Spanish Communication Academia: Scientific Productivity vs. Social Activity

DOSSIER Comunica , n. 41, . XXI, 2013, Scien i ic Jou nal o Media Educa ion; ISSN: 1134-3478; pages 61-70 www.comunica jou nal.com ABSTRACT A a ime when academic ac i i y in he a ea o communica ion is p incipally assessed by he impac o scien i ic jou - nals, he scien i ic media and he scien i ic p oduc i i y o esea che s, he ques ion a ises as o whe he social ac o s condi ion scien i ic ac i i y as much as hese objec i e elemen s. This in es iga ion analyzes he in luence o scien i ic p oduc i i y and social ac i i y in he a ea o communica ion. We iden i y a social ne wo k o esea che s om a compila ion o doc o al heses in communica ion and calcula e he scien i ic p oduc ion o 180 o he mos ac i e esea che s who si on doc o al commi ees. Social ne wo k analysis is hen used o s udy he ela ions ha a e o med on hese doc o al hesis commi ees. The esul s sugges ha social ac o s, a he han indi idual scien i ic p oduc i i y, posi i ely in luence such a key academic and scien i ic ac i i y as he awa d o doc o al deg ees. Ou conclusions poin o a disconnec ion be ween scien i ic p oduc i i y and he in e na ional scope o esea che s and hei ole in he social ne wo k. Ne e heless, he consequences o his si ua ion a e empe ed by he non-hie a chi- cal s uc u e o ela ions be ween communica ion scien is s. RESUMEN En un momen o en que la ac i idad académica en el ámbi o de la comunicación se alo a p incipalmen e po el impac o de las e is as y los medios de comunicación cien í ica y po la p oduc i idad de los in es igado es, su ge la cues ión de si los ac o es sociales pueden condiciona la ac i idad cien í ica con la misma ue za que es os elemen os obje i os. Es a in es igación analiza la in luencia de la p oduc i idad cien í ica y de la ac i idad social en el ámbi o de la comunicación. Se ha iden i icado la ed social de los in es igado es de comunicación a pa i de las esis doc- o ales; pa a los 180 in es igado es más ac i os en los ibunales de esis se ha calculado su p oducción cien í ica. Se u iliza el análisis de edes sociales pa a es udia las elaciones que se p oducen en los ibunales de esis doc o ales. Los esul ados mues an que los ac o es sociales in luyen posi i amen e en una ac i idad académica y cien í ica an ele an e como la ob ención del g ado de doc o , mien as que la p oduc i idad cien í ica indi idual no lo hace. Como conclusiones cabe señala que exis e una desconexión en e la p oduc i idad cien í ica y la p oyección in e - nacional de los in es igado es y su papel en la ed social. Las implicaciones de es e hecho es án ma izadas po una es uc u a no je a quizada de las elaciones en e los cien í icos de comunicación. KEYWORDS / PALABRAS CLAVE Social ne wo ks, bibliome ics, hesis, in isible colleges, communica ion esea ch, uni e si y. Redes sociales, bibliome ía, esis doc o ales, colegios in isibles, in es iga en comunicación, uni e sidad. DOI: h p://dx.doi.o g/10.3916/C41-2013-06 D . C is óbal Casanue a-Rocha is P o esso o he Depa men o Business Adminis a ion and Ma ke ing o he Facul y o Tou ism and Finance a he Uni e si y o Se ille (Spain) ([email p o ec ed]). D . F ancisco Ja ie Ca o-González is P o esso o he Depa men o Business Adminis a ion and Ma ke ing o he Facul y o Tou ism and Finance a he Uni e si y o Se ille (Spain) ([email p o ec ed]). l C is óbal Casanue a and F. Ja ie Ca o Se illa (Spain) Spanish Communica ion Academia: Scien i ic P oduc i i y s. Social Ac i i y La Academia Española de Comunicación: p oduc i idad cien í ica en e a ac i idad social Recei ed: 28-01-2013 / Recei ed: 19-02-2013 Accep ed: 23-03-2013 / Published: 01-09-2013 1. In oduc ion The de elopmen and he u u e o scien i ic ac i- i y ha e gene ally been ea ed as endogenous aspec s linked o he e olu ion o esea ch, signi ican scien i ic disco e ies and he p ocess o ans e ing scien i ic knowledge and know-how, e c., gene a ing uns oppable, g adual and, in some cases, exponen ial p og ess. Howe e , o many decades, a s ong social elemen has clea ly been iden i ied in scien i ic ac i i y ha can de e mine i s c ea ion, di usion and dema ca- ion o an ex ao dina y ex en (Kuhn, 1962; Me on, 1973). Scien i ic ac i i y may be he o igin and/o he esul o social s uc u es, gi ing ise o speci