{"id":110,"date":"2022-03-29T17:46:43","date_gmt":"2022-03-29T17:46:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pressbooks.hcfl.edu\/speechcomm\/chapter\/what-is-research\/"},"modified":"2026-07-22T18:25:40","modified_gmt":"2026-07-22T18:25:40","slug":"what-is-research","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/pressbooks.hcfl.edu\/speechcomm\/chapter\/what-is-research\/","title":{"raw":"6.1 What Is Research?","rendered":"6.1 What Is Research?"},"content":{"raw":"<div id=\"slug-6-1-what-is-research\" class=\"chapter standard\">\r\n<h2 class=\"chapter-title\" style=\"text-align: center;\">6.1 What Is Research?<\/h2>\r\n[caption id=\"\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"300\"]<img class=\"wp-image-109 size-medium\" src=\"http:\/\/pressbooks.hcfl.edu\/speechcomm\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/107\/2022\/03\/661-300x152.jpg\" alt=\"A person holding a magnifying glass over an open book surrounded by office supplies.\" width=\"300\" height=\"152\" \/> A person examining a book with a magnifying glass. Image from <em>It\u2019s About Them: Public Speaking in the 21st Century<\/em> by LOUIS: The Louisiana Library Network, licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0.[\/caption]\r\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center;\">Research in Public Speaking<\/h3>\r\nResearch is the process of gathering and evaluating information to develop a better understanding of a topic. In public speaking, research helps speakers support their ideas with credible evidence, explain complex issues accurately, and present informed arguments.\r\n\r\nThere are two primary types of research: <strong>[pb_glossary id=\"569\"]primary research[\/pb_glossary]<\/strong> and <strong>[pb_glossary id=\"575\"]secondary research[\/pb_glossary]<\/strong>.\r\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center;\">Primary Research<\/h3>\r\n<strong>[pb_glossary id=\"569\"]Primary research[\/pb_glossary]<\/strong> involves collecting original information directly from people, events, or situations. Common methods include surveys, interviews, observations, experiments, and focus groups.\r\n\r\nFor example, suppose you want to understand student concerns about campus parking. You might design a survey and distribute it to a sample of students. Their responses would provide original data that you could analyze and use as evidence in your speech.\r\n\r\nBefore conducting a survey, consider the following questions:\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>Are the questions clear and unbiased?<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Does the information already exist in a reliable source?<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Do participants have enough knowledge to answer accurately?<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Are participants likely to respond honestly?<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Does the sample reasonably represent the population being discussed?<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\nSurveys may be conducted online, by mail, by telephone, or in person. Each method has advantages and limitations. Online surveys can reach many people quickly, but some individuals may not respond. In-person surveys allow researchers to clarify questions, but they require more time and may influence how participants answer.\r\n<h4>Interviews<\/h4>\r\nInterviews are another form of primary research. An interview involves asking prepared questions to gather another person\u2019s knowledge, experiences, opinions, or perspective.\r\n\r\nOne-on-one interviews allow a researcher to explore a topic in depth and ask follow-up questions. For example, if you are preparing a speech about student leadership, you might interview officers from campus organizations about the challenges they face when managing projects or recruiting members.\r\n<h4>Focus Groups<\/h4>\r\nA[pb_glossary id=\"509\"] <strong>focus group<\/strong>[\/pb_glossary] is a guided discussion involving several participants. Focus groups allow researchers to observe how people respond to ideas and interact with one another.\r\n\r\nFor a speech about student leadership, you might conduct a focus group with students who have participated in successful and unsuccessful campus projects. Their discussion could reveal common concerns, disagreements, and experiences that may not emerge during individual interviews.\r\n\r\nPrimary research can provide valuable information, but speakers must conduct it ethically. Participants should understand the purpose of the research, know how their information will be used, and be treated respectfully. Sensitive or personally identifiable information should not be disclosed without appropriate permission.\r\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center;\">Secondary Research<\/h3>\r\n<strong>[pb_glossary id=\"575\"]Secondary research[\/pb_glossary]<\/strong> involves using information that has already been collected, analyzed, or published by someone else. Sources may include books, scholarly articles, government reports, newspapers, documentaries, databases, and credible websites.\r\n\r\nSecondary research is the most common form of research used in student speeches because it allows speakers to build on the work of experts and researchers. However, not every published source is equally reliable. Speakers should evaluate each source for authority, accuracy, currency, relevance, purpose, and possible bias.\r\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center;\">Use the Source You Actually Consulted<\/h3>\r\nWhen using secondary research, cite the source you actually read, watched, or examined. Suppose a textbook summarizes the findings of a study, but you have not read the original study. You should not imply that you personally reviewed the original research.