Gender Studies in Communication Research: A Longitudinal Analysis of Scientific Papers Published in Spanish Journals Indexed in the Journal Citation Reports (JCR) and the SCImago Journal Rank (SJR) (1988–2017)

169 Jou nal o Resea ch in Gende S udies 8(2), 2018 pp. 169–200, ISSN 2164-0262, eISSN 2378-3524 doi:10.22381/JRGS82201810 GENDER STUDIES IN COMMUNICATION RESEARCH: A LONGITUDINAL ANALYSIS OF SCIENTIFIC PAPERS PUBLISHED IN SPANISH JOURNALS INDEXED IN THE JOURNAL CITATION REPORTS (JCR) AND THE SCIMAGO JOURNAL RANK (SJR) (1988–2017) BELÉN ZURBANO-BERENGUER bzu ban[email p o ec ed] Facul y o Communica ion, The Uni e si y o Se ille (co esponding au ho ) LORENA CANO-ORÓN Depa men o Language Theo y and Communica ion Sciences, The Uni e si y o Valencia IRENE LIBERIA VAYÁ Facul y o Communica ion, The Uni e si y o Se ille ABSTRACT. This pape desc ibes he e olu ion o gende - ela ed esea ch in indexed communica ion jou nals in Spain, on he basis o a comp ehensi e analysis o all hose pape s ela ing o gende s udies ha we e published be ween 1988 and 2017. Speci ically, i analyses he scien i ic p oduc ion o Spanish jou nals indexed in he “communica ion” ca ego y o he Jou nal Ci a ion Repo s (JCR) and he SCImago Jou nal Rank (SJR), in which he p esence and de elopmen o wo ks ela ing o gende and women’s s udies ha e been assessed. The s udy ime ame co e s a pe iod om 1988, when he i s jou nal appea ed, o 2017, wi h a se o 8,300 pape s. The esul s highligh he ollowing: 1. Gende s udies a e hin on he g ound in Spanish communica ion jou nals; 2. The majo i y o hese s udies we e conduc ed by one au ho and when mo e han one was in ol ed, he co-au ho s we e no mally Spanish; 3. Mos o he s udies we e pe o med by women; 4. Mainly quali a i e me hodologies we e employed; and 5. Thema ically speaking, hey ocused on he s udy o iden i ies and s e eo ypes. No wi hs anding he g adual inc ease in he numbe o s udies o his ype, conside ing he a - eaching legisla i e changes and he social p og ess in gende and equali y ha ha e occu ed o e he pas 15 yea s in Spain, he esul s pose a po en ial con adic ion be ween he social, poli ical, and 170 academic in e es ha gende issues cu en ly awaken and hei unde ep esen a ion in Spanish communica ion jou nals. Keywo ds: social communica ion; gende s udies; eminism; academic jou nals; scien i ic esea ch; Spain How o ci e: Zu bano-Be engue , Belén, Lo ena Cano-O ón, and I ene Libe ia Vayá (2018). “Gende S udies in Communica ion Resea ch: A Longi udinal Analysis o Scien i ic Pape s Published in Spanish Jou nals Indexed in he Jou nal Ci a ion Repo s (JCR) and he SCImago Jou nal Rank (SJR) (1988–2017),” Jou nal o Resea ch in Gende S udies 8(2): 169–200. Recei ed 2 May 2018 • Recei ed in e ised o m 24 July 2018 Accep ed 2 Augus 2018 • A ailable online 25 Augus 2018 1. In oduc ion The esea ch ield o gende s udies has g own o e ime o become a speci ic subjec in some uni e si y p og ams in se e al coun ies, such as India (Nagalia, 2018), Spain (Ve ge & Cab uja, 2017), Sweden (Söde lund & Madison, 2015), and he Ne he lands (Pa lidou, 2011), among o he s. Speci - ically, in Spain, despi e no ha ing a esea ch uni o e ing ins i u ional sup- po and unding o his speci ic discipline, as is he case in o he coun ies, i.e. some in No he n Eu ope (Lomba do, 2016; Söde lund & Madison, 2015), he e has been a clea inc ease in scien i ic and academic esea ch pe aining o gende o e he pas ew yea s. A he same ime, om a s uc u al pe spec i e, equali y plans ha e been implemen ed a Spanish uni e si ies in o de o elimina e he gende gap and p omo e he pa icipa ion o women in he scien i ic ield. No wi hs anding his, he e is s ill much wo k o be done in o de o e adica e gende inequali ies in he academic sphe e (Pas o Gosalbez & Acos a Sa mien o, 2016). Tu ning o he esea ch issues ha a e he p ima y ocus o his pape , in such di e se disciplines as medicine, sociology, psychology, his o y and educa ion, o name bu a ew, he so-called “gende and women’s s udies”1 ha e g adually come o he o e in scien i ic esea ch, con ibu ing new app oaches, objec s o s udy and me hodologies. Communica ion as a ield o s udy has ollowed he same end, as can be seen in he numbe o wo ks published in ecen decades abou cybe space as a symbolic si e o social and eminis deba e (Rod íguez-Da ias & Aguile a-A ila, 2017; Webe , 2014; Reade , 2012) o ocusing on communica ion as a ool o he e adica ion o gende iolence (Luengo, 2018; Rod íguez-Pé ez & Gu ié ez, 2017; Lindsay- B isbin, Dep ince & Wel on-Mi chell, 2014; Wozniak & McCloskey, 2010; Ca lyle, Sla e & Chak o , 2008), among many o he examples. A an in e na ional le el, he i s s udy o he s a e o he