ic discipli- nes, such as he sociology o science (Ben-Da id & Sulli an, 1975; Lamo-de-Espinosa & al., 1994). Special a en ion is gi en o he social s uc u es ha unde lie scien i ic ac i i y, because o he ela i e you h o social sciences and he habi ual coexis ence o possible pa adigms and cu en s o hough ha may be e lec ed upon simul aneously, which may a imes assume opposing and an agonis ic posi ions (Rod í - guez, 1993). Many scien i ic communi ies, o a g ea e o lesse ex en , ha e geog aphical bounda ies ha depend on hei scope o knowledge, while academic adi ions, linguis ic en i onmen s and he physical s uc u es o scien i ic ac i i y mo e o en han no gene a e i s na ional geog aphical en i onmen . I is he e o e o in e es o know he pa icula i ies o he scien i ic communi ies in each coun y o egion. In his con ex , i appea s pe inen o look in o he social aspec s o he Spanish scien i ic communi y linked o he ield o communica ion. Uni e si y s udies in his ield a e ecen ( he i s acul y was ounded in 1971) and a ise ou o he amewo k o he so-called «Na - poleonic» uni e si y model, cen ed on p o essional ai- ning. A p esen , a ansi ion o he «Humbold ian» model is unde way, he main aim o which is he gene- a ion and ans e ence o scien i ic knowledge (Ginés, 2004: 14). This change is leading o a slow inc ease in he speci ic weigh a ached o esea ch in he p omo- ion o uni e si y eaching s a . A he same ime, com- munica ion ep esen s a e ile e i o y, as in o he social disciplines wi h high le els o in e disciplina y s udies, in which social aspec s a e gi en a p ominen place in scien i ic ac i i y. Less han 50% o Spanish con ibu- ions o communica ion jou nals lis ed on he Social Science Ci a ion Index (SSCI) a e om acul ies and depa men s o communica ion (Masip, 2011: 7). In ad - di ion, i appea s especially ele an o link social ac i i y in his ield o aspec s ha a e ela ed o scien i ic com- munica ion, as he cu en end is o assess scien is s and academics in hei discipline in acco dance wi h hei publica ions and he impac ac o s o he jou nals in which hey publish (So iano, 2008; Pe ce al & Fo nieles, 2008; Fe nández-Quijada, 2010; Masip, 2011; Cas illo & Ruiz, 2011). S udies on Spanish Com - mu nica ion Aca demia ha e concen a ed on he mos ele an jou nals, on hei ole in he u he ance o know ledge and on de ec ing he s uc u e o he ield h ough bibliome ic s udies (Cas illo & Ca e ón, 2010; Ló pez-O nelas, 2010; Ma ínez & Sa pe as, 2011; Cas illo, Rubio & Almansa, 2012). Howe e , i would be wo h asking whe he he weigh o such appa en ly objec i e measu es o scien i ic p ominence (publica- ions and ci a ions) is he c i e ion shaping he s uc u e o Spanish communica ion academia and whe he he baseline o social ela ions be ween scien is s plays a de ining ole in hei scien i ic ac i i y. This wo k has he objec i e o de e mining whe - he he demons a ed ele ance o a esea che in he ield o communica ion, measu ed in e ms o scien i ic p oduc i i y, and he esea che ’s social posi ion, mea- su ed in e ms o membe ship o he ac i e co e o aca- demia, ha e an in luence on impo an decisions o academic and scien i ic ac i i y. In esponse o ha ques ion, we will s udy how bo h scien i ic p oduc i- i y and social ac i i y in luence a key academic deci- sion in he scien i ic communi y: he choice o commi - ee membe s ha e alua e doc o al heses in he ield o knowledge. Social ne wo k analysis was selec ed as a e e en ial amewo k in which o conduc an accep- able analysis o social ies be ween scien is s a ising om he academic ac o he eading o a doc o al he- sis (Sco , 1991). 2. The academic and scien i ic communi y in he ield o communica ion The analysis o social ac o s in scien i ic p oduc- ion has a long adi ion and has gene a ed a pa icula ield o knowledge: he sociology o science (Me on, 1973). The in luence o social s uc u es on scien i ic p oduc ion may be concep ualised as in isible colle- ges. De Solla P ice (1963) poin ed o he exis ence o g oups o scien is s ha we e basically cons i u ed by a con ac and by in o mal communica ion ha gene a ed a s able social s uc u e (highligh ing he ole o he eli e wi hin i ). Whe e De Solla P ice highligh ed he ole o in o mal communica ion as he basis o he social s uc u e, C ane (1969; 1972) s essed he pos- sibili y o belonging