How do scholars perform communication research in Spain? Public and private universities in the Spanish scientific publications of communication (1990-2014)

Abstract

During the last 25 years, Spanish communication research has undergone several changes on its social and institutional context, which place this discipline into a convergence towards an international academic paradigm. Processes such as the consolidation of the Faculties of Communication Studies as centers for teaching and research, the accreditation by state agencies of this teaching and research activity, and the incorporation to the EHEA would have a decisive influence on the changes developed in the scientific activity. In order to study these changes in the discipline, meta-research focused on the analysis of the scientific production published by specialized academic journal has been consolidated in recent years as a preferred line, as academic journals should be considered as the specific institutional framework for research activity. This work aims to study the Spanish scientific production in communication over the last 25 years published by five major journals, in order to observe the objects of study, the research modalities and the dominant techniques and methods. Results show a general tendency towards an increasingly systematic and empirical research on journalism, especially by quantitative techniques. However, they also reveal differences in research practices among authors of public and private universities, regarding a relative greater diversification of research interests in private and newly created public universities, and a more determined orientation to methodological standardization in public universities.