esea ch in he ields o communica ion and gende s udies which we ha e been able o ind 171 da es om 1983, sho ly a e high-quali y jou nals had s a ed o publish pape s on women’s s udies. A ha ime, hese kinds o wo ks usually co e ed he ollowing opics: a) His o ical ea men o women; b) Sex di e ences; c) Images o women in he media; d) Educa ion and pedagogy; and e) Su eys and in eg a ed wo ks. Thei au ho s called o he need o pe o m mo e dis- cou se analyses, as well as mo e s udies o women’s mo emen s; hey also specula ed abou “ hose women he e o o e neglec ed in […] jou nals” (Foss & Foss, 1983: 200). Mo e ecen ly, a numbe o in e es ing s udies ha e been conduc ed in F ance, whe e Jullia d (2016) a gues ha communica ion and gende s udies mos ly adop a semio ic app oach, analyzing he media con- s uc ion o gende . Howe e , e en hough gende s udies we e no so popula he e be o e he u n o he cen u y, mo e in e disciplina y esea ch app oaches ha e eme ged since hen, including hose speci ically ocusing on he ole o he media (Bisca a , 2015). Fu he mo e, ha ing analyzed he wo ks add ess- ing gende s udies wi hin he ield o communica ion in F ance and La in Ame ica, He nández O ellana (2018) a gues ha despi e ep esen ing e y di e en sociopoli ical con ex s and esea ch adi ions, esea ch on gende and he In e ne is on he inc ease in bo h a eas. The La in Ame ican case, o i s pa , s ands ou because o he in e es o esea che s in s udying he media agenda on eminism. In Spain, eminis app oaches ha e g adually made in oads in he ield o communica ion – as wi h o he s such as sociology (DiF ancesco & Ochoa, 2017) and psychology (Ga zia & Lopez-Za a, 2014). The e o e, ou aim he e is o use scien i ic p oduc ion o gauge he e olu ion o gende and women’s s udies in his ield. To his end, and on he basis o p e ious wo ks using biome ic and me a-analy ical app oaches o communica ion in a b oad sense, we will ocus on gende and communica ion s udies in o de o analyze academic p oduc ion in his espec in Spanish communica ion jou nals. I should also be no ed ha Spain has been a pionee in equali y laws. So, besides o e ing a gene al o e iew o communica ion and gende esea ch in he Spanish con ex , he impo ance o ou s udy lies p ecisely in he compa ison be ween he poli ical commi men o e adica e gende inequali y and how his has been ecip oca ed in academic p oduc ion. Ano he o ou aims is o eplica e he s udy in o he coun ies in o de o plo a desc ip i e- compa a i e global map. Ou s udy has esul ed om he need o e alua e he ack eco d o gende s udies in he ield o communica ion in Spain o e he pas ew dec- ades – wha is s udied, who esea ches, which echniques and me hodologies a e employed, e c. – o he pu pose o assessing he p esence, e olu ion and cha ac e is ics o an inc easingly mo e ele an a ea o scien i ic in e es in communica ion esea ch. 172 The in e es in de e mining he s a e o he esea ch in any ield o scien i ic knowledge should be aken as an indica o o i s ma u i y. E en mo e so, when ha e o is no limi ed o a me e desc ip ion o wha is being done, bu p oposes a c i ical e alua ion o de e mine in some way he quali y o wha is being done. (Ma ínez Nicolás & Sape as Lapied a, 2011) 2. Objec i es The objec i es a e as ollows: 1. To quan i y he numbe o pape s dedica ed o women’s and gende s udies in he op Spanish communica ion jou nals, speci ically hose indexed in JCR and SJR, he wo mos impo an ankings employed o measu e jou nal quali y and impac . 2. To assess he gende biases ha may exis in cu en communica ion and gende esea ch in he Spanish scien i ic jou nals unde s udy. 3. To iden i y he main me hodological aspec s o communica ion and gende esea ch in Spain. 4. To assess he in e na ional collabo a ion and adap a ion o o eign languages o communica ion and gende esea ch in Spain. 3. Hypo hesis In line wi h he app oaches p oposed by Reigada Olaizola and Sánchez Ley a (2007), he p incipal aim o his wo k, which is based on he assump ion ha gende s udies a e s ill being sidelined in Spanish communica ion esea ch, is o p o ide esh da a and obse a ions in his ega d. 4. Li e a u e Re iew 4.1. PhD disse a ions When ying o gauge he impo ance o a discipline o a ield o s udy, he e is clea e idence ha doc o al p og ams and disse a ions ha e de ini i ely con ibu ed o he p oduc ion o new knowledge in ha ield (Ki ch & Fonow, 2012: 99). In his ega d, acco ding o he mos exhaus i e s udies pe o med o da e, 624 PhD heses ela ing o gende and women’s s udies we e de ended in Spain om 1975 o 20052 (De To es Ramí ez & To es Salinas, 2007, 2005). This is solely an es ima e owing o he ac ha he sea ches we e mos ly pe o med in he au oma ed epe o y TESEO which, despi