The Value of Communication Science

Abstract

In communication science, the distinction between applied and basic research is often accompanied by a discussion of the relative value of each. However, the idea that there is a value distinction to be made between applied and basic research is fundamentally inconsistent with scientific epistemology. Rather than different modes of inquiry with different relative value, communication science is a whole, constituted by applied and basic researchers who focus on different goals of science: to explain, to predict, and to control. An example is provided of a highly successful communication intervention created via the cooperation between applied and basic scholars.

Keywords:

• Communication Science
• Applied Research
• Basic Research
• Goals of Science
• Epistemology

Notes

1. This essay is part of a joint Communication Monographs and Journal of Applied Communication Research special project titled, “Has Communication Research Made a Difference?” The other responses to the joint forum can be found in Communication Monographs, Volume 77, Issue 4 and the Journal of Applied Communication Research, Volume 38, Issue 3.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

John L. Sherry

John L. Sherry is an Associate Professor in the Department of Communication at Michigan State University