Master list of research topics in PR and communications

“As for the future, your task is not to foresee it, but to enable it.”

Choosing a public relations or marketing communications dissertation topic can sometimes be almost as hard as starting the research itself. A good dissertation topic should be one that will allow you to produce a professional polished piece of work within a limited amount of time and with a limited amount of cost

The PR and Communications dissertation topics we have carefully selected, highlight recent trends and emerging concepts in PR both in Nigeria and around the world. You can choose and adapt them further in your research journey.

30 PR and Communications dissertation topics 

1. Emotional effects of social media and the application of Public Relations best practice.
2. Analysis of the changing Communications landscape in the age of zoom and the new virtual reality.
3. The impact of influencer marketing and social media in Public Relations.
4. The growing importance of ethics and the challenges for Public Relations.
5. The role of  Public Relations strategies in reputation management and crisis communications.
6. In-depth study of the alternatives to press releases as effective PR tools in a changing world.
7. An analysis of the measurement and monitoring of PR effectiveness and the ROI.
8. A critical examination of the growing commercialization of the media and PR in Nigeria.
9. The importance of paid advertising and paid PR and why they matter.
10. The changing face of community relations practice by the oil companies in Nigeria.
11. A review of the corporate website blogging and its impact on consumer behaviour.
12. Analyzing the change management communication: barriers, strategies and messaging.
13. Exploring the profession of PR in Nigeria and investigation of the rise of hypermodern values.
14. Importance of house journal for effective corporate communications in a new digital world.
15. Evaluation of the employee-generated content in the contextual of internal communication of the Public Relations
16. The role of marketers in managing Public Relations while dealing with inbound marketing.
17. The role of Public Relations in corporate rebranding.
18. The increasing demand for accountability and the effect on the PR process and practice.
19. The emerging role of Public Relations in content performance.
20. How the new social media and increasing mobility is disrupting Public Relations in Nigeria.
21. A critical examination of the role of Public Relations in the phenomenal growth of Telecoms in Nigeria.
22. The role of digital PR in impacting the voting process and decision making.
23. The effect of Covid 19 on PR practice and the shape of things to come.
24. The impact of celebrity endorsement on public perception of the beer brands in Nigeria.
25. A case study of PR management and its role in promoting organizational culture.
26. Evaluation and measurement of the application of PR strategies in the Nigerian banking industry.
27. Fragmentation of the mass media and the effect on PR practice
28. An analysis of the current trends of advertising education and professional practice.
29. Effects of social media on consumer perception of brands.
30. The strategic importance of PR in crisis management.

Tips on how to choose a PR research topic

Writing a Communications thesis calls for planning, research and perseverance. Here are a few helpful tips in picking your PR dissertation topic for a Masters or Ph.D or other research work^[1]:

•  Develop a topic that will hold your interest.
• Choose a topic that combines your serious interests with an issue of concern to the scholarly world.
• Bounce your ideas off your professional colleagues and tutors. Fine-tune your topic based on feedback.
• Read broadly in that area and find out what has been done and what can still be done.^[2]
• It needs to be a topic of potential interest to others in the field, not necessarily the “latest fashion,”
• Look for a niche in which you can make a difference
• Don’t be too narrow and too vague.

Finally, enjoy yourself as you dig deeper to produce an impressive PR dissertation.^[3]