Stepping out of the shadow: internationalizing communication research in CEE Václav Štětka ECREA...

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


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%


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


Citations per article in EU10 vs EU15

All WoS journals Excluding WoS journals published outside EU10


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


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


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!

[email protected]

Stepping out of the shadow: internationalizing communication research in CEE Václav Štětka ECREA...

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