o he g oup (in isible college) h ough indi ec con ac s be ween scien is s be ween whom mul iple simul aneous ela ions a e es ablished (co-au ho ships, ci a ions, exchange o d a s, join p esence a e en s and in o ganiza ions, managemen 62 © ISSN: 1134-3478 • e-ISSN: 1988-3293 • Pages 61-70 Comunica , 41, XXI, 2013 o doc o al heses, e c.). C ane (1969; 1972) used an incipien ne wo k analysis o highligh he appea ance o eme gen social s uc u es in he scien i ic ield in he o m o in isible colleges o social ci cles. To do so, she used a ious ela ions be ween scien is s and poin ed ou ha he se o ela ions comp ised a social ci cle in an in o mal way (an in o mal social s uc u e wi h uzzy limi s). Zuccala (2006) p oposed he concep o he in i- sible college as he o ganiza ional s uc u e o a se o social ac o s ( esea che s) who exchange o mal and in o mal in o ma ion on he amewo k o he ules in a dis- cipline and ce ain esea ch p oblems. She used social ne - wo k analysis and he analysis o co-ci a ions o iden i y hese in isible colleges in a pa icula ield. Moody (2004) used he ela ion o co-au ho ship o desc ibe he collabo a i e ne - wo ks in social science and cons uc ed a ious models o es how collabo a ion a ec s scien i ic p ac ice (appea ance o small ela i ely isola ed g oups, ex changes be ween g oups wi h di e en in e es s, and ne wo ks domina ed by s a scien is s). The i s wo possibili ies we e also explo ed by C ane (1969). In he ield o communica ion, in isible colleges and hei de ini- ion ha e also been explo ed h ough bibliome ic s u- dies (Chang & Tai, 2005; Tai, 2009). The Spanish communica ion academia may be s udied in e ms o an in isible college ha gene a es a ie o membe ship be ween i s membe s and ha will gene a e a se ies o o mal and in o mal con ac s be - ween hem a a ious scien i ic ga he ings (cong esses, wo kshops, academic p oceedings and p o essional e en s, e c.), ans e ence o in o ma ion and know- ledge be ween hem and bo h di ec and indi ec in o mal communica ion. Va ious esea che s ha e b ough up he exis ence o hese ne wo ks in communica ion. The majo i y used he analysis o co-au ho ships in a icles publi - shed in scien i ic jou nals om he discipline (López- O nelas, 2010; Masip, 2011). Fe nández-Quijada (2011) es ablished a ne wo k o collabo a ions be - ween p o esso s belonging o he di e en Spanish uni e si ies based on a bibliome ic s udy o co-au - ho ships in Spanish communica ion jou nals wi h he hi ghes impac . This au ho sugges s he need o mo e in-dep h s udies o an unde s anding o how hese ne wo ks a e o med and how hey unc ion. Ma ínez-Nicolás (2006) s udied he quali y o esea ch in he a ea o jou nalism and ela ed i o he s uc u e o he scien i ic communi y. This s uc u e esponds o he « icissi udes o i s his o ic cons i u ion and de elopmen ». Empi ical s udies ocusing on he g oups ha ha e been iden i ied would be o in e es . The pionee ing bibliome ic s udies o Daniel E. Jones and o he s (2000) should be highligh ed, in ela- ion o he s udy o doc o al heses on communica ion, which ha e con ibu ed an impo an body o know- ledge ha has se ed as he basis o subsequen in es- iga ions. Repiso, To es, and Delgado (2011b) analy- sed social ne wo ks in communica ion on he basis o he membe s o he doc o al hesis commi ees. They s uc u ed he esea ch sys em in o di e en speciali- ies such as ele ision (Repiso & al., 2011a), adio (Re - piso & al., 2011b) and cinema (Repiso & al. 2011c), in Spain, a ound he main uni e si y chai s in hose disciplines. The eading o a doc o al hesis ep esen s an impo an pa o scien i ic ac i i y wi hin he Spanish communica ion academia, because o he cha ac e is- ics o i s con ibu ion and because o he ac ha i implies a alida ion o he esea ch capabili ies o he doc o al s uden s. I is he e o e e y impo an ha each hesis should be e alua ed by quali ied esea - che s. I s de ence is conduc ed be o e a panel made 63 © ISSN: 1134-3478 • e-ISSN: 1988-3293 • Pages 61-70 Comunica , 41, XXI, 2013 A p esen , a ansi ion o he «Humbold ian model» is unde way, he main aim o which is he gene a ion and ans e ence o scien i ic knowledge. This change is leading o a slow inc ease in he speci ic weigh a ached o esea ch in he p omo ion o uni e si y eaching s a . A he same ime, communica ion ep esen s a e