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Propaganda as a research field: a bibliometric study

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Abstract

In its efforts to direct thought and with the help of technological developments that allow it to spread more easily and quicker than ever before, propaganda has become a dominant feature of modern societies. This article analyzes the development of propaganda research using bibliometric methods for the first time. The question asked is whether propaganda can be considered an autonomous research field, in view of the course of its development as indicated by the number of publications and citations made in this area. We argue that while propaganda plays a very important role in our lives, propaganda cannot be considered an autonomous field of research, despite the seemingly growing number of publications in this field over the period we examined (1965–2019).

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Correspondence to Avishag Gordon.

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Tal, D., Gordon, A. Propaganda as a research field: a bibliometric study. Scientometrics 122, 741–750 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11192-019-03298-3

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