Integrating evidence based practices into public relations education

•The quasi-experimental study involves undergraduate public relations students from three different universities.•Integrating an evidence-based approach improves the competence of communications counsel.•Findings suggest more proactive engagement to teach students the skills and knowledge is needed. Public relations continue to play an essential and changing role in society, requiring the regular reassessment of the education of future public relations practitioners. Academics and practitioners often differ in how they view the public relations field, how they define the discipline, and how they view the major pedagogical approaches. This paper explores the impact of integrating three different perspectives in public relations education including practitioner perspective, client perspective, and the evidence-based perspective. Results from students’ reaction papers and an online questionnaire suggest that integrating an evidence-based approach improves the competence and clarity of communications counsel provided by aspiring practitioners.