A Graduate Student and the Body of Knowledge

A Graduate Student and the Body of Knowledge
Leslie Cermak

In each class since my first as a graduate student in the Gaylord College, I have learned how important it is to develop a research topic that contributes to the body of knowledge. Each professor in his or her own way has taken time to explain that research at the master’s level is not done just for the fun of it but because it can be meaningful for scholarly and practical purposes. Even scholars and professionals in the fields seem to question whether they are effectively contributing, as is evident by Gaudino and Steele’s (1988) article about public relations research. After reading more articles than I can possibly remember, it becomes easy to spot the paragraph where the author validates the study and how it will contribute to the body of knowledge. It inevitably goes back to finding that one gap in the literature that hasn’t been considered or studied from another perspective.
I think in order to connect to the body of knowledge one has to do what Dr.Gade would say, which is to dig deep into the research until you find that one gap that hasn’t been considered before and that you are interested in. I also think, however, that aside from reading, ideas from observation can also contribute to the body of knowledge if what you observe prompts you to explain a phenomenon. You can no doubt hear the influence research methods and theory class has had on me.
As a graduate student, it seems daunting if not almost impossible for me say that my research will contribute to the body of knowledge because it seems above what I can achieve with one study with so little experience. For me, the most difficult part of it has been realizing that I didn’t have to come up with a completely original idea but be able to redefine, reconsider, or extend another idea through theory and new concepts. That has made it seem more achievable.
Dr. Self’s discussion of how to contribute to the body of knowledge was also helpful by considering how research may be relevant to professional organizations such as ASNE, RTNDA, and OPA, and through broader communication-based organizations such as AAPOR and ASA in that there are several avenues through which research can contribute.
There are definite benefits to contributing to the field’s research. For one, we will have more than our own validation that we achieved something important, but in a broader sense, our research may have implications that positively affect future studies or the professional world. However, achieving these goals is not easy and takes much time. Dr. Beard’s discussion about the importance of the IRB emphasizes that this research shouldn’t be treated like every other class assignment especially when humans are involved in the study. In the end, I hope to have created something that is useful for more than just my final grade of my graduate studies or as a skill necessary to continue with doctoral school or earn more money. I would be proud to say that I did something more with all of the hours and effort I put into my thesis.