Research & Creative Work

Research & Creative Work

Learn from faculty leaders in the industry!

Our faculty are recognized for scholarly and creative leadership by industry and professional organizations. Each year, our faculty present research at international conferences, publish in industry-leading journals, and participate in international competitions. They are recognized for their accomplishments by the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA), the American Advertising Federation (AAF), Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC), the National Communication Association (NCA), and the International Public Relations Research Conference (IPRRC). 

Research Spotlight: Dr. Alison Novak

Social Justice and the Modern Athlete: Ever look at a Yelp review and think, “that person clearly wants to destroy this company’s reputation?”

Research Spotlight: Dr. Bokyung Kim

Journal of Medical Internet Research: This project builds and test a theory-driven mathematical model of how different interactions between individual health beliefs  and multi factors influencewearable fitness tracker use among both obese and healthy adults.

Faculty Accomplishments: Research, Creative, and Scholarship (2020-2022)

Recent Grants

Alison Novak received $2,000 from The Arthur W. Page Center for Integrity in Public Communication for her study about Brands, Digital Media and Policy Advocacy. 

So Young Lee, Celine Hong and Bo Kim received $2,500 from STORI funding for their project of "COVID-19 Infodemic on Social Media". 

Olga Vilceanu received $2,500 from STORI funding for "National Trends and Challenges in Medical Students’ Perceptions of Mistreatment, and Burnout". 

David Cheatham and Lisa Fagan received Denis Mercier Endowed Professional Development Fund. 

Alison Novak received $2,000 from "Constructing 21st Century Citizens: Congressional Discourses in U.S. Citizenship Policy Speeches" C-SPAN Education Foundation. 

Recent Books

Professor Barone Rosanio’s book, titled Gen Z: Lonely, Stressed Out and Taking Over the World, which focuses on, “mental health among young adults, a growing public health issue, and how we might create an effective communications/PR campaign to help young people find friendships and seek professional help when they need it.” The professor plans to use it in her course on health communication. Dr. Novak’s latest book, titled The New Review Economy, “explores how pervasive the phenomenon of third-party review sites (TPRS) has become, and how businesses – and consumers – can make the most of them.” The book also touches on negative reviews and she hopes it will serve as a practical resource for those looking to become a practitioner. Dr. FitzGerald and Dr. Basso worked with Fulginiti to create the book Complete Public Relations: (CPR): Contemporary Practice. The book provides valuable insight into, “research, writing, layout and design, media metrics, public opinion, advertising & marketing, special events, crisis management, planning, ethics, law and how public relations functions in society.” This singular book covers nearly every aspect of the field. Professor Edward Moore published a book "H., Mind the Gap: Bridging Time-Tested PR Issues to School PR Success Today" by NSPRA.​

Publications and Conference Appearances

Celine Hong published "The tipping point: A comparative study of U.S. and Korean social media users on decisions to switch to new platforms. International Journal of Social Media and Online Communities. 

Celine Hong published "Instagramming social presence: A test of social presence theory and heuristic cues on Instagram sponsored posts." International Journal of Business Communication

Celine Hong published "Why People Don't Use Facebook Anymore: An investigation into the relationship between the Big Five personality traits and the motivation to leave Facebook." Frontiers in Psychology.

David Cheatham published "Communicating Change in Health Care Organizations." In G. Barone-Rosanio (Ed.) Getting Started in Health Care Public Relations. Kendall Hunt. 

Edward Moore published "Don Bagin and Donald R. Gallagher," The School and Community Relations (12th ed.). Pearson Education.

Alison Novak published a book chapter “Constructing 21st Century Citizens: Congressional Discourses in U.S. Citizenship Policy Speeches.” In Browning, R. (Ed.). The Evolution of Political Rhetoric: The Year in C-SPAN Archives Research, Volume 6. Purdue University Press. 

Alison Novak published “Sensitive but essential information:” Ethics in policy debates on fitness application data privacy and ownership.” In Ahmed, R. (Ed.) Privacy Concerns Surrounding Personal Information Sharing on Health and Fitness Mobile Apps. IGI Global.

Alison Novak published “Research Perspectives on Social Media Influencers and Their Followers.” In. Watkins, B. (Ed.) Social Media Influencers and the Changing Landscape of Brand Communication. Routledge.​

Alison Novak presented a conference paper at the International Communication Association Annual Conference (2021, May). “What’s wrong with SLAPP?” Public relations, digital engagement and TPRS lawsuits (Public Relations Division).

Olga Vilceanu & Alison Novak presented a conference paper at the International Communication Association Annual Conference (2021, May). Game Changers and Constructing Blame: A Comparative Analysis of Politics of Care in U.S. and China COVID-19 News (Mass Communication Division). 

