Stepping out of the shadow: internationalizing communication research in CEE

Václav ŠtětkaECREA CEE Network Chair

PolCoRe,Institute of Communication Studies and Journalism,

Charles University in Prague

CEECOM 2015 International Conference, Zagreb 12-14 June 2015

Assessing/reflecting the East/West gap in social sciences

• European Social Foudation (2010) Promoting Internationalisation of the Social Sciences in Central and Eastern Europe. SCSS Position Paper.

• Palné Kovács & Kutsar (eds.) (2010) Internationalisation of Social Sciences in Central and Eastern Europe. The ‘catching up’ – a myth or a strategy? Routledge.

• Płoszaj A., Olechnicka A, (2015), ‘Running faster or measuring better? How is the R&D sector in Central and Eastern Europe catching up with Western Europe?’, GRINCOH Working Paper Series, Paper No. 3.06

“The slow and contested internationalisation”

Historical legacies: hindrance to internationalization

• “Catching up with Western Europe is blocked particularly by the several decades of isolation of the Central and Eastern European research community (primarily in the social sciences)”

Kutsar & Palné Kovács (2010: 1-2)

Participation in ESF activities and proposals by scientists from Europe vs CEE, 2004-2008

Source: ESF 2010

Coordinators of social sciences and humanities projects

in EU Framework Programmes (1994-2006)

CEE coordinators:FP5: 3%FP6: 6%

(source: ESF 2010)

Coordinators of FP7 projects (all disciplines) from CEE countries (EU10)

3.7%

Success rate of EU10 applications in ERC programmes: 4.3% (source: Rauch & Ulrich 2012)

Expenditure on R&D and employment in R&D: EU15 vs EU10

Source: Płoszaj & Olechnicka 2015

GERD as a % of GDP Employment in R&D as a % of population

GERD as % of GDP by country

Source: Płoszaj & Olechnicka 2015

R&D Expenditure vs FP7 success

Source: Rauch & Ulrich 2012

Publications in WoS journals 2000-2013: CEE authors account for 10.9% of total production

Poland Czech Republic

Hungary Romania0%5%

10%15%20%25%30%35%40%45%

40%

18%

13%11%

Source: Płoszaj & Olechnicka 2015

CEE countries’ share in articles and citations of EU10 (WoS, 2000-2013)

Source: Płoszaj & Olechnicka 2015

Citations per article in EU10 vs EU15

All WoS journals Excluding WoS journals published outside EU10

Source: Płoszaj & Olechnicka 2015

Citations per article by authors from EU10s (excluding WoS journals published in EU10)

Source: Płoszaj & Olechnicka 2015

Percentage of articles with at least one foreign affiliation (excl. CEE journals)

Source: Płoszaj & Olechnicka 2015

Examining publication outputs by CEE scholars in media/communication journals: an unexplored territory

• Braun and Schubert (1996): research on publications from the Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovakia and Slovenia

• Elena Tarasheva (2011) : The place of Eastern European researchers in international discourse: Critical discourse analysis. Discourse & Society 22 (2), 190-208.

• a case study on eight ‘Western’ journals which publish CDA research to establish the number of articles by Eastern Europeans– Journals included Media, Culture & Society; Communication Research;

Discourse & Society; Theory, Culture & Society• Out of 5699 articles in the sample (1990-2010), 39 (0.68%) came

from authors from Eastern Europe

Research articles in 8 communication/linguistic journals (SAGE) published by CEE scholars between 1990-2010 (Tarasheva, 2011)

Slove

nia

Poland

Romania

Russia

Bulgaria

Czech

Republic

Hungary

Estonia

Bosnia

Serb

ia0

2

4

6

8

10

12 11

65

43 3 3

21 1

Publication record of CEE scholars in international media & communication journals

A pilot study

Methodology

• Method: content analysis of publication record of CEE-based scholars in selected international media & communication journals

• Sample: 15 key communication journals published by Western publishers (Sage, Taylor&Francis, Wiley); all indexed in WoS–time scope: 2005-2014– only articles with authors affiliated to universities

residing in CEE countries – only research/review articles

• Variables: forms of authorship, types of methodologies, types of journal issue

Journal name Publisher IF (2013)

Ranking in the WoS JCR – Communication (2013)

Communication Research Sage 2.444 1Journal of Communication Wiley-Blackwell 2.076 3

New Media & Society Sage 2.052 4Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication

Wiley-Blackwell 2.019 6

Political Communication Taylor & Francis 1.825 10International Journal of Press-Politics Sage 1.761 11Communication Monographs Taylor & Francis 1.319 17

Information Communication & Society Taylor & Francis 1.283 19

Journalism Sage 1.241 21Media, Culture & Society Sage 1.139 25Communication Theory Wiley-Blackwell 1.048 31

European Journal of Communication Sage 1.000 33

Discourse & Society Sage 0.862 36International Journal of Communication

USC Annenberg Press

0.786 41

Journalism Studies Taylor & Francis 0.709 43

European Journal o

f Communica

tion

Discourse

& So

ciety

Journalism St

udies

Journalism

Media, Cultu

re & So

ciety

International Journal o

f Press&

Politics

Information, C

ommunication &

Socie

ty

International Journal o

f Communica

tion

New Media &

Socie

ty

Journal of C

omputer Mediated Communica

tion0

2

4

6

8

10

12 11

98

4 43 3 3

21

Results:

48 articlesby 88 authors

= approx. 1% of total production

2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 20140

2

4

6

8

10

12

2

5 5

34

5

10

5

3

6

Time development: is there any progress at all?

Authors by countries

36%

23%

10%

9%

7%

6%5%

2% 1% 1%

SloveniaOther - Western CountryPolandCzech RepublicHungaryEstoniaRomaniaOther - EuropeBulgariaLithuania

35%65%

Authorship

Single Multiple

48%52%

Western co-authors Non-western co-authors

Slove

nia

Other - W

estern Country

Poland

Czech

Republic

Hungary

Estonia

Romania

Bulgaria

Other - Europe

02468

101214161820

18

11

54 4

2 21 1

First author

19

5

53

48

University of LjubljanaCharles University in PragueUniversity of QueenslandUniversity of TartuOthers (only 1)

Universities with more than 1 article

85%

15%

Type of journal issue

Regular issue Special issue

13%

30%57%

MethodologyQuantitative Qualitative Not declared

32

13

6

13

First method

SurveyContent analysisDiscourse/textual/semiotic analysisInterviewsOther

5

1

7

Second method

Discourse/textual/semi-otic analysisInterviewsOther

Summary• CEE media & communication scholars having

marginal impact on the top-level international publictation scene– situation does not seem to be improving in time

• Virtually no presence in journals with highest IF• With the exception of Slovenia, publication record of

other countries limited to just a handful of articles• Most universities represented by just one article • Relative lack of empirical research & quantitative

methodologies • Low attention devoted to new/online/social media

So… what to do about it?• International co-publishing activities: “simple and robust indicator of

the internationalisation of science” (Kramberger & Mali, 2010: 199)– need to actively seek collaborative projects leading to co-publications with

Western authors• increasing international visibility: joint database of CEE institutions /

projects / researchers for improving networking– > “match-making application” - ECREA CEE Network initiative

• overcoming “self-stigmatisation” of CEE scholars (Kutsar & Kovács, 2010: 222)

• Internationalization from below: promoting & enhancing international experience of graduate/PhD students– Encouraging participation at international graduate conferences– Joint PhD supervision with Western universities– Preventing from “brain drain”: creating conditions for young CEE scholars

with international experience to return back to CEE

Thank you!

vaclav.stetka@fsv.cuni.cz