Science communication as a field of research : identifying trends, challenges and gaps by analysing research papers
Date
2017
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Sissa Medialab
Abstract
Research in the field of science communication started emerging about 50 years ago and has since then matured as a field of academic enquiry. Early findings about research-active authors and countries reveal that scholarly activity in the field has traditionally been dominated by male authors from English-speaking countries in the West. The current study is a systematic, bibliographic analysis of a full sample of research papers that were published in the three most prominent journals in the field from 1979 to 2016. The findings reveal that early inequities remain prevalent, but also that there are indications that recent increases in research outputs and trends in authorship patterns ― for example the growth in female authorship ― are beginning to correct some of these imbalances. Furthermore, the current study verifies earlier indications that science communication research is becoming increasingly institutionalised and internationalised, as demonstrated by an upward trend in papers reflecting cross-institutional collaboration and the diversity of countries where authors are based.
Description
CITATION: Guenther, L. & Joubert, M. 2017. Science communication as a field of research : identifying trends, challenges and gaps by analysing research papers. JCOM: Journal of Science Communication, 16(02):1-19, doi:10.22323/2.16020202.
The original publication is available at https://jcom.sissa.it
The original publication is available at https://jcom.sissa.it
Keywords
Communication in science, Research
Citation
Guenther, L. & Joubert, M. 2017. Science communication as a field of research : identifying trends, challenges and gaps by analysing research papers. JCOM: Journal of Science Communication, 16(02):1-19, doi:10.22323/2.16020202