ile e i o y, as in o he social disciplines wi h high le els o in e disciplina y s udies, in which social aspec s a e gi en a p ominen place in scien i ic ac i i y. © ISSN: 1134-3478 • e-ISSN: 1988-3293 • Pages 61-70 Comunica , 41, XXI, 2013 64 up o a ious doc o s in he ield and om o he ela- ed disciplines. The di ec o o he doc o al hesis and he depa men al membe s in e ene in a decisi e way in he choice o he commi ee membe s h ough in o - mal p ocesses, which a e he e o e based on conside- a ions ha go beyond he pu ely scien i ic. These choices should be based on c i e ia ha should be objec i e, a ising om he esea ch capabili ies o he membe s ha si on he doc o al commi ees. The scien i ic p oduc i i y o academics is a measu e o he success o hei scien i ic ac i i y, ma king he oad owa ds p o essional p og ess (Alcán a a, 2000; Joy, 2009). The e o e, he p o essional de elopmen o esea che s and, consequen ly, hei selec ion by he academic communi y o conduc esea ch- ela ed ac i- i ies will be condi ioned by wha hey a e objec i ely able o con ibu e. Thus, • Hypo hesis 1: The selec ion o doc o al commi - ee membe s in he ield o communica ion will be posi i ely in luenced by hei scien i ic p oduc i i y, measu ed by hei publica ions and he numbe o ci a- ions ecei ed. Fu he mo e, a complemen a y hypo hesis may be de eloped ha links social ac o s o ele an decisions o scien i ic ac i i y in communica ion. I appea s logi- cal o hink ha social s uc u es ha ake shape in he ne wo k o esea che s and academics in an a ea o knowledge migh de e mine o condi ion he e alua- ion o a i s a e piece o esea ch and he acc edi a- ion wi hin he scien i ic communi y o he in es iga i e wo h o he doc o and. The idea o he a o emen - ioned social ci cles o in isible colleges (C ane, 1972) and he ne wo k s uc u e in he academic ela ions be ween esea che s (Molina, Mu ñoz & Doménech, 2002) help explain a possible associa ion be ween pe sonal and p o essional knowledge ans e be - ween communica ion esea che s and academics and he choices ha hey make, so ha o he ac o s e alua- e he heses ha hey ha e di ec ed. In an empi ical way and using social ne wo k analysis, Sie a (2003) demons a ed, on he basis o he composi ion o CSIC hesis commi ees, ha he choice o commi ee mem- be s did no ollow andom c i e ia, bu ha he e is a social g ounding o hose decisions. Likewise, Casanue a and La inaga (2013) p esen ed e idence ha social ac o s and, in pa icula , he p e ious con- ac be ween o he membe s o he ne wo k signi ican ly in luenced he choice o doc o- al commi ee membe s and hei chai pe sons in he disci- pline o accoun ing and inan- ce. The ollowing hypo hesis may he e o e be o mula ed: • Hypo hesis 2: he selec- ion o doc o al commi ee membe s in he ield o com- munica ion will be posi i ely in luenced by he social ac i i y o he membe s o he acade- mia. 3. Me hods 3.1. The ne wo k in he ield o communica ion based on doc o al commi ees The ne wo k cons i u ed by esea che s and aca- demics om he ield o communica ion who ha e pa icipa ed in doc o al commi ees om 2000 up un il 2012 is selec ed as he a ea o s udy, in o de o es he wo hypo heses on he in luence o scien i ic p o- duc i i y and social ac i i y in scien i ic decisions. The Teseo da abase was used o dema ca e he a ea o s udy, which p o ides di e en in o ma ion on doc o- al heses ead in Spain. This da abase is s ill he mos comple e esou ce a ailable and an essen ial e e ence o he consul a ion o doc o al heses in Spanish uni- e si ies (So li & Me lo, 2002: 203), e en hough i p esen s a se ies o d awbacks such as lack o s anda - diza ion, incomple eness, duplica ion o en ies and omissions (Repiso & al., 2011: 419). The de ini ion o he heses wi hin he a ea is complica ed, inso a as he e a e no sui able desc ip o s ha ma k ou clea on ie s, wi hou o e laps in he a ea o communica- ion. The e o e, ou s a egy in ol ed he iden i ica- ion o all heses p oduced in depa men s o audio i- sual communica ion, ma ke ing and jou nalism om all Spanish uni e si ies. In o al, 1298 doc o al heses The scien i ic p oduc i i y o academics is a measu e o he success o hei scien i ic ac i i y, ma king he oad owa ds p o essional p og ess. The e o e, he p o essional de elop- men o esea che s and, consequen ly, hei selec ion by he academic