Diffusion of Knowledge Across Linguistic Communities: The Case of Using “Foreign” Sources for Tourism Research in China

Abstract

This study examines the citations of “foreign” sources for the production of tourism research in a linguistically distinct community of mainland Chinese tourism researchers. Using China tourism research as an instance, the study aims at elucidating diffusions of knowledge for tourism research. Informed by studies on science communication and dissemination of knowledge, this research reports on the results of a citation analysis of three tourism research journals in mainland China (Tourism Tribune, Tourism Science, and Tourism Forum). The study identified an increasing trend of Chinese tourism researchers citing or referencing to foreign sources. These “borrowed” sources are predominantly journal articles, monographs or authored books, and anthologies or chapters from the fields of tourism, hospitality, recreation and leisure studies, economics, business/management/marketing, geography, environmental studies, and sociology and anthropology. Results of the study confirm the observation of Anglophone-centeredness and lend to discussions on diffusions of social sciences knowledge for tourism research. Though this study is based on citation data from three tourism journals and may not reflect other tourism publications in China, the results and discussion could potentially cast light on diffusions of knowledge between linguistically carved-out (tourism) research communities.