The content analysis methodologyUses and applications in communication research on Spanish-speaking countries

  1. Valeriano Piñeiro-Naval 1
  1. 1 Universidade da Beira Interior
    info

    Universidade da Beira Interior

    Covilhã, Portugal

    ROR https://ror.org/03nf36p02

Journal:
Comunicación y sociedad = Communication & Society

ISSN: 2386-7876

Year of publication: 2020

Volume: 33

Issue: 3

Pages: 1-15

Type: Article

DOI: 10.15581/003.33.3.1-15 DIALNET GOOGLE SCHOLAR lock_openOpen access editor

More publications in: Comunicación y sociedad = Communication & Society

Abstract

Based on a conceptual review of the content analysis research method, this article identifies meta-research studies that confirm the relevance of this technique in the atomised field of communication sciences. In light of the empirical evidence, this study is based on an analysis of 262 papers that use this tool and were published in major Spanish-language journals between 2013 and 2017. At instrumental level, bibliometric exploration is combined with content analysis itself, considering 18 categories, such as authorship, funding, sampling method and reporting of intercoder reliability. The results indicate that there is a steady annual growth in the number of papers produced by researchers affiliated to Spanish universities. These papers have more than two authors on average and often lack additional financial resources. As for the implementation of the content analysis method, it is generally applied to non-probabilistic samples and does not involve any intercoder reliability assessment and reporting. A series of recommendations are offered for researchers in Spain and in Latin America to meet international standards.

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Funding information

This article is part of a project funded by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (Ref.: SFRH/BPD/122402/2016) and the “LabCom – Communication and Arts” R&D Unit of the University of Beira Interior (Ref.: UIDB/00661/2020).

Funders

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Data source: Dialnet