communi y o conduc esea ch- ela ed ac i i ies will be condi ioned by wha hey a e objec i ely able o con ibu e. © ISSN: 1134-3478 • e-ISSN: 1988-3293 • Pages 61-70 Comunica , 41, XXI, 2013 65 ead in he pe iod unde conside a ion we e analysed. Almos 2500 di e en doc o s had a ole in hose he- ses as di ec o s and membe s o he doc o al commi - ees, as esea che s in he same o in o he simila dis- ciplines in Spain o as o eign doc o s. Many o hese ac o s had no ele an ole in he ne wo k. A ela ional c i e ion was he e o e chosen, in line wi h Laumann and o he s (1989), when de ining he ne wo k, in o de o conduc a mo e sui able empi ical analysis ha would espond o he pu pose o his in es iga ion, in such a way ha only hose doc o s who sa on eigh commi ees o mo e we e analysed. This mean a mo e manageable and su icien ly b oad ne wo k in e ms o i s analysis ha would limi i sel o he 180 mos ac i e doc o s on he doc o al commi ees. Da a ob ained on hese 180 esea che s in he ield o communica ion e e o hei a ilia ions and o hei scien i ic p oduc i i y. The numbe o publica ions and he numbe o ci a ions om hose same publica- ions we e used o he calcula ion o scien i ic p o- duc ion. The in o ma ion con ained in he mos s an- da dized in e na ional da abases (SSCI and Scopus) p oduced no sea ch esul s ha clea ly di e en ia ed be ween he 180 membe s chosen om he ne wo k in e ms o hei scien i ic p oduc ion. Fo example, only 27.22% o hem had one o mo e publica ions in SSCI. This inding is consis en wi h ea lie s udies ha desc ibed he limi ed in e na ionaliza ion o publi- ca ions om communica ion academics in Spain (Masip, 2011). So, we e e ed o Google Schola o ob ain he mos impo an da a on he scien i ic p o- duc ion o he 180 ac o s. Ha zing’s Publish o Pe ish ( e sion 2.8.3.4792), a ailable as an on-line p og am- me, was used o sys ema ise he sea ch. Da a e e ing o a icles in jou nals, books, and chap e s o books we e all conside ed. Manual inspec ion he da a ga - he ed in his way and i s egis a ion was done, as his ool is no e y disc imina o y wi h ega d o names and documen ypes. 3.2. Analysis o social ne wo ks The s udy o he in luence o social ela ions in academic decisions, and mo e speci ically in he selec- ion p ocesses o he commi ees ha will e alua e doc o al heses should pay speci ic a en ion o he social ela ions ha hey engende and he social s uc- u e ha a ises om hem. An accep able analysis o social s uc u es should be based on speci ic da a, no on he cha ac e is ics, bu on he social ies o he indi- idual. Social ne wo k analysis is used o his pu pose (Wellman & Be kowi z, 1988). Unlike quan i a i e me hods o in es iga ion in social sciences, based on he analysis o he a ibu es o sample elemen s (Wasse man & Faus , 1994), social ne wo k analysis cen es i s a en ion on he iden i ica ion o he ies ha a e gene a ed be ween a se ies o nodes o ac o s ha cons i u e he ne wo k. Social ne wo k analysis a emp s o e eal he o e all s uc u e o he ies be ween ac o s, iden i ying he exis ence o gene al ela ional pa e ns ha esul om he abs ac ion o indi idual choices o om he links be ween he nodes. A ne wo k may be de ined in a simple way as a se o in e ela ed nodes. So, he s a ing poin o ne wo k analysis is he s udy o hese wo basic uni s: he nodes ha ep esen he ac o s o elemen s o he ne wo k and he ies be ween hose nodes. Since i s ecen o i- gin, social ne wo k analysis has been applied o he s udy o scien i ic ac i i y (C ane, 1972). I has unde - gone no able de elopmen o e ecen yea s wi h he a ailabili y o massi e bibliog aphies on co-au ho ships in scien i ic publica ions (Moody, 2004; Newman, 2001). 3.3. Va iables Di e en eg ession models we e p epa ed o es he hypo hesis, he a iables o which a e explained below: • Dependen Va iable. As an ou come a iable, he dependen a iable used he sum o he imes ha each o he 180 doc o s who ep esen he sample o he mos ac i e doc o s was chosen o pa icipa e in a doc o al commi ee. As men ioned ea lie , he mini- mum alue o his a iable was se a 8. • Independen Va iables. Fou basic indica o s o scien i ic p oduc i i y we e used o hei measu e- men . In he i s place, «Publica ions» measu ed he b ead h o scien i ic p oduc ion h oughou he p o es- sional ca ee o each ne wo k membe . These inclu- ded books, book chap e s, and