Celine Hong and Bo Kim presented a conference paper at the 24th annual International Public Relations Research Conference (IPRRC) (2021, March). True impacts of Organization-Public Relationship (OPR): A Meta-Analysis.

Olga Vilceanu, Connor Chapman, and Alison Novak presented a conference paper at the National Communication Association Annual Convention (2020, Nov). Salient and quiet crises: News Coverage of Flint and Newark Water Contamination.

Celine Hong and Bo Kim presented a conference paper at the National Communication Association Annual Convention (2020, Nov). Does your zip code determine obesity? An Analysis of Physiological, Behavioral, and Socio-ecological Factors Using Hierarchical Linear Modeling. 

Erica Solis and Alison Novak presented a conference paper at the National Communication Association Annual Convention (2020, Nov). You Will Never Win: Digital Communication & Reviews of Mobile Gambling Applications​." 

Alison Novak presented a conference paper at the National Communication Association Annual Convention (2020, Nov). #FitnessGoals and Brands on Instagram: Influencers and Digital Dialogic Communication.

Alison Novak presented a conference paper at the National Communication Association Annual Convention (2020, Nov). “ICE is everywhere, so are we”: Media discourses of youth activism. 

Alison Novak, presented a conference paper at the National Communication Association Annual Convention (2020, Nov). The #OkBoomer Election: Discourses of Generational Identity, Tension and Engagement on Twitter​.

Lisa Fagan was appointed to the Editorial Board for The International Journal of Gaming, Hospitality and Tourism (IJGHT).

John Moscatelli was interviewed for Philly Ad News (2020). "A Roadmap to Reopening."  Visit  http://mobile.phillyadnews.com/publication/?m=45839&i=665410&p=8

Recent Research, Creative, and Scholarship

Graduate Student Research & Scholarship
  • Mathew Buchberg: Exploring the Effectiveness of Transparency as a Crisis Communication Tool in Nuclear Industry
  • Aysha Siddika : Analyzing the Impact of the Celebrity Influencers and Social Media Responses on an Environmental Crisis: A Case Study of the Amazon Rainforest Fire
  • Eric Henry: Evaluating public relations messages: a case study of Target's Red Card
  • Kathryn Mabry: Engaging engineering students through social media: examining frequency and content of Facebook posts
  • Lee J. Middleberg: Influences on purchasing behaviors: the efficacy of visual depictions and key messages in wine and spirits advertisements
  • Jeanie Riebe: A value-base college choice: a three-stage analysis
  • Lee Grace Valigorsky : Effective public relations techniques in university sports crises: a case study of Duke University and The Pennsylvania State University

To learn more about Rowan's graduate program in public relations click here.

Faculty Accomplishments: Research, Creative, and Scholarship (2019-2020)
Kim, Bo & Hong, Celine (2020, May) The Integrated Model of Health Activity Tracker Use: Health Beliefs and Information Seeking Behaviors Among Fitbit Users. International Communication Association Annual Conference.

Kim, Bo & Hong, Celine (2020, May) Brand Communities Appear on Instagram: Exploring Brand Community Markers through Fortune 500 Companies’ Instagram. International Communication Association Annual Conference.

Novak, A. (2020, May) Sensitive but essential information:” Policy debates on fitness application privacy and data security. International Communication Association Annual Conference.

Novak, A. (2020, May) StandwithCaster: Twitter, intersectionality, and the IAAF’s DSD policy. International Communication Association Annual Conference.

Richmond, J. & Novak, A. (2020, May). #DreamPregnancy and Nike’s Pregnancy Problem: Twitter reactions to the 2019 women’s athletic sponsorship crisis.  International Communication Association Annual Conference.

Novak, A. N. (2020). “#MeToo, Moonves, and Media Misogyny: A Leadership Crisis in the Television Industry.” In M. Marron (Ed.) Misogyny and Media in the Age of Trump. Rowman & Littlefield.

Hakanen, E. A. & Novak, A. N. (2020). "Mather Work Incentive Posters and the Rhetoric of Scientific Management in the 1920s. Journal of Political Visual Communication. Online First. 

Hong, Celine and Kim, Bo presents "An Emerging Trend on Fortune 500’s Instagram: An Empirical Evidence of Using Conversational Human Voice in Corporate Instagram Post." International Public Relations Research Conference (IPRRC), Orlando, Florida. 

Hong, Celine published "Game of Cues: The Interplay between Star Ratings, Number of Reviews, and Product Reviews in Credibility Perceptions." International Journal of Advertising

Hong, Celine published "Do you filter who you are?: Manipulative self-presentation, social cues, and user evaluations of Instagram selfies." Computers in Human Behavior.

Novak, Alison and Julia Richmond published "E-Racing together: How Starbucks reshaped and deflected racial conversations on social media." Public Relations Review.

Hong, Celine published "Look who is warning: Individual differences in motivation activation influence behaviors during disasters." Journal of Risk Research.

