Between a rock and a hard place

Publishing issues in public relations and communication management

Datos Bibliográficos

ID21696049
AutoresGemma Bridge (0000-0001-7441-9849, Queen Mary University of London), Johanna Fawkes (0000-0002-9257-695X, University of Huddersfield), Ralph Tench (0000-0001-7760-2606, Leeds Beckett University)
Año2021
Volumen25
Número4
Páginas317-334
Fecha de publicación2021-11-05
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessSí
TipoARTICLE
RevistaJournal of Communication Management (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 1363-254X • E-ISSN: 1478-0852
EditorialEmerald (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1108/jcom-11-2020-0152
OpenAlexW3191733743
IdiomaEN
Referencias citadas25

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the pressures to publish facing European public relations (PR) and communication management scholars across career stages. Design/methodology/approach The Delphi method was used with PR and communication management scholars at associate professor level or higher across Europe. An online survey was then shared with the wider academic community to gather insights from scholars at different career stages. Findings The suitability and status of the journal and the language of the outputs are considered. Academics are caught between the rock of publishing inside the field to support its development and the hard place of being required to publish in high-ranking journals for funding and promotion. Scholars are evaluated regularly, with journal articles being the main unit of assessment. Academics, regardless of career stage, feel under pressure to publish. Research limitations/implications The wider survey enabled publishing insights to be gathered from academics across the career spectrum, but it was completed by a small sample. Nevertheless, similar concerns emerged from both methods of data gathering, suggesting a clear agenda for discussion and further research. Practical implications PR and communications management is an academic discipline without an accepted list of high-impact journals. This study provides an annotated journal list to aid institutional evaluations, aid scholarly journal publishing decisions and support early career researchers navigating the publishing process. Originality/value This adds to the somewhat limited discussion regarding how academics in PR and communication management decide where to publish and provides a resource that can be used by scholars, institutions and funders

Delphi method · Originality · Political science · Public relations · Publication · Publishing · Qualitative research · Scholarly communication · Social science · Sociology · Communication in Education and Healthcare · Computer Science · Corporate Identity and Reputation · Law · Public Relations and Crisis Communication