Format: Set it out not as an essay but in sections using the numbered headings given above. Include a list of references. You may also want to provide an appendix with sample interview or survey questions (see section 4 instructions). You can provide a one-paragraph overview (or executive summary) at the beginning if you wish.

Further advice

Section 1: your key research question/s, how you decided on this, and how you defined your audience/s.
It is very important to be clear here about who the audience is, how they are brought into being (through what relation - you should bear in mind Nightingale's (1994a) point about audiences being relational here - see Topic 6), and why you want to research this audience. Provide some context explaining why this research question is important/significant.

Section 2: the theoretical assumptions underpinning your understanding of ‘audience', and your research approach. (Topics 4 & 5)
You should identify the research tradition and the specific approach you are taking (with references to the course description and relevant readings). Briefly justify your choice of theoretical approach (why this approach and not another?). You may want to use Ruddock's argument re 'situation-specific' research to argue that the approach should be generated in the light of a specific project - and then relate your choice of framework to this.

Section 3: what related research there is on this audience, or audiences similar to it. You should aim to discuss 4-6 articles. Identify the steps you took to find these (including the use of library database searches or internet searches). Note the relevance of the previous research to your proposed study.
Make reference to any research which is broadly related to your audience. You may also find research which is more closely related to your own. Even if you don't, you should describe the searches you have carried out to find relevant literature. (See p.17 of this Course description for suggested journals and databases. See Topic 6, activity 2 for a link to a relevant online tutorial on doing database searches.)

Section 4: method of audience investigation used (for example: qualitative, quantitative, or a combination of the two methods; specific tools; sample questions to be used in a questionnaire or interview).
Here you should detail your method of audience investigation, and make reference to the issues debated in Topic 6 and the associated readings.

Section 5: how the findings might be used and by whom (who are the stakeholders?).
Discuss who the research is being carried out for (i.e. the institutional context), and what uses it may have (see Topics 3 & 6).

Section 6: any political or ethical issues which may arise in conducting and publishing the research.
Does the research involve children? How are the power relations between researcher and the audience being researched to be handled? Will the research participants have any say in the research design? (Again, refer to Topic 6.)

Section 7: resources that would be needed to carry out the research (time, people, equipment).
This is a nuts-&-bolts section, where you show the (hypothetical) panel (from whom you are asking for funds to carry out the research) what you will need to get the job done. It doesn't have to be too detailed - just a description of the main needs (linked back to the research method).

Tips

• Start thinking about your proposal early in the semester.
• Make sure you define your audience clearly - they must not simply be an existing social group, but an audience who are brought into being through their engagement with a specific medium or text.

References

In addition to the set and further readings listed in Topics 2-6 of the Course description, you may find it useful to consult the following:

Assessment criteria

The following assessment criteria will be used:

1. Key research question
• Defines the audience to be researched
• States why this is a significant topic.

2. Theoretical framework
• Identifies the research approach/theoretical framework
• Use of course readings (and possibly other sources) to substantiate descriptions of theoretical framework
• Sound justification of choice of theoretical approach as relevant/appropriate to the research proposed

3. Review of related research
• Cites research which connects with or informs the research question
• Notes steps taken to search for relevant material (esp. if little material is found)

• Identifies and notes relevance of existing research to proposal

4. Research method
• Correctly distinguishes between quantitative and qualitative research methods
• Identifies and describes specific methods (tools) for carrying out the research (including providing sample questions if relevant)
• Methods proposed match the objectives and the research question

5. Use of the findings
• Clearly states who the research is to be conducted for
• Purpose and use of the research is justified in relation to the agenda/s or goals of the body/organisation selected

6. Political or ethical issues
• Makes reference to questions of the power relations involved in research
• Suggests how the researcher might minimise power differences (esp. if research involves children)
• Refers to ethical issues
• May refer to political implications of the research findings

7. Resources required
• List of resources matches research methods

8. Scholarship, presentation & expression
• Engages with relevant concepts from the seminars and readings.
• Appropriately and correctly referenced
• Includes a reference list
• Clearly expressed
• Well presented and structured
• Appropriate use of appendices (if applicable).