Comparison of the impact of books and articles by Spanish communication researchers through Google Scholar in 2019

Abstract

This paper offers an analysis of the impact of research in communication through a comparative study of citation in main publication formats -books and papers-in the areas of journalism, audiovisual communication and advertising. With this aim, the three publications with greatest impact of 281 researchers (199 headlines and 82 professors) from Spanish public universities have been taken as a reference, thus counting 843 papers, that have yielded a total of 72,993 citations, according to Google Scholar. The research concludes that there is and harmonious coexistence of formats in this field, although the books show a longer time course while the journals are clearly chosen by the younger researchers. These conclusions are finally contextualized within the framework of current research policies in Spain.