Celine Hong and Bo Kim, PR/Adv received $2,495 for their research project to utilize meta-analysis to better understand the impact of the Organization-Public Relationship.

Novak, Alison (2019, Nov) #MeToo, Moonves, and Media Misogyny: Media Discourses of a Leadership Crisis at CBS. National Communication Association Annual Convention, Baltimore, MD.

Novak, Alison (2019, Nov) First Lady Media Relations: Communication Survival Strategies from Hilary Clinton to Melania Trump. National Communication Association Annual Convention, Baltimore, MD.

Novak, Alison (2019, Nov) What is Survival? Panel on Survival and the future. National Communication Association Annual Convention, Baltimore, MD. 

Faculty Accomplishments: Research, Creative, and Scholarship (2018-2019)

Kim,Bo and Hong, Celine received $1,250 for the project When Instagram meets “Brand Community”

Hong, Celine and Kim, Bo received $146,000 for the project Hierachical Linear Regression Model for predicting Obesity in NJ

Hong, Celine and Bo Kim presented "Is my face too big to you?: An empirical test of a face size violating personal space in Instagram Selfies." at the International Communication Association Conference, Washington, D. C.

Novak, Alison published “Scrubbing and the Ethics of Digital Reputation Management.” In Brunner & Hickerson (Eds.) Cases in Public Relations: Translating Ethics into Action. Oxford University Press.

Novak, Alison published  “Millennial Engagement Myth-Busting: Active Disengagement and the Future of Digital Politics.” In Cristiano & Atay (Eds.) Millennials and Media Ecology: Culture, Pedagogy and Politics. Taylor and Francis Group.

Novak, Alison published “Constructing Congressional Discourses: C-SPAN Archives and Congressional Speeches on Crises and Scandals.” In Robert X. Browning (Ed.) The Year in C-SPAN Archives Research. Purdue University Press.

Novak, Alison published a book "Network Neutrality and Digital Dialogic Communication: Public, Private, and Government Engagement in Internet Regulation." Routledge, New York: NY.

Hong, Celine published "The face tells all: Testing the impact of physical attractiveness and social cues of spokesperson on public relations effectiveness." Journal of Contingencies and Crisis Management.

Hong, Celine and Kim, Bo published "What can we expect from Universities’ Social Media Presence? : Its Impact on Publics’ Perceived Level of Crisis Severity, Attitude toward a University, and Evaluation of the Organizational Performance." Journal of Contingencies and Crisis Management.

Hong, Celine  presented "How distorting is distorting?: Conceptualizing excessive self-presentation and its application using photo filters in selfies" at the International Communication Association Conference, Washington, D. C.

Hong, Celine  presented "Human Delivering Humor: An Explication of Human Agent on Social Media PR. Paper presented" at the annual International Public Relations Research Conference, Orlando, FL.

Hong, Celine  presented "Uses and Gratification of #Ferguson information in Social Media: Does Social Capital and Usage Time Make a Difference?" at the National Communication Association conference, Salt Lake City, UT.

Novak, Alison presented "Millennials and #MeToo: Discourses of Generational Action and Identity in the #MeToo Movement" at the International Communication Association Annual Conference, Washington D.C.

Novak, Alison presented “You Broke the Internet:” Network Neutrality and Digital Dialogic Communication on Twitter." at the International Communication Association Annual Conference, Washington D.C.

Novak, Alison presented "Social media as a tool and target: Network neutrality policies in China, India, and Australia." at the International Communication Association Annual Conference, Washington D.C.

Novak, Alison and Vliceanu, Olga presented “The Internet is Not Pleased”: Twitter Voices and the 2017 Equifax Data Breach" at the National Communication Association Annual Convention, Communication at Play, Salt Lake City.

Novak, Alison presented "Stealthy Global Millennials: Generational Voice in Digital Protest Movements" at the National Communication Association Annual Convention, Communication at Play, Salt Lake City.

Novak, Alison presented "Yelp Super Reviewers: YES, Experiential Living, and Online Communities." at the National Communication Association Annual Convention, Communication at Play, Salt Lake City.

Nia-Schoenstein, Asi and Novak, Alison presented “Planning on Engagement: Developing Courses for Active Learning Styles Through Digital Media.” Presented at Public Relations Society of America Educators Academy, Austin, TX.

Hong, Celine  presented "ETHICAL PUBLIC TYPOLOGY: How Does Moral Foundation Theory and Anti-Corporatism Predict Public Differences in Crisis?" at the annual convention of Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication Conference, Washington, D. C.

Hong, Celine  presented "I DON’T USE FACEBOOK ANYMORE: An investigation into the relationship between the motivations to leave Facebook and the Big Five personality traits." at the annual convention of Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication Conference, Washington, D. C. 