e being “ he mos eliable and comp ehensi e cu en ly a ailable” (De To es Ramí ez & To es Salinas, 2007: 13), does no con ain exhaus i e da a – some o which a e e oneous o , a bes , incomple e – on indexed PhD 173 heses. No wi hs anding his, he igu e p o ided by De To es Ramí ez and To es Salinas can be ega ded as ep esen a i e o he o al numbe o heses on gende s udies de ended in Spain un il 2005, inso a as i is he esul o applying a igo ous me hodology3 based on a complex sea ch algo i hm, u he supplemen ed by new sea ches and a ho ough examina ion o he p o isional esul s. Al hough he esea ch a ea called “women’s s udies” does no ha e a long adi ion in Spain, i can be a gued ha i cons i u es a well-es ablished ield o knowledge ha is s eadily gaining g ound, as e lec ed in he da a p o ided by he a o emen ioned s udies: he a e age inc ease in PhD heses on gende and women’s s udies is 0.914, a “p ac ically exponen ial g ow h” (De To es Ramí ez & To es Salinas, 2007: 17), since compa ed wi h he 17 de ended be ween 1976 and 1985, he e we e 73 disse a ions only in 2004. When he same esea ch algo i hm, as he one employed by De To es Ramí ez and To es Salinas,4 is applied when sea ching o heses de ended be ween he academic yea s 2005–2006 and 2017–2018, wi h he aim o sup- plemen ing he da a un il he p esen day, Teseo yields a o al o 234 esul s. Howe e , i would be absolu ely essen ial o conduc a comp ehensi e e iew, such as hose pe o med in he e e ence wo ks, in o de o disca d heses ha a e in alid o any numbe o easons.5 As o PhD heses on communica ion om a gene al pe spec i e, Jones e al. (2000) published an in-dep h s udy spanning he yea s 1926–1998. Using a bibliome ic app oach, he au ho s p o ide in o ma ion on 1550 PhD disse a ions ocusing on communica ion in Spain. Some o he elemen s and pe spec i es esea ched in his wo k ha e also been applied o la e s udies: o ins ance, sex disagg ega ion o au ho da a o uni e si ies whe e doc o al heses ha e been de ended (Ca a el, O ega & Gai án, 2018; Ca a el-Se a, O ega-Mohedano & Gai án-Moya, 2017). Besides, o he bibliome ic s udies ocusing on mo e speci ic a eas wi hin he ield o communica ion ha e been conduc ed o e he pas yea s (Cas illo & Xi a, 2006; Repiso, Delgado- López-Cóza & To es-Salinas, 2011a; Repiso, Delgado-López-Cóza & To es-Salinas, 2011b), as well as mo e comp ehensi e ones analyzing he gene al si ua ion o PhD heses in Spain (Sanz-Casado, 2018; Blázquez, 2015; Fuen es Pujol & A guimbau Vi ó, 2010). Gene ally speaking, hese wo ks wi h a b oade pe spec i e poin o a huge inc ease in he numbe o doc o al disse a ions de ended a Spanish uni e si ies – inc easing by 180.03% be ween 2007 and 2016 (Sanz-Casado, 2018: 37) – in which he hema ic a ea o “social and legal sciences” (which includes he ield o communica ion) comes in a me i o ious second place, ep esen ing 22.5% o he o al numbe o PhD heses de ended be ween 1997 and 2008 (Fuen es-Pujol & Aguimbau- Vi ó, 2010: 68). Re u ning o gende and women’s s udies, no ing ye again he di icul ies ha a ise when a emp ing o ga he igo ous and eliable da a on PhD heses 174 – and, mo e gene ally, on scien i ic p oduc ion – ela ing o his ield o knowledge in Spain,6 we con i m ha he e is an u gen need o in oduce a speci ic ield o his opic in he TESEO classi ica ion sys em.7 Besides, his is no only a Spanish p oblem bu also needs o be deal wi h a an in e - na ional le el: he Eu opean epe o y “DART” – con aining mo e han 766,000 open access esea ch heses om 613 uni e si ies in 28 Eu opean coun ies – and he La in Ame ican websi e “Po al de Tesis La ino- ame icanas” – p o iding access o elec onic PhD heses a ailable in ull ex om se e al La in Ame ican coun ies – encoun e simila di icul ies in p o iding accu a e da a on disse a ions ela ing o women’s, gende and eminis s udies. This classi ica ion p oblem also a ec s o he epu ed scien i ic da abases, like Scopus o Web o Science, because as Söde lund & Madison (2015) ha e ema ked: […] he e is no es ablished o well-de ined way o ca ego ize gende s udies om o he disciplines. The Scopus da abase, o ins ance, p o ides no way o pe o ming a gene al sea ch o gende o women’s s udies. Thomson’s Web o Science has a esea ch a ea called ‘Women’s s udies,’ bu i seems no o disc imina e gende s udies well, since o example jou nals dedica ed o women’s heal h om a medical pe spec i e a e also included. (1351) F om a mo e gene al poin o iew, o Ki ch (2003) he exclusion o women’s s udies om he wo ld o esea ch is due o se e al ac o s: o ins ance, he disjunc u e be ween women’s s udies and esea ch on women and gende , as e lec ed in he weekly lis ing o new books in he Ch onicle o Highe Educa