CITATION RELATIONSHIPS AMONG INTERNATIONAL MASS-COMMUNICATION JOURNALS

A citation analysis of selected mass communication journals using clustering and multidimensional scaling techniques was performed to determine relationships among international journals in this developing field. Results of the analysis confirm that US journals are currently at the center of the field. The field seems to be heavily described by two dimensions: geography and theory/research. The geographical dimension was defined by US journals, European journals and others. The theory/research dimension follows a basic critical-empirical dichotomy evident in the literature. The study findings also corroborate current theories of scholarly community development. Schott [20] characterized the extended scholarly community as having a strong center (traditionally defined by geography) around which a periphery of membership participate. Strong centers consolidate work, establish authority and efficiently diffuse information, As the community strengthens, the center 'pushes outwards the boundaries of the community' [20]. The nature of the extended community itself and its inner workings have been described in terms of shared beliefs among its members about the validity of the work being done by the community, affirmation of results, technological conditions and economic and institutional conditions [20]. Validity of work may be assessed by examining the theoretical and methodological paradigms of a discipline (especially in the social sciences). The validity of work may also be affected by the perceived value of the work as being theoretical or applied. Affirmation of results is reflected by the strength of the ties among journals within a given discipline or subfield. Technological conditions can include the impact of languages used in the discipline and their importance. Economic and historical conditions of a given region may contribute deeply to its ability to participate or not in the community at large.