\r\n\r\nYou may cite the textbook as a secondary source or locate and read the original study before citing it directly. This distinction matters because secondhand summaries may omit context, simplify findings, or interpret the original research inaccurately.\r\n\r\nInformation passed through several sources can become distorted, much like a message in the game of \u201cTelephone.\u201d To maintain accuracy and integrity, verify important claims whenever possible and be transparent about where your information originated.\r\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center;\">Conclusion<\/h3>\r\nResearch strengthens public speaking by helping speakers develop informed, credible, and well-supported messages. Primary research allows speakers to collect original information, while secondary research gives them access to existing knowledge and expert analysis.\r\n\r\nRegardless of the research method used, ethical speakers evaluate information carefully, represent sources accurately, and clearly identify where their evidence originated.\r\n<h3>Licenses and Attribution<\/h3>\r\n<h4>CC Licensed Content, Original<\/h4>\r\n<em>Speech Communication<\/em> was created by Lana Iapicco and Marie Torres. Independently created original and AI-assisted content developed specifically for this book is licensed under a <a href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc\/4.0\/\">Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License<\/a>, except where otherwise noted.\r\n\r\nThis educational material includes content generated or revised with the assistance of large language models. Lana Iapicco and Marie Torres reviewed, edited, and take responsibility for the final published content.\r\n<h4>CC Licensed Content, Previously Shared<\/h4>\r\n<strong>\u201cWhat Is Research?\u201d<\/strong> is adapted from <a href=\"https:\/\/louis.pressbooks.pub\/publicspeaking\/chapter\/what-is-research\/\">\u201cWhat Is Research?\u201d<\/a> by Douglas Marshall, James Yeargain, June Pulliam, Sara Kim, and Victoria VanNest, published in <em><a href=\"https:\/\/louis.pressbooks.pub\/publicspeaking\/\">It\u2019s About Them: Public Speaking in the 21st Century<\/a><\/em> by LOUIS: The Louisiana Library Network.\r\n\r\nThe source material is licensed under a <a href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc-sa\/4.0\/\">Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License<\/a>. The material was revised, reorganized, expanded, updated, and supplemented with original and AI-assisted content for this edition.\r\n\r\nAdapted portions derived from this source, including revisions to those portions, are licensed under the <a href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc-sa\/4.0\/\">Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License<\/a>. Independently created portions developed specifically for <em>Speech Communication<\/em> are licensed under the book\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc\/4.0\/\">Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License<\/a>, except where otherwise noted.\r\n<h4>CC Licensed Image<\/h4>\r\n<h5><strong>A person examining a book with a magnifying glass<\/strong><\/h5>\r\nImage from <a href=\"https:\/\/louis.pressbooks.pub\/publicspeaking\/chapter\/what-is-research\/\">\u201cWhat Is Research?\u201d<\/a> in <em>It\u2019s About Them: Public Speaking in the 21st Century<\/em> by LOUIS: The Louisiana Library Network.\r\nLicense: <a href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc-sa\/4.0\/\">Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License<\/a>.\r\nChanges: The image was resized, and its alternative text and caption were revised for this edition. The source chapter does not identify a separate creator or license for the image.\r\n<h4>Third-Party References and Links<\/h4>\r\nBooks, articles, studies, reports, websites, and other third-party materials referenced in this section remain the property of their respective authors, publishers, organizations, and copyright holders. Their inclusion as citations, links, examples, or intellectual foundations does not place the underlying materials under the Creative Commons licenses applied to <em>Speech Communication<\/em>.\r\n\r\nUnless a separate license or public-domain status is specifically identified, third-party content may not be copied, redistributed, or adapted independently of the permissions provided by its copyright holder or applicable law.\r\n\r\n<\/div>","rendered":"<div id=\"slug-6-1-what-is-research\" class=\"chapter standard\">\n<h2 class=\"chapter-title\" style=\"text-align: center;\">6.1 What Is Research?<\/h2>\n<figure style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-109 size-medium\" src=\"http:\/\/pressbooks.hcfl.edu\/speechcomm\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/107\/2022\/03\/661-300x152.jpg\" alt=\"A person holding a magnifying glass over an open book surrounded by office supplies.\" width=\"300\" height=\"152\" srcset=\"https:\/\/pressbooks.hcfl.edu\/speechcomm\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/107\/2022\/03\/661-300x152.jpg 300w, https:\/\/pressbooks.hcfl.edu\/speechcomm\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/107\/2022\/03\/661-65x33.jpg 65w, https:\/\/pressbooks.hcfl.edu\/speechcomm\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/107\/2022\/03\/661-225x114.jpg 225w, https:\/\/pressbooks.hcfl.edu\/speechcomm\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/107\/2022\/03\/661-350x177.jpg 350w, https:\/\/pressbooks.hcfl.edu\/speechcomm\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/107\/2022\/03\/661.jpg 423w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A person examining a book with a magnifying glass. Image from <em>It\u2019s About Them: Public Speaking in the 21st Century<\/em> by LOUIS: The Louisiana Library Network, licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center;\">Research in Public Speaking<\/h3>\n<p>Research is the process of gathering and evaluating information to develop a better understanding of a topic. In public speaking, research helps speakers support their ideas with credible evidence, explain complex issues accurately, and present informed arguments.