ion: Al hough ha ea u e does some imes con ain a ca ego y called ‘women’s s udies,’ mos o en, new schola ship abou women o gende is pa celed ou o ca ego ies such as ‘poli ical science,’ ‘ eligion,’ o ‘sociology,’ e en i he esea ch behind he books is a guably in e disciplina y. […] Ano he sign o women’s s udies’ exclusion om he wo ld o esea ch is i s absence as a ca ego y in lis s o p ospec i e g an s o undable p ojec s by mos ounda ions o agencies. (Ki ch, 2003: 435) As Kwasnik has s a ed, classi ica ions a e always c ea ed in a speci ic socio- poli ical con ex ha in ol es a hie a chy and, o ha ma e , he o ganiza ion o concep s de ines a conc e e wo ld iew ha con ibu es o shape he minds o he people who consul such classi ica ions (Kwasnik, in Muñoz, 2004: 48). Abo e and beyond he in luence ha classi ica ions may ha e on he way people hink, and gi en he g owing in e es in gende s udies (O iz Gómez, 2004, 1999; Balla ín Domingo, Gallego Méndez & Ma ínez Benlloch, 1995), 175 his pape s esses he need o s anda dize specialized eposi o ies in o de o acili a e ull and di ec access o he s udies ha ha e been pe o med in Spain (and beyond) in a wide ange o disciplines – mul idisciplina i y is one o he mos de ining cha ac e is ics o his ield o knowledge (Hawkeswo h, 2011) – since he in oduc ion o women’s s udies in uni e si y cu icula a he end o he 1970s. 4.2. Resea ch p oduc ion The g ea e a en ion now paid by esea che s o gende s udies is e lec ed no only in he g owing numbe o PhD heses de ended in his ield, bu also in o he da a as signi ican o academic p oduc ion as he ollowing: 1. The g adual appea ance in Spain o jou nals and pla o ms specializing in hese opics: Feminismo/s, published by he Uni e si y o Alican e since 2003; Cues iones de Géne o: de la igualdad y la di e encia, i s published in 2005 by he Uni e si y o Leon; DUODA. Es udios de la Di e encia Sexual, one o he pionee ing jou nals published by he Uni e si y o Ba celona since 1990; and Aspa kía: in es igación eminis a, c ea ed by he Jaume I Uni e si y in Cas ellon in 1998, among many o he s. 2. The p oli e a ion o monog aphs in non-specialized jou nals ocusing on gende . A a s a e le el and me ely by way o example, he ollowing a e wo hy o men ion: he special numbe o he Re is a La ina de Comunicación Social on gende iolence and communica ion published in 2016; he monog aph o No. 11 o Redes.Com en i led “Géne o y/en Comunicación” [Gende and/in Communica ion]; and ha o he jou nal Dígi os on Women’s In e ne , “P ác icas, es e eo ipos emeninos y ep esen aciones de géne o en la web” [P ac ices, eminine s e eo ypes and gende ep esen a ions on he Web], published in 2018. 3. The consolida ion o monog aphic academic cong esses on gende : he p esence o a la ge numbe o specialis s and esea ch in di e en speci ic gende s udies o ums has jus i ied he ield o knowledge’s con inued exis- ence o e he yea s. Examples include he biennial In e na ional Con e ence on Gende and Communica ion, o ganized by he Uni e si y o Se ille, whose ou h edi ion will be held in 2018. This uni e si y also hos s he In e na ional Con e ence on Mic omachismo in Communica ion and Educa ion, whose hi d edi ion is scheduled o 2018. By he same oken, o he highe educa ion cen e s, such as he Oña i In e na ional Ins i u e o he Sociology o Law (IISL) and he Poly echnic Uni e si y o Valencia (UPV) ha e also o ganized encoun e s e ol ing a ound his heme o e he pas decade. In 2013, he IISL hos ed he In e na ional Cong ess on Gende Violence: In e sec ion- ali ies, and in 2010 he In e na ional Cong ess on Woman, A and Tech- nology in he New Public Sphe e was held a he UPV. O he ele an encoun e s on he 2018 agenda include he 10 h In e na ional Cong ess o he 176 Uni e si y Associa ion o Women’s S udies (AUDEM): La uni e sidad de las muje es. Ocho siglos de luces y somb as [The uni e si y o women. Eigh cheque ed cen u ies]. Howe e , despi e he g owing popula i y o his ield o scien i ic knowledge – which is only b ie ly add essed he e – he e is s ill a dea h o quali a i e, quan i a i e and ypological esea ch in his ega d. As wi h communica ion s udies (Ma ínez Nicolás & Sape as Lapied a, 2011), whose exponen ial g ow h began in he 1980s, while he i s me a-analyses da e back o he yea 2000, his ype o analysis has been p ac ically conspicuous by i s absence in gende and communica ion s udies in Spain. In his espec , Ca o González and Gua inos (2017) s a e ha “ he e a e mul iple pape s ha ha e used bibliome ics in he ield o communica ion, bu none o hem ha e in lu- enced hei p ac ice on gende s udies in a compa a i e way” (65). The only ones ha s and ou a e a numbe o sec ionalized s udies such as hose pe o