publica ions in scien i- ic jou nals ha ha e been ci ed a leas once. They a e aken in agg ega e, wi hou di e en ia ing be ween documen ypes. In second place, he a iable «Ci a - ions» co esponds o he numbe o ci a ions o each au ho ecei ed by he a o emen ioned publica ions. The hi d a iable seeks an o e all measu emen o publica ion capaci y and o he impac o he publi shed documen s measu ed by he numbe o ci a ions hey ha e ecei ed: « he h-Index». An au ho will ha e an h-index o 10, i 10 o he au ho ’s a icles ha e ecei- ed a leas 10 ci a ions. The ou h a iable, «In - e na ional», akes a alue o 1 i he membe o he ne wo k has published in an SSCI jou nal, which was aken as a e e ence o indica e he in e na ional scope © ISSN: 1134-3478 • e-ISSN: 1988-3293 • Pages 61-70 Comunica , 41, XXI, 2013 66 o an au ho , and a alue o 0 i o he wise. The p e- pa a ion o he indica o o social ac i i y was mo e complex. In he i s place, a new ne wo k was cons- uc ed, in which he link unde conside a ion was he join p esence o academics a he eading o a doc o- al hesis. In o he wo ds, each hesis b ings oge he commi ee membe s, di ec o s, and co-di ec o s o he hesis a a single academic ac ( om which o he social e en s o en a ise). This mu ual con ac means ha he membe s o he ne wo k ge o know each o he (o hei amilia i y is deepened). The social ne wo k p o- g amme UCINET (Bo ga i, E e e & F eeman, 2002) was used o cons uc he indica o , which di - ides he ne wo k in o wo g oups by means o a p o- cess o i e a ion. The i s o hese is made up o he co e o he ne wo k and second by i s pe iphe y. The a iable «Co e» is de e mined by he doc o o ming pa o ha ne wo k co e wi h a join p esence on doc- o al commi ees in he ield o communica ion. Con ol Va iables. Two con ol a iables we e used. The «Chai » a iable seeks o e lec he alue o occupying he mos senio pos s in he academic hie- a chy as a p edic o o academic elec ions, as high- ligh ed in ea lie s udies in he con ex o Spain (Casanue a & La - inaga, 2013) and in he con ex o Ge - many (Mulle -Camen & Salzgebe , 2005). A dicho omic a iable was cons uc ed wi h a alue o 1 o acade- mics ha occupy a uni e si y chai . The second con ol a ia- ble «Jou nal Edi o ial Boa d» measu es whe he a membe o he ne wo k o ms pa o he manage- ial, scien i ic and/o edi o ial boa ds o he nine jou nals (Re is a La ina, Comunicación y So ciedad, Comunica , Es - udios del Mensaje Pe io dís ico, Ze , T ípodos, Ám - bi os, Anàlisi y Telos) in he i s qua ile o he In-Recs index o 2011. 4. Resul s G aph 1 shows he ne wo k o he 180 mos ac i e doc o al commi ee membe s. E en hough he exis- ence o e y dense zones may be app ecia ed in he g aph o he ne wo k, i is be e o s udy he indica o s ha a ise om he analysis o social ne wo ks, as g a - phic ep esen a ions o e a e y limi ed scope o analysis. Table 1 p esen s he mos ele an indica o s o he comple e ne wo k o he selec ion o he doc o- al commi ee membe s in he ield o communica ion oge he wi h hose same indica o s e e ing o he ne wo k ha comp ises he 180 doc o s selec ed o he empi ical analysis. Da a on academic ne wo ks om ano he wo a eas o he social sciences a e shown, o acili a e a compa a i e analysis o he da a on ne wo k s uc u e: ma ke ing (Casanue a & Espa - sandín, 2004) and accoun ing and inance (Casa - nue a, Escoba & La inaga, 2007). The i s ow o able 1 shows he size o he ne - wo k, which se es as a good e e ence in o de o analyse i s s uc u e, as many indica o s o he ne wo k s uc u e will depend on i . The size o he ne wo k o all he doc o s pa icipa ing in he doc o al commi ees unde conside a ion is 2496, while he ies be ween he 180 mos ac i e membe s we e ca e ully analysed, as opposed o he 255 o accoun ing and he 84 o ma ke ing. The densi y is shown in he second ow o able 1. Densi y e e s o he numbe o eal ies in he ne - wo k in compa ison wi h all he possible ies be ween i s membe s. The low densi y o he comple e commu- nica ion ne wo k, wi h only 0.1% o possible links, is p incipally because o he la ge numbe o nodes ha make up ha ne wo k in ela ion o he numbe o people ha can in e ene in each e en ( eading o a hesis). The densi y in he second ne wo k inc eases by a ac o o 50, almos eaching 5%. This ela ional G aph 1. G aph o he ne wo k o 180 esea che s. © ISSN: 1134-3478 • e-ISSN: 