On research in Public Relations

The investigation constitutes one of the forms to improve the public relations continuously (RRPP). For that reason, this article bets to retake the investigation processes to consolidate the discipline, and explains the types of investigation at great length (basic, introspective and applied) that is used in RRPP. Also it reflects on the approaches of investigation (pursuits of a created atmosphere, audits of public relations, audits in communication, ethnographies and the studies of case), the techniques (analysis of content, focal analyses of the speech, focus groups or survey), and the instruments (questionnaires, tests or experiments), that they must be used in this discipline. Part of the principle of which the investigation, in all its phases, is the transforming element of the public relations. Today it is not possible to start up successful program of RRPP but leans continuously in the investigation. The investigation marks the viability of a RRPP program. The intuition, the inspiration and the improvisation, as only elements of support, must stay in the past, and must be replaced by the scientific research.