med by Miquel-Sega a, Na a o-Bel á and Ma ín-Llaguno (2016), A anz Lozano (2015) and Na a o and Ma ín (2013), who in spi e o p o iding in e es ing o e iews o hei speci ic a eas (public ela ions and co po a e communica ion, gende iolence, and ilms and ad e ising, espec- i ely), do no o e a gene al snapsho o gende and women’s s udies. Howe e , his snapsho is u e ly essen ial o e alua e, as has been done in he ield o communica ion in gene al, he pas and p esen o a line o esea ch ha is g adually gaining g ound in Spain. The obse a ion o scien i ic esea ch h ough he p ism o academic p oduc ion in specialized jou nals is a p ocedu e wi h a me a-analy ical ack eco d (Fe nández-Quijada & Masip, 2013; Na a o & Ma ín, 2013; Cas illo & Ca e ón, 2010), and he s udy p esen ed he e, based on hese ad ances in he gene al ield o communica ion, shi s he ocus owa ds he speci ic p oduc ion o communica ion and gende s udies. As o he ack eco d men ioned abo e, in 2010, Cas illo and Ca e ón published a s udy o he main communica ion jou nals, whose sample was chosen acco ding o IN-RECS, he impac index mos used a he ime. Thei wo k p o ided an exhaus i e desc ip ion o he ype o esea ch ha had been pe o med hi he o in Spain and al eady included he sex disagg ega ion o au ho da a. The esul s e ealed an unequal dis ibu ion: 53.7% o he pape s we e au ho ed by men, e sus 46.3% by women (Cas illo & Ca e ón, 2010). Ne e heless, in he academic li e a u e speci ically dealing wi h gende issues he e was a majo i y o au ho esses (Na a o & Ma ín, 2013). O , in o he wo ds, women a e mo e inclined o inqui e in o his subjec , which poses in e es ing ques ions o u u e esea ch – in his ega d, i should be no ed ha Ca o González and Gua inos (2017) ha e s udied he scien i ic p oduc i i y and collabo a ion o Spanish au ho s who ha e published pape s 177 wi h a gende pe spec i e in Scopus communica ion jou nals be ween 2008 and 2014. Despi e he impo ance o Cas illo and Ca e ón’s wo k as one o he i s and o emos bibliome ic s udies o communica ion esea ch in Spain, he sample used by hese au ho s was es ic ed o pape s published in 2008. Ne e heless, a yea a e wa ds Ma ínez Nicolás and Sape as Lapied a (2011) published a wo k based on ou jou nals8 wi h a much longe ime ame, i.e. om 1998 o 2007. One o hei mos no ewo hy conclusions, in he con ex o communica ion s udies, was he supe io i y o hose s udies ocusing on jou nalism om an empi ical app oach, as well as he lack o me hodological igo ha was eg e ably de ec ed in a la ge p opo ion o he pape s analyzed by hem: [...] gene ally speaking, wha is in ol ed a e empi ical s udies wi h se ious me hodological sho comings, a leas as a as he use o s anda dized da a collec ion echniques is conce ned. Only in a hi d o hese wo ks can such echniques be iden i ied, whe he hey be quan i a i e o quali a i e, wi h a clea p edominance o hose employed in media message s udies (con en and discou se analysis) and scan ecou se o p ocedu es o accessing da a ga he ed om li e sou ces (su eys, in-dep h in e iews, ocus g oups, e c.). (Ma ínez Nicolás & Sape as Lapied a, 2011) The s udy mos simila o he one conduc ed he e (Ma ínez-Nicolás, Sape as & Ca asco-Campos, 2017) p o ides a 25-yea o e iew o academic p oduc- ion ela ing o jou nalism published in he op i e Spanish communica ion jou nals.9 I is based on he ollowing “coding c i e ia” (154) which ha e se ed as inspi a ion and guidance o he esea ch desc ibed he e: knowledge in e es s ( he jou nalis ic ield app oached and he objec o s udy) and modes o esea ch ( he ype o esea ch, me hodological app oach and echniques employed in empi ical s udies). He e, he ollowing basic elemen s ha e been ecouped om he a o e- men ioned s udies: he sex disagg ega ion o au ho da a (Na a o & Ma ín, 2013; Cas illo & Ca e ón, 2010); he s udy o esea ch me hodologies and echniques (A anz Lozano, 2015; Ma ínez Nicolás & Sape as Lapied a, 2011); he ypes o objec s o s udy (Ma ínez-Nicolás, Sape as & Ca asco- Campos, 2017; Ma ínez Nicolás & Sape as Lapied a, 2011); and he col- labo a ion be ween di e en esea ch cen e s (Fe nández-Quijada & Masip, 2013; Cas illo & Ca e ón, 2010). Wha is no ewo hy is he special a en ion paid o he ollowing pe spec i e in ela ion o he di e en me hodological cu en s: Ou in e es in me hodological pa adigms, known as he quan i a i e o quali a i e pa h o knowledge, is o obse e hei epis emological 184 Figu e 4 Dis ibu ion o au ho ship by sex Own elabo a ion. As ega ds collec i e e o s, i espec i e o he g oup’s composi ion, women we e no only he i s au ho s (in 76.3% o he cases), bu also o e whelm- ing he las ones (67.7%), which seems o ie in wi h he ac ha he majo i y o esea ch g