| Scope and method of study. Employing citation analysis, the impact of journalism and mass communication (JMC) publications was measured during five selected years over the past two decades. Two sample groups were drawn. The faculty sample was composed of 800 individuals with professors comprising 28%; associate professors, 32%; and assistant professors, 40%. About 225 research-front authors composed the second group known as the most published authors or special sample. Sampling units were citations earned by each member of the sample as listed in the Social Sciences Citation Index during the years 1970, 1975, 1980, 1985, and 1990. Findings were statistically tested using chi-square, Spearman Rho rank correlation and multiple regression.; Findings and conclusions. An enormous proportion of the citations of the most productive departments were accounted for by fewer than seven frequently cited scholars. No substantial differences in departmental rankings were observed using reputational surveys, research productivity, and citations to publications. Citation-based institutional ratings during the five-year period were found to be related although rankings between and among the sample groups varied significantly. The leading programs also exhibited genuine differences in citation yield for most of the years. The majority of the top-ranking schools have graduate programs and about 55% are doctoral granting institutions. Nine are among the nation's largest in terms of student population and about 65% are clustered in the country's Midwestern and Eastern regions. |
