TY - JOUR
T1 - Mapping a Subfield’s Sociology of Science
T2 - A 25-Year Network and Bibliometric Analysis of the Knowledge Construction of Sports Crisis Communication
AU - Harker, Jennifer L.
AU - Saffer, Adam J.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© The Author(s) 2018.
PY - 2018/10/1
Y1 - 2018/10/1
N2 - Sport crisis communication research has emerged as a substantial subfield of communication, sport communication, and crisis communication. The purpose of this study is to assess the development and diffusion of the subfield’s scholarly works to uncover the influential authors, theories, and journals central to the subfield’s knowledge construction process. We chart the development of the subfield by combining network analysis and bibliometric methods. Our analysis of 25 years of scholarship in 25 journals reveals seven major areas of focus in sport crisis communication with an emphasis on applied and critical cultural scholarship. Furthermore, our research indicates that the Journal of Sport & Social Issues played an integral and interdisciplinary role in supporting the emergence of this area of study. We argue the subfield holds great opportunity for future growth, most notably in empirical research.
AB - Sport crisis communication research has emerged as a substantial subfield of communication, sport communication, and crisis communication. The purpose of this study is to assess the development and diffusion of the subfield’s scholarly works to uncover the influential authors, theories, and journals central to the subfield’s knowledge construction process. We chart the development of the subfield by combining network analysis and bibliometric methods. Our analysis of 25 years of scholarship in 25 journals reveals seven major areas of focus in sport crisis communication with an emphasis on applied and critical cultural scholarship. Furthermore, our research indicates that the Journal of Sport & Social Issues played an integral and interdisciplinary role in supporting the emergence of this area of study. We argue the subfield holds great opportunity for future growth, most notably in empirical research.
KW - bibliometric methods
KW - knowledge construction
KW - network analysis
KW - sport crisis communication
KW - theoretical foundations
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U2 - 10.1177/0193723518790011
DO - 10.1177/0193723518790011
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85053630092
SN - 0193-7235
VL - 42
SP - 369
EP - 392
JO - Journal of Sport and Social Issues
JF - Journal of Sport and Social Issues
IS - 5
ER -