oups we e en i ely made up o women. Thus, o he o al numbe o co-au ho ed pape s published, in 33.7% o he cases he co- au ho s we e all women, while in 7.9% hey we e all men. This con as s wi h scien i ic collabo a ion in gene al, in which men a e mo e likely o collabo a e wi h o he men, while women end o wo k wi h bo h o he women and men (A aújo e al., 2017). On a sepa a e issue, his s udy, ollowing a numbe o p eceden s, also inqui ed in o he in e na ionaliza ion o gende and communica ion esea ch in Spain. To assess his eali y, wo indica o s we e eso ed o: he p esence o g oups comp ising au ho s o bo h sexes a ilia ed wi h non-Spanish uni e si ies, ha is, in e na ional collabo a ion and he ansla ion o pape s in o o he languages. Wi h espec o he ype o collabo a ion ne wo ks es ablished a he uni- e si ies o he au ho s, i can be obse ed ha only 8.4% o he pape s had some so o o eign in ol emen . Mo eo e , as shown in Figu e 5, 74.2% we e w i en by male and/o emale esea che s belonging o a sole uni e si y, o wi , i he e had indeed been some kind o collabo a ion, his was es ic ed o he habi ual scope o academic p oduc ion wi h wo k colleagues o bo h sexes. As o 2014, he e has been a p og essi e in ol emen o non- Spanish esea che s and schola s in he pape s published, as shown in Figu e 5. Despi e being ela i ely low in numbe , a end owa ds he consolida ion o a mo e coope a i e and less indi idualis ic o m o wo k, also wi h a g ea e le el o in e na ional collabo a ion, can appa en ly be obse ed. 185 Figu e 5 E olu ion o collabo a ion ne wo ks o e ime Own elabo a ion. 186 The uni e si y ha s ands ou mos o i s in e na ional collabo a ion is he Complu ense Uni e si y o Mad id, while a a na ional le el he combina ions ha appea a e no no mally epea ed. No ewo hy examples o uni e si ies wi h which esea che s o bo h sexes, pu suing hei wo k in in e na ional collabo a ion ne wo ks, a e a ilia ed include he Complu ense, Se ille, San- iago de Compos ela and he King Juan Ca los (Mad id). This in e na ional collabo a ion has o da e in ol ed he ollowing esea ch cen e s, among o he s: The F ee Uni e si y o Be lin (Ge many); he Uni e si y o Alaska Ancho age (USA); he Au onomous Uni e si y o Ciudad Juá ez (Mexico); and Hallym Uni e si y (Sou h Ko ea). Howe e , e y ew pape s in se e al languages we e de ec ed: 85.4% we e published only in Spanish, 10.7% in Spanish and English and a me e 3.9% exclusi ely in English. 6.3. On me hodologies and o ma s: Gende issues a e esea ched om a quali a i e app oach and in a la ge numbe o communica ion o ma s One o he objec i es he e is o iden i y he mos s udied communica ion o ma s and he way in which esea che s ha e app oached hem. Fi s ly, he esul s indica e ha he quali a i e app oach was he mos popula (50.6%), e sus quan i a i e (29.8%) and mixed (18.7%) ones, which despi e hei s ong p esence we e less equen ly employed. This end owa ds quali a i e me hodologies is also bo ne ou by he ype o ools/ echniques used o app oach he objec s o s udy, he mos equen being con en analysis12 (43.3%), bibliog aphic e iew (16.9%) and easoned deba e (15.2%).13 The las wo se e as an example o he impo ance ha he in e p e a ion o seconda y da a and heo e ical p oduc ion ha e in quali a i e gende and communica ion esea ch, as shown in Figu e 6.14 Figu e 6 F equency o ools employed Own elabo a ion. 187 In ela ion o he mos s udied communica ion o ma s, and aking in o conside a ion he deduc i e and a i icial di ision ha had o be pe o med o de ine he eali ies and objec s o s udy, i is possible o pe cei e a ma ked end owa ds s udying he p ess (26.4%), e sus adio (1.7%) and he In e ne and social ne wo ks (4.5%). Wi h espec o hese las wo o ma s, i should be no ed ha hei popula i y as objec s o s udy has none heless inc eased o e he pas decade and wha has ecen ly been wi nessed is mos ce ainly a g ea e in e es in hese media on he pa o he esea ch communi y. When analyzed longi udinally, a g owing in e es in audio isual o ma s, abo e all ele ision, bu also social ne wo ks, has been de ec ed. Fu he mo e, as can be seen in Figu e 7, his has been accompanied by a p og essi e loss o in e es in ad e ising o ma s. By he same oken, om a compa a i e pe spec i e wha also s ands ou is he di e si y o o ma s s udied, 2008 ma king a be o e and a e in gende esea ch: a be o e cha ac e ized by a p edominance o he p ess, ad e ising and media as a whole; and an a e when he e has been a clea end owa ds mul iple o ma s.15 6.4. Resea ch ocusing on iden i ies The main heme add essed in gende and communica ion s udies o da e, acco ding o he esul s o he analysis pe o med he e, has been wha could gene ally be called “iden i ies” (Figu e 8). Mo e speci ically, ou o he di e en op ions included in he p e iously es ablished ca ego iza ion (i.e. iden i ies; iolence; ep esen a ion/ ea men /co e age; emale p oduc ion; wo k; educa ion; poli ics; equali y–inequali y; childhood–adolescence; spo s; ma e ni y; he In e ne and social ne wo ks; gende s udies; disagg ega ed analyses; consump ion; p os i u ion; and o he s),16 he mos equen opics a e as ollows: iden i ies (27%), iolence (11.8%) and ep esen a ion/ ea men /co e age (10.7%). 