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Applied Communication

Applied communication is communication scholarship that focuses on the study of a social issue or problem with the primary purpose of identifying solutions and recommendations to address the social issue. The hallmarks of applied communication are the study of topics with social relevance and identifying ways to improve the practice of communication. Scholars and practitioners typically look through an applied lens because of a desire to conduct research that makes a difference and impacts those outside academia. Applied communication is grounded in theory; however, applied research does not have a focus on theory building. Instead, applied communication scholars and practitioners use theory as a way to find ways to communicate recommendations and connect them to stakeholders related to the social issue. Applied communication is unique in the communication discipline because it is both a research approach and a subdiscipline in the larger communication discipline. As a research approach, applied communication researchers use a variety of methods, including qualitative, quantitative, and rhetorical methods. As a subdiscipline, applied communication research covers all the communication subdisciplines. Scholars have examined a number of different areas, including patient–provider communication, disaster preparedness, parent–teacher communication, and community organizing. This entry discusses the history and integration of applied communication into the communication discipline. It also examines the tensions in applied communication research. Finally, this entry discusses some of the future issues and directions current and upcoming communication scholars and practitioners may encounter as applied communication moves into the 21st century.

Development of Applied Communication as Research and Discipline

Applied communication entered the communication conversation in 1968. Although communication researchers had been conducting applied research long before this date, it was not until Gary Cronkhite presented a paper about the importance of “useful research” in communication that the communication discipline began discussing the role of communication in contemporary social problems. Applied communication scholarship continued to grow, with scholars not only writing about social problems but also participating in social justice issues. Applied communication continues to be a presence at national and regional conferences, with divisions at the National Communication Association, Eastern Communication Association, Southern States Communication Association, and numerous state communication associations. It is also common to see applied research presented in different interest groups outside of applied divisions, especially at conferences where communication associations do not have applied divisions.

In 1973, Mark Hickson and Don Stacks published the first issue of Journal of Applied Communication Research (JACR). Hickson and Stacks created JACR in response to the lack of communication publication outlets for applied research. The original premise of JACR was that research should address social issues and problems and articles should be grounded in data. Since the inception of JACR, the journal has seen an expansion in issues and currently has one of the challenging acceptance rates for communication journals. JACR publishes research that crosses the communication discipline, ranging from communication education to instructional communication, organizational communication, health communication, interpersonal communication, and mediated communication. The journal has published a number of special issues, including special issues dedicated to communication and spirituality, communication and natural disasters, narrative medicine, and building practical theories.

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