1988-3293 • Pages 61-70 Comunica , 41, XXI, 2013 67 le el is al eady mode a ely high and shows ha he 180 ac o s in he ne wo k show signi ican cohesion be ween each o he and ha hey ha e had he oppo - uni y o sha ing asks wi h many o he membe s o he doc o al commi ees. In ac , he densi y is wice ha o he wo p e iously men ioned a eas o knowledge, such ha selec ion in he ield o communica ion is conside ably mo e in e connec ed han in o he a eas o he social sciences in Spain. Indeg ee cen aliza ion indica es how he ne wo k is concen a ed a ound ce ain poin s, bu he le el o ies ela ing o selec ion is e y low in he comple e ne wo k (2.46%) and is no conside able (12.67%) in he case o he 180 mos ac i e membe s. I leads one o hink ha he ne wo k is no e y cen alized and, he e o e, no e y hie a chical. This is e y impo an , as i s sugges s ha he academic ac o eading a hesis is qui e open o he pa icipa ion o many ac o s and is no ocused on a social s uc u e wi h a dominan cen- al co e. Con e sely, ou deg ee cen aliza ion is an indica- o o he le el a which he hesis managemen p o- cess is ocused on a ew doc o s. The alues a e low o bo h he o e all ne wo k (almos 7%) and he 180 membe s (15.48%), such ha once again he ac i i y o managing a hesis is on he whole no linked o a cen- al g oup. Simila alues a e ound in he wo o he a eas unde analysis. Be weeness cen aliza ion p esen s low alues in he ou ne wo ks p esen ed in able 1, such ha only wi h di icul y can doc o s exploi hei posi ion as in e media ies o b oke s (in gene al e ms) o con- nec mo e dis an o sepa a e pa s o he ne wo k and o gain ad an- age om ha posi ion. This si ua- ion is an indica o ha he ne - wo k is well connec ed and ha anyone can access ano he node in he ne wo k along di e en pa hs. Once again, i sugges s ha his s uc u e is a emo ed om a hie a chical one. Table 2 shows he mean and he s anda d de ia- ion o he p e iously explained a iables. The mos s iking poin is ha a e age scien i ic p oduc i i y o he 180 mos ac i e membe s o he doc o al commi - ees in he ield o communica ion is qui e high, close o 20 publica ions wi h a leas one ci a ion on a e age, he same as he impac o he jou nal, as he a e age numbe o ci a ions ha hey ha e is 186. This las poin should be quali ied, as he dispe sion is e y high. These da a may be explained because he e a e ce ain membe s o he ne wo k wi h nume ous ci a- ions, basically because hei wo ks a e s anda d e e- ences in hei ield. The ac ha app oxima ely hal o he ne wo k membe s a e uni e si y chai s and ha a hi d pa icipa es o ha e pa icipa ed in he manage- men o he mos ele an scien i ic jou nals in he ield is also no ewo hy. A join eg ession analysis wi h he a iable «Selec ion» as he dependen a iable was used o com pa e he hypo heses p esen ed in he concep ual amewo k. Table 3 p esen s h ee eg ession models. The s anda dized coe icien s o he a iables and hei le el o meaning appea s in he same able. Model 1 is he con ol model. I includes he con ol a iables Uni e si y Chai and Edi o ial Boa d. The model is signi ica i e and he pe cen age a iance explained is conside able (R2=0.114). The esul s show a posi i e and signi ica i e ela ion (al hough a a di e en le el) o he dependen a iable wi h he con ol a iables. Model 2 is in ended o es Hy - po hesis 1. The ou a iables ha measu e scien i ic p oduc i i y now in e ene as independen a iables. The model is signi ican and p esen s a R2=0.116. Almos no inc ease in he explained a iance was obse ed as a esul o he inclusion o he new a iables in he model. Once again, a posi i e and signi ica i e ela ion was shown in Model 2 be ween he condi ion o uni e si y chai and he dependen a iable, whe eas he ela ions wi h he ou independen a iables ha measu e scien i ic p o- duc i i y (Publi ca ions, Ci a ions, h-Index and In e - na iona li za ion) a e no signi ica i e. No suppo is he e o e o hcoming o Hypo hesis 1. Model 3 se es o es Hypo hesis 2, including he a iable «Co e» in he model. The i s hing ha may be seen is he impo an inc ease o R2 ha ises o a alue o 0.218. The independen a iable «Co e» shows a posi i e and signi ica i e ela ion (wi h a high deg ee o meaning) wi h he dependen a iable. Hypo hesis 2, which s a es ha he selec ion o doc o- al commi ee membe s in he ield o communica ion is posi i ely associa