Hong, Celine  presented "The tipping point: A comparative study of U.S. and Korean social media users on decisions to switch to new platforms." at the annual convention of Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication Conference, Washington, D. C.

Hong, Celine  presented "Instagramming Social Presence: A Test of Social Presence Theory and Heuristic Cues on Instagram Sponsored Posts." at the annual convention of Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication Conference, Washington, D. C. 

 

Faculty Accomplishments: Research, Creative, and Scholarship (2016-2017)

  • Johnson, Kristine, Olga Vilceanu and Manuel Pontes. “Use of Online Dating Websites and Dating Apps: Findings and Implications from the Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Population.” National Communication Association Conference, Philadelphia, PA. November 2016.        

  • Johnson Kristine, Alison Novak and Manuel Pontes. “Latino Twitter: Discourses of Latino Civic Engagement in Social Media.” National Communication Association Conference, Philadelphia, PA. November 2016.                                      

  • Johnson, Kristine, Bokyung Kim, Sun Young Park and Olga Vilceanu. “Lessons from the Five Data Breaches: Analyzing Framed Crisis Response Strategies and Crisis Severity.” National Communication Association Conference, Philadelphia, PA. November 2016.       

  • Nia-Schoenstein, Asadeh. “Importance of Accreditation." PRSSA Publication. September 2016.

  • Nia-Schoenstein, Asadeh. Poster board session. Educator's Academy, International PRSA Conference, Indianapolis, IN. October 2016.

  • Nia-Schoenstein, Asadeh. “Advertising Campaigns and Public Relations Planning: Senior Capstone Courses that Facilitate Community-Engaged Learning.” Temple University Teaching and Learning Conference, Philadelphia, PA. 2016.

  • Nia-Schoenstein, Asadeh. “Peer Review in the PR Classroom.” Educator Academy's Exhibit, International Public Relations Society of America Conference, Indianapolis, IN. October 2016.

  • Nia-Schoenstein, Asadeh. “The Flipped Classroom in the Advertising and Public Relations Majors Forges Deep, Active and Applied Learning in Millennials.” Temple University's 15th Annual Teaching and Learning Conference, Philadelphia, PA. January 2017.

  • Novak, Alison (PR/ADV) and J. Richmond won Top Paper, National Communication Association- Feminist and Women’s Studies Division for “The Phrase Has Been Hijacked: Studying Generational Communication on Feminism Through Social Media.” Presented at the National Communication Association Annual Convention, Civic Callings in Philadelphia, PA.

  • Novak, Allison and Olga Vilceanu. “When Crisis Becomes Policy: Credit Card Security and Public Policy Discourses.” Electronic Journal of Communication, 27 (2017): 1-2.

  • Novak, Allison. “Little Shop of…: Intersections of the 9/11 Memorial Gift Shop, Capitalism, and Journalism.” Terror in Global Narrative: The Aesthetics and Representation of 9/11 in the Age of Late-Late Capitalism (2017).

  • Novak, Allison. “Engaged Brigade: Digital Platforms and Millennial Engagement in the 2016 Election.” International Communication Association Annual Conference, San Diego, CA. May 2017.

  • Novak, Alison and Olga Vilceanu. “When Crisis Becomes Policy: Credit Card Security and Public Policy Discourses.” American Political Science Association Annual Convention, Philadelphia, PA. September 2016.

  • Novak, Allison and Alyssa Wildrick (MAPR '17). “Constructing Congressional Discourses: C-SPAN Archives and Congressional Speeches on Crises and Scandal.” C-SPAN Archives Research Conference, Purdue University, IN. May 2017.

  • Novak, Allison and E. Khazraee. “Digitally Mediated Protest: Affordances of Social Media for Collective Action and Identity.” International Communication Association Annual Conference, Intervention, San Diego, CA. May 2017.

  • Pattwell, Ashley. "Fan Mourning: Case Studies in Cybermourning." Popular Culture Association Annual Conference, San Diego, CA. April 2017.                                         

  • Vilceanu, Olga and Alison Novak. “Love, Brands, and Marriage: Audience Reception of LGBT Instagram Posts After the 2015 Supreme Court Ruling on Same-sex Marriage.” Ohio Communication Journal (2017): 55, 146-164.

  • Vilceanu, Olga and Novak, Alison. “First Came Love, Then Came Brands (and) Marriage: Audience Reception of LGBT Instagram Posts after the Supreme Court Ruling on Same-Sex Marriage (June 26, 2015).” National Communication Association, Philadelphia PA. Division: GLBTQ Communication Studies. 2016.                                                               

  • Vilceanu, Olga and Priscilla Murphy. “Consumerism and Country-of-Origin Bias: Newspaper Coverage of Product Defects and Recalls.” International Communication Association, 67th Annual Conference, San Diego, CA. May 2017.