A Trend Analysis Of Communication Research In Chinese Mainland Since Reform And Opening-up

Since the reform and opening-up policy, communication science in Chinese mainland has been gradually accepted and recognized by the academic circles and is developing to the direction of the mainstream of social sciences. An accurate grasp of communication researches' track is not only a prerequisite of a reflection, but also a need for the development of communication science and a necessary condition to optimize the discipline's human resources.This study collected 954 papers from the five most influential academic journals in Chinese mainland as study sample, and it analized the statistics on the development track of communication science for three decades from research spheres, research methods and research groups. This study found that Chinese mainland's communication science has a distinct trend of development phases and in the cut-off point some special or regular academic and social events often occureed. The expansion of research spheres clearly reflects a characteristic of academic utilitarianism—business first and public second, mass first and small mass second.Research methods of communication science overall take on a trend of diversity. Empirical and critical apotheosis is at the status of mainstream, but the method's normalization and rigourism have some big problems. Interpretive apotheosis bagan to develop until the last decade, and has been hovering at the edge location. Research groups are at the center position in the development of communication science, and have been playing a key role. During the three decades, the majority of communication researchers are men, are from journalism and related arts, only have published one or two articles in the relevant journals, and focus personal research sphere on one or two.Chinese communication scholars are eager to explore the problems of localization and internationalization, but communication science in Chinese mainland is still in the stage of introduction. When the testing researches have not yet been accumulated to a certain extent and the original researches have not yet appeared, communication science need to return to its origination before really beginning to be localized.