ed wi h he social ac i i y o he academics, is he e o e con i med. 5. Conclusions and discussion This esea ch has p oposed wo, in p inciple, complemen a y hypo heses, on he way in which deci- sions a e aken ha a ec esea ch wi hin Spanish aca- demia in he ield o communica ion. The i s o hese links he selec ion o membe s o academia wi h hose who ha e a mo e p oduc i e scien i ic ac i i y ei he in e ms o publica ions (and i s ype) o in e ms o he impac (measu ed by he numbe o ci a ions o by he h-index) o hose publica ions. The second hypo hesis links hese decisions o he social ac i i y o he scien- is s ollowing he assump ions o he sociology o scien- ce and he logic o in isible colleges (C ane, 1972; De- Solla-P ice, 1963; Kuhn, 1962; Me on, 1973). The esul s o e no suppo o he i s and uphold he second o hese hypo heses. These indings ha e h ee impo an implica ions. The i s is ha social ac o s play a p ominen ole in scien i ic ac i i y and can condi ion i , as con i med in ea lie s udies in o he knowledge a eas o he social sciences (Casanue a & Espasandín, 2004; Casanue a & La inaga, 2013). Scien i ic p oduc i i y (and i s unde lying indica o s, which ha e a day- o-day e ec on he ac i i ies o esea che s and academics in he ield o communica ion, such as publica ions, ci a ions o he impac ac o o he jou nals in which hey publish) as an objec i e measu e o good scien i ic p ac ice does no occupy he mos ele an place among he selec ion c i e ia in impo an scien i ic ac i- i ies, such as hose analysed he e. This aises p o- blems o incen i es o he mos ac i e esea che s who may encoun e limi a ions o hei possibili ies o p og essing owa ds a posi ion in he social eli e. I also e odes he dominan discou se on he immedia e ela- ion be ween scien i ic p oduc i i y and academic and in es iga i e de elopmen . The hi d implica ion is ha i lea es each o he wo ea lie posi ions as a so o al e na i e model in which, on he one hand, he social and he subjec i e p edomina es and, on he o he , he scien i ic and he objec i e. In his in e play, he social componen appea s as a momen a y ic o . I may be asked whe he a model in which he social aspec p edomina es o e he scien i ic aspec is un ai and e en pe e se. The conside a ion o social s uc u es a ising om he ne wo k o he academia o communica ion in Spain has p o ided a pa ial espon- se o his ques ion. A p oblem would a ise i he si ua- ion we e one in which he social aspec was unda- men al and in which he social s uc u e was domina- ed by a mo e-o -less closed eli e o co e ha could con ol he p ocesses as hey we e happening. Ou ea lie analyses o he cha ac e is ics o he ne wo ks in he a ea would sugges ha we can disca d ha scena- io. The di e en cen ali y measu es we e ound o be e y low, so he concen a ion o selec ion in one pa o he ne wo k may, i appea s, be discoun ed. An addi ional analysis was comple ed o con i m his idea. The co ela ion be ween he ma ix o choices o doc- o al commi ee membe s wi h i s ansposed ma ix we e es ed o alida e he deg ee o symme y in he choices. The co ela ion le el is o e 0.400 and signi- ica i e, such ha we ha e ela ions ha a e basically symme ic whe e he oles o hose selec ing and hose selec ed in e change, which disca ds he idea o a hie- 68 Comunica , 35, XVIII, 2010 © ISSN: 1134-3478 • e-ISSN: 1988-3293 • Pages 61-70 a chical s uc u e in he ne wo k o communica ion academics. Al hough i could also e lec zones in he ne wo k in which ecip ocal choices occu and in which a he mo e closed social sub-g oups a e o - ming. This wo k p esen s a se ies o limi a ions. The i s is he impossibili y o gene aliza ion om he ne wo k o he 180 mos ac i e doc o s o he comple e ne - wo k, as he la e was no andomly chosen. The second is ela ed o he deg ee o adjus men be ween indica o s and he phenomenon o be measu ed. Pa i - cula ly, he use o he co e as a e e ence o social ac i i y, based on how many people know each o he , will be a possible app oxima ion o a mo e complex phenomenon. Nei he has he ime ac o been aken in o accoun ha migh add some bias o he analyses. An in e es ing line o u u e esea ch would pe haps be a longi udinal analysis o he a iables o analyse hei e olu ion and he ins i u ional aspec s and con ex ha migh in luence hem. 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