Is choosing a public relations dissertation topic really that difficult?

Back in February, Simon Wakeman wrote a blog post entitled: Choosing a public relations dissertation topic.  Being an issue that interested me, I added some thoughts and signed up to receive updates on comments posted.  Over the past five months, there have been a steady stream of people adding to the post.  But, after the initial conversation, it is noticeable that the comments have amounted to no more than students stating that they have to do a dissertation and have no idea of topics so can someone help them.

One of the points of a personal assignment like this is that it develops self-directed (independent) learning and reflects a very important set of skills that are required in the work place.

The third element of the CIPR Advanced Certificate and Diploma qualifications involves selecting a topic that is of personal interest, and professional relevance, for a 2,500 word critique and a 6,000 word research project respectively.  A number of PR degree courses also involve selecting a dissertation topic, and post-graduate studies are often entirely based around a specific research area. 

Many students find this the most difficult part of their studies – even those who have succeeded in producing excellent work in responses to questions or topics set by examiners. 

It may be the fact that there is such freedom of choice, and candidates feel they have so many ideas and areas of interest that it is difficult to narrow these down.  Others claim to have no ideas at all and seem unable to even start the process of thinking of a suitable topic (despite the wealth of advice that is available). 

As a tutor, I find that getting students to complete an outline based on a series of reflective questions is a helpful starting point.  Students do need guidance to ensure that they produce a coherent piece of work, that adds something to existing knowledge.  This originality can be as simple as a different perspective, a contemporary update or application to a specific organisation or sector.

In public relations, there is a growing body of knowledge, but still plenty of gaps where really interesting critiques, projects and dissertations can be developed.

Although the tutor can offer guidance and inspiration on topic choices, candidates must realise that they cannot produce good work if they simply ask someone else to give them a topic.

What’s more, the “real world” increasingly wants people who can not only solve problems, but identify problems that need to be resolved.  Choosing a public relations topic demonstrates such skills – if you read widely and have engaged with your studies, you should have a list of different areas where additional reflection and research would be interesting and of value.

Your tutor can then help you refine these to fulfil the format and other requirements of the individual assignment, but students do need to have the skills to originate a topic themselves.

Once you have identified a few areas of interest, I suggest students ask themselves some questions:

• What is the aim of your project – what would you like it to achieve?
• What interests you about this topic?
• What is already known about this topic – and where are there areas of debate or controversy?
• What areas of theory that you have studied are relevant to this topic (and which authors are prevalent in the area)?
• What problems do you anticipate in undertaking a project on this topic?

We could apply the same questions to real life problems – knowing the aim, why it needs to be undertaken, what is already known, what tools can be applied and what issues could prevent a successful solution.

Rather than seeing the selection of a dissertation topic as a challenge, I believe this is an opportunity to apply the very skills that makes a successful public relations practitioner.