Intellectual and thematic structure of Communication research in Scopus (1980–2020). A comparative perspective among Spain, Europe, and Latin America

Abstract

The late incorporation of Spain into the international circuit for the publication of results of scientific research in Communication has not proved to be an obstacle to reaching a level similar to international research in this discipline recently. However, this development is still subject to some obstacles. In this study, we carried out co-word and cocitation analyses of the intellectual and thematic structure of articles published by researchers affiliated with Spanish centers in journals indexed in the Communication category in Scopus and published between 1980 and 2020 (n = 7,422). This enables an analysis of the intellectual and thematic structure of Communication studies between 1980 and 2020 and its evolution. The aim is to contextualize this process, in a broad sense, thus establishing the similarities to and differences from European (n = 33,615) and Latin American (n = 5,160) Communication research during the same period. The results reveal a homogenization of the research interests between Spanish academics and their European counterparts during the last decade, with an emphasis on digital technologies and social networks. The first prominent studies in Spanish research have also appeared, albeit not yet becoming established as such on the international stage during the last decade. It is concluded that Spanish Communication research has developed around Journalism while the other classic disciplines (Audiovisual Communication, and Advertising and Public Relations) have not managed to consolidate a coherent and cohesive thematic and intellectual community to date, mainly due to their greater heterogeneity.