188 Figu e 7 E olu ion o he communica ion o ma s s udied Own elabo a ion. 189 Figu e 8 Dis ibu ion o academic p oduc ion by opic Own elabo a ion. F om an his o ical pe spec i e, wha again s ands ou is he ac ha he p ogessi e inco po a ion o hese s udies in he ield o communica ion has been cha ac e ized by a b oade ange o hemes. In con as wi h he classic s udies o he di e en ial ep esen a ion o women and men and iolence ea men and discou ses, opics such as ma e ni y (1988–2010: one pape ; 2011–2017: h ee), wo k (1988–2010: ze o pape s; 2011–2017: 11) and spo s (1988–2010: ze o pape s; 2011–2017: ou ) ha e s a ed o ca e ou a niche o hemsel es in he communica ion and gende esea ch agenda (Figu e 8 and 9). Besides he main heme, he mos ecu en seconda y hemes we e also assessed. The la e p o ide a clea pic u e o he speci ic issues ha ha e caugh he a en ion o communica ion and gende esea ch o e he pas ew decades. Fo example, s e eo ypes a e a seconda y heme in 34 pape s, iden- i ies in 28, wo k – which, as al eady no ed, is as becoming a main heme – in 25, ensions and analysis o equali y-inequali y in 13 and he concep o eminism in 11. On he o he hand, and bea ing in mind he ele ance o keywo ds, essen- ial o indexing and dissemina ing scien i ic esea ch, he NVi o p og amme18 – specializing in quali a i e o mixed uns uc u ed da a p ocessing – was used o conduc a keywo d equency analysis ocusing on he o al numbe o gende - and communica ion- ela ed pape s comp ising he sample. As can been obse ed in Figu e 10, he keywo ds géne o [gende ], muje [woman], comunicación [communica ion] and es e eo ipos [s e eo ypes] a e he mos equen . 190 Figu e 9 E olu ion o he main opic o pape s o e ime17 Own elabo a ion. 191 Figu e 10 G aphic ep esen a ion o he mos equen ly employed keywo ds Own elabo a ion. The keywo ds employed on mo e han 20 occasions a e as ollows: géne o [gende ] (84), muje [woman] (64), comunicación [communica ion] (31), es e eo ipos [s e eo ypes] (27), medios [media] (23), ele isión [ ele ision] (22), social [social] (21), iolencia [ iolence] (21) and p ensa [p ess] (20). In addi ion o he mos e iden e ms in communica ion and gende s udies (i.e. géne o, muje and comunicación), he es o he keywo ds epea ed mos o en b oadly speaking e lec he p edominan end o he pape s analyzed, i.e. app oaches o gende ep esen a ion, he s e eo ypes linge ing in socie y oday and s uc u al p oblems (like iolence agains women) using media con en analysis. 7. Discussion An analysis o he esul s unde sco es ha al hough communica ion and gende esea ch is s ill a ma ginal ield wi h p opo ionally e y li le in luence on he discipline, i is ne e heless g adually gaining g ound. Wha is in ol ed is a ield o esea ch ha has s eadily di e si ied as ega ds he communica ion o ma s and hemes wi h which i deals, o i is based on i s his o ical links o jou nalism s udies (Cas illo & Ca e ón, 2010; Ma ínez Nicolás & Sape as Lapied a, 2011) and has ocused o e whelmingly on he 192 analysis o iden i ies, iolence and gende ep esen a ions in he media, be o e g adually including new o ma s and opics. In his espec , ma e ni y, wo k and spo s a e now mo e equen objec s o s udy. As o o ma s, besides becoming clea ly mo e di e se, some ha in p e ious s ages a oused he g ea es in e es , such as hose ela ing o ad e ising, ha e now been abandoned o a ce ain ex en . This could be explained by he g owing numbe o specialized jou nals and pla o ms a ailable. In o he wo ds, i migh no be due o he academic communi y’s disa ec ion wi h ce ain o ma s, bu o he ac ha he e a e now mo e oppo uni ies o publish hese wo ks in eme ging specialized jou nals (in he ield o ad e ising, o ins ance), which s ill ha e no been included in he anking o jou nals wi h an impac ac o . Mo ing on o o he issues, as has been seen in he esul s sec ion, 2008 ma ked a u ning poin as ega ds bo h he p oli e a ion o gende - ela ed pape s in communica ion jou nals and hei di e si ica ion ( opics, o ma s s udied, e c.). In his connec ion, as highligh ed on ano he occasion (Zu bano- Be engue , 2015), emphasis should be placed on he a - eaching legisla i e changes and social p og ess in Spain since he u n o he cen u y, no only