<\/p>\n<p>There are two primary types of research: <strong><button class=\"glossary-term\" aria-describedby=\"110-569\">primary research<\/button><\/strong> and <strong><button class=\"glossary-term\" aria-describedby=\"110-575\">secondary research<\/button><\/strong>.<\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center;\">Primary Research<\/h3>\n<p><strong><button class=\"glossary-term\" aria-describedby=\"110-569\">Primary research<\/button><\/strong> involves collecting original information directly from people, events, or situations. Common methods include surveys, interviews, observations, experiments, and focus groups.<\/p>\n<p>For example, suppose you want to understand student concerns about campus parking. You might design a survey and distribute it to a sample of students. Their responses would provide original data that you could analyze and use as evidence in your speech.<\/p>\n<p>Before conducting a survey, consider the following questions:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Are the questions clear and unbiased?<\/li>\n<li>Does the information already exist in a reliable source?<\/li>\n<li>Do participants have enough knowledge to answer accurately?<\/li>\n<li>Are participants likely to respond honestly?<\/li>\n<li>Does the sample reasonably represent the population being discussed?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Surveys may be conducted online, by mail, by telephone, or in person. Each method has advantages and limitations. Online surveys can reach many people quickly, but some individuals may not respond. In-person surveys allow researchers to clarify questions, but they require more time and may influence how participants answer.<\/p>\n<h4>Interviews<\/h4>\n<p>Interviews are another form of primary research. An interview involves asking prepared questions to gather another person\u2019s knowledge, experiences, opinions, or perspective.<\/p>\n<p>One-on-one interviews allow a researcher to explore a topic in depth and ask follow-up questions. For example, if you are preparing a speech about student leadership, you might interview officers from campus organizations about the challenges they face when managing projects or recruiting members.<\/p>\n<h4>Focus Groups<\/h4>\n<p>A<button class=\"glossary-term\" aria-describedby=\"110-509\"> <strong>focus group<\/strong><\/button> is a guided discussion involving several participants. Focus groups allow researchers to observe how people respond to ideas and interact with one another.<\/p>\n<p>For a speech about student leadership, you might conduct a focus group with students who have participated in successful and unsuccessful campus projects. Their discussion could reveal common concerns, disagreements, and experiences that may not emerge during individual interviews.<\/p>\n<p>Primary research can provide valuable information, but speakers must conduct it ethically. Participants should understand the purpose of the research, know how their information will be used, and be treated respectfully. Sensitive or personally identifiable information should not be disclosed without appropriate permission.<\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center;\">Secondary Research<\/h3>\n<p><strong><button class=\"glossary-term\" aria-describedby=\"110-575\">Secondary research<\/button><\/strong> involves using information that has already been collected, analyzed, or published by someone else. Sources may include books, scholarly articles, government reports, newspapers, documentaries, databases, and credible websites.<\/p>\n<p>Secondary research is the most common form of research used in student speeches because it allows speakers to build on the work of experts and researchers. However, not every published source is equally reliable. Speakers should evaluate each source for authority, accuracy, currency, relevance, purpose, and possible bias.<\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center;\">Use the Source You Actually Consulted<\/h3>\n<p>When using secondary research, cite the source you actually read, watched, or examined. Suppose a textbook summarizes the findings of a study, but you have not read the original study. You should not imply that you personally reviewed the original research.<\/p>\n<p>You may cite the textbook as a secondary source or locate and read the original study before citing it directly. This distinction matters because secondhand summaries may omit context, simplify findings, or interpret the original research inaccurately.<\/p>\n<p>Information passed through several sources can become distorted, much like a message in the game of \u201cTelephone.\u201d To maintain accuracy and integrity, verify important claims whenever possible and be transparent about where your information originated.<\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center;\">Conclusion<\/h3>\n<p>Research strengthens public speaking by helping speakers develop informed, credible, and well-supported messages. Primary research allows speakers to collect original information, while secondary research gives them access to existing knowledge and expert analysis.<\/p>\n<p>Regardless of the research method used, ethical speakers evaluate information carefully, represent sources accurately, and clearly identify where their evidence originated.<\/p>\n<h3>Licenses and Attribution<\/h3>\n<h4>CC Licensed Content, Original<\/h4>\n<p><em>Speech Communication<\/em> was created by Lana Iapicco and Marie Torres. Independently created original and AI-assisted content developed specifically for this book is licensed under a <a href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc\/4.0\/\">Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License<\/a>, except where otherwise noted.