@article{66a02c07817d4f6595514fef2e76dbe3,
title = "The Ebb and Flow of Communication Research: Seven Decades of Publication Trends and Research Priorities",
abstract = "An analysis of all published research articles in the Journal of Communication (N = 1574) revealed a slow progression toward openness and diversity of thought, interrupted by temporal slowdowns and declines. Among the recorded gaps is the overwhelmingly small representation of voices outside the United States. The assumption of interdisciplinarity is also questioned, as primary journal contributors were limited to a small set of sub-disciplines. The results also reveal a dominance of the (post-)positivistic paradigm and quantitative methods. While the relative proportion of atheoretical research is decreasing, there is also a remarkable slowdown in new theory development. Finally, with a steep decline in federal funding, communication scholars are becoming more reliant on universities, public organizations, and private donors.",
keywords = "Journal of Communication, Method, Paradigm, Theory, Trends",
author = "Nathan Walter and Cody, {Michael J.} and Ball-Rokeach, {Sandra J.}",
note = "Funding Information: Funding has remained fairly consistent in the last 50 years (37.6% of research was funded in the 1960s and 34.3% was funded in the 2010s). However, the source of funding has changed dramatically. As indicated in Figure 8, federal agencies are gradually scaling back, whereas universities increasingly play a larger role. Other funding agencies (private and public organizations), as well as state agencies, have remained constant in providing minimal support for research. Additionally, research from applied sciences (adjusted residual = 4) is more likely to be funded, while research from the humanities (adjusted residual = −2.9) is significantly less likely to receive support. Audience studies (adjusted residual = 4.2), as well as quantitative studies (adjusted residual = 3.5), are more likely to get funded. Interestingly, whereas funded research from 1980 to 2010 tended to be more theoretical, this trend has been reversed during the 2010s, with more funding being given to atheoretical studies. Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2018 The Author(s). Copyright: Copyright 2018 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.",
year = "2018",
month = apr,
day = "1",
doi = "10.1093/joc/jqx015",
language = "English (US)",
volume = "68",
pages = "424--440",
journal = "Journal of Communication",
issn = "0021-9916",
publisher = "Wiley-Blackwell",
number = "2",
}