Fragmentation of the Intellectual Structure of Political Communication Study: Some Empirical Evidence

Abstract

This study applies a method of author co-citation analysis to examine the intellectual structure of political communication study. Fifty one influential authors were selected from active members of the Political Communication Divisions of the International Communication Association (ICA), the National Communication Association (NCA), and the American Political Science Association (APSA). The results of the multidimensional scaling analysis and cluster analysis of these 51 selected authors' co-citation patterns show that intellectual fragmentation exists in political communication research; scholars with different academic backgrounds exhibit specialties using particular research approaches to study certain subjects in the field; scholars do not have much information exchange, and thus they are intellectually separate and confined within the boundaries of each fragment. The findings of this quantitative study complements and cross-validates the assessment made by other traditional qualitative reviews about the field.