<\/p>\n<p>This educational material includes content generated or revised with the assistance of large language models. Lana Iapicco and Marie Torres reviewed, edited, and take responsibility for the final published content.<\/p>\n<h4>CC Licensed Content, Previously Shared<\/h4>\n<p><strong>\u201cWhat Is Research?\u201d<\/strong> is adapted from <a href=\"https:\/\/louis.pressbooks.pub\/publicspeaking\/chapter\/what-is-research\/\">\u201cWhat Is Research?\u201d<\/a> by Douglas Marshall, James Yeargain, June Pulliam, Sara Kim, and Victoria VanNest, published in <em><a href=\"https:\/\/louis.pressbooks.pub\/publicspeaking\/\">It\u2019s About Them: Public Speaking in the 21st Century<\/a><\/em> by LOUIS: The Louisiana Library Network.<\/p>\n<p>The source material is licensed under a <a href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc-sa\/4.0\/\">Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License<\/a>. The material was revised, reorganized, expanded, updated, and supplemented with original and AI-assisted content for this edition.<\/p>\n<p>Adapted portions derived from this source, including revisions to those portions, are licensed under the <a href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc-sa\/4.0\/\">Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License<\/a>. Independently created portions developed specifically for <em>Speech Communication<\/em> are licensed under the book\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc\/4.0\/\">Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License<\/a>, except where otherwise noted.<\/p>\n<h4>CC Licensed Image<\/h4>\n<h5><strong>A person examining a book with a magnifying glass<\/strong><\/h5>\n<p>Image from <a href=\"https:\/\/louis.pressbooks.pub\/publicspeaking\/chapter\/what-is-research\/\">\u201cWhat Is Research?\u201d<\/a> in <em>It\u2019s About Them: Public Speaking in the 21st Century<\/em> by LOUIS: The Louisiana Library Network.<br \/>\nLicense: <a href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc-sa\/4.0\/\">Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License<\/a>.<br \/>\nChanges: The image was resized, and its alternative text and caption were revised for this edition. The source chapter does not identify a separate creator or license for the image.<\/p>\n<h4>Third-Party References and Links<\/h4>\n<p>Books, articles, studies, reports, websites, and other third-party materials referenced in this section remain the property of their respective authors, publishers, organizations, and copyright holders. Their inclusion as citations, links, examples, or intellectual foundations does not place the underlying materials under the Creative Commons licenses applied to <em>Speech Communication<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>Unless a separate license or public-domain status is specifically identified, third-party content may not be copied, redistributed, or adapted independently of the permissions provided by its copyright holder or applicable law.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"glossary\"><div class=\"glossary__tooltip\" id=\"110-569\" hidden><p>carried out to discover or revise facts, theories, and applications and is reported by the person conducting the research<\/p>\n<\/div><div class=\"glossary__tooltip\" id=\"110-575\" hidden><p>research carried out to discover or revise facts, theories, and applications\u2014similar to primary research\u2014but it is reported by someone not involved in conducting the actual research<\/p>\n<\/div><div class=\"glossary__tooltip\" id=\"110-509\" hidden><p>a small group of people who give you feedback about their perceptions<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"author":2,"menu_order":1,"template":"","meta":{"pb_show_title":"on","pb_short_title":"","pb_subtitle":"","pb_authors":["liapicco","mtorres54"],"pb_section_license":"cc-by-nc-sa"},"chapter-type":[],"contributor":[61,62],"license":[57],"class_list":["post-110","chapter","type-chapter","status-publish","hentry","contributor-liapicco","contributor-mtorres54","license-cc-by-nc-sa"],"part":104,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.hcfl.edu\/speechcomm\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/110","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.hcfl.edu\/speechcomm\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.hcfl.edu\/speechcomm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/chapter"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.hcfl.edu\/speechcomm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.hcfl.edu\/speechcomm\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/110\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2069,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.hcfl.edu\/speechcomm\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/110\/revisions\/2069"}],"part":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.hcfl.edu\/speechcomm\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/parts\/104"}],"metadata":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.hcfl.edu\/speechcomm\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/110\/metadata\/"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.hcfl.edu\/speechcomm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=110"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"chapter-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.hcfl.edu\/speechcomm\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapter-type?post=110"},{"taxonomy":"contributor","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.hcfl.edu\/speechcomm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/contributor?post=110"},{"taxonomy":"license","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.hcfl.edu\/speechcomm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/license?post=110"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}