conce ning gende and equali y (Spanish O ganic Law 1/2004, 28 Decembe , on Comp ehensi e P o ec ion Measu es agains Gende Violence; Spanish O ganic Law 3/2007, 22 Ma ch, o he e ec i e equali y o women and men, e c.), bu also p ecisely in ela ion o he ole o he media in his espec . Fo example, he a o emen ioned laws, as well as egional legisla ion seeking he same goals (Comp ehensi e Law 7/2012, 23 No embe , o he Valencian Go e nmen , on Violence agains Women in he Valencian Communi y; Law 13/2007, 26 No embe , on Comp ehensi e P o ec ion Measu es agains Gende -based Violence in Andalusia; Law 17/2015, 21 July, o he e ec i e equali y o women and men in Ca alonia, e c.), highligh he social espon- sibili y ha he media has in he igh agains gende -based iolence and, mo e gene ally, in he achie emen o equali y be ween he sexes. Wha is mo e, on he basis o he abo e-men ioned laws, many egula o y bodies and media companies hemsel es ha e de eloped e hical codes in o de o include he gende pe spec i e in in o ma ion p ac ices and o in o m abou gende -based iolence adequa ely. In his connec ion, o e he pas 15 yea s communica ion schola s ha e analyzed he impac ha legisla i e changes and e hical codes ha e had on in o ma ion abou iolence agains women and, mo e gene ally, on socie y’s pe cep ion o his social p oblem. In mos cases he esul s poin o a posi i e ela ionship be ween he p omo ion o legisla i e and eminis ini ia i es, like hose e e ed o abo e, and he p oli e a ion o e hical codes and imp o emen s in he news ea men o gende -based iolence (Zu bano- Be engue & Ga cía-Go dillo, 2017; H un & Weldon, 2013; Ma ínez, 2012). On he o he hand, ano he impo an change occu ing in Spanish aca- demia in 2008 should also be aken in o accoun , i.e. ACADEMIA, an acc ed- 193 i a ion p og am o uni e si y eaching and esea ch ocusing on scien i ic p oduc i i y, launched by ANECA (Na ional Agency o Quali y Assessmen and Acc edi a ion o Spain). ACADEMIA, ollowing in e na ional ends in acc edi a ion sys ems, gi es op p io i y o esea ch. Wi hin he speci ic ield o communica ion, his decision is supposed o ha e led o bo h an inc ease in pape s published in Spanish communica ion jou nals and he exponen ial g ow h o he p esence o Spanish au ho s in in e na ional communica ion jou nals as om 2008 (Ma ínez-Nicolás, Sape as & Ca asco-Campos, 2017; Ma ínez-Nicolás & Sape as, 2016; Fe nández-Quijada & Masip, 2013). Re u ning o he esul s o his pape , wi h e e ence o he da a on s udy ypologies (na ional o in e na ional, depending on he academic a ilia ion o he au ho s), hese coincide wi h hose o he ield o communica ion in gene al: he e is an inc easingly g ea e endency owa ds eamwo k and he pa icipa ion o mul ina ional g oups (Fe nández-Quijada & Masip, 2013). In his espec , i should be added ha some jou nals ha e s a ed o eques ha pape s be ansla ed in o English. The e o e, an inc ease in he numbe o s udies published in his language is o be expec ed in he nea u u e. This will call o esea ch in o he in luence (o no ) ha his g ea e in e na ional access o Spanish academic p oduc ion – hanks o a wide use o English in scien i ic communica ion – may ha e on he in e na ional make-up o esea ch g oups a Spanish uni e si ies. In he same ein, he speci ic me hodology- ela ed da a on communica ion and gende esea ch p esen ed he e coincide wi h exis ing in o ma ion on he discipline o communica ion in gene al, o pape s o en do no include a c edible me hodological s a egy and e en equen ly lack a clea desc ip ion o he ools and me hods employed. By he same oken, in ecen esea ch (Madison & Söde lund, 2018; Söde lund & Madison, 2017) he a o emen- ioned weaknesses ha e also been de ec ed in scien i ic p oduc ion in he a ea o gende s udies. Beyond ha , when he me hodological concep ion and design a e clea ly se ou , con en analysis has been o da e he mos equen ly used echnique in he ield o communica ion (Cas illo & Ca e ón, 2010; Ma ínez Nicolás & Sape as Lapied a, 2011). 8. Conclusions As ega ds he objec i es es ablished a he beginning o his wo k, he ol- lowing can be claimed: 1. Wi h espec o he numbe o pape s dealing wi h gende , women’s and eminis s udies appea ing in Spanish communica ion jou nals in compa ison wi h hose dedica ed o o he opics, i can be held ha , p opo ionally speaking, he numbe o gende - ela ed pape s is s ill negligible, al hough a g adual and pa chy inc ease has been obse ed, depending on he jou nal. 200 Reigada Olaizola, A., & Sánchez Ley a, M. J. (eds.) (2007). C í ica eminis a y comunicación. Salamanca: Comunicación Social. Repiso, R., Delgado-López-Cóza , E., & To es-Salinas, D. 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