Referees' reports - 2010

The subject of the article is relevant and current. The interpretations and conclusions are justified and consistent.

The contribution is very interesting as it traces a convincing X-ray of the field and the multidisciplinary spectrum that nurtures Communication Studies, as well as the lines that make its backbone, and the connections between authors and epistemological approaches, within a very specific frame like the index analyzed.– Raymond Colle, Ph.D - Santiago de Chile.aa

The article is relevant to unlock some of the deficits presented by emerging communication sciences. With a correct methodological foundation, the research tries to determine the theoretical and epistemological status of this discipline based on Cocitation studies, which provide a new vision that is complementary of other proposals.

The investigation reveals the names of the most influential authors and their impact on the area based on the analysis of the database Social Sciences Citation Index (SSSCI), but underestimates other channels of consultation that may be relevant like the IN-RECS.

The research findings warn of insufficient visibility of Spanish authors against their Americans counterparts, the lack of research, focused on interpersonal and mass communication, and the necessary recurrence of researchers to other theoretical fields such as Psychology, Sociology, Philosophy and Linguistics. Based on all this, the author concludes that the field of communication is insufficiently legitimated science.– Silvia Jimenez, Ph.D - University of Salamanca - Camilo José Cela University.

The subject of the article is relevant and current. It fits the topics linked to the magazine. Being a wide-ranging research it presents some imbalances in trying to synthesize data and results. Perhaps there is some discrepancy in describing one of the authors selected and his or her fieldwork –most cited authors– in the section that examines the intellectual structure of the scientific field of communication, in comparison to others.

However, the contribution is very interesting as it traces a convincing X-ray of the field and the multidisciplinary spectrum that nurtures Communication Studies, as well as the lines that make its backbone, and the connections between authors and epistemological approaches, within a very specific frame like the index analyzed
The article is an example of a rigorous investigation, in line with the academic conventions, with an appropriate level in the citation and referencing of sources.– María Amor Pérez Rodríguez, Ph.D - University of Huelva.

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