Call for papers: Meta-Research in Communication: Methodological and Thematic Trends in a Context of Change between AI and Traditional Approaches. Hipertext.net, number 33, november 2026

Posted on 2026-01-14

Introduction

Meta-research as a distinct line of inquiry within the field of Communication Studies has several pioneering references dating back to the late twentieth century (de Moragas, M., 1988; Caffarel, C., Domínguez, M. & Romano, V., 1989; Cáceres, M.D. & Caffarel, C., 1993; Urabayen, M., 1994; Jones, D.E., 1998). However, it was not until well into the present century that it became firmly established, in line with the growing maturity of the discipline. Meta-research is, in fact, a sign of the robustness of a field of knowledge, as it examines not only how knowledge advances within a discipline, but also how its scientific community works to achieve such progress.

It is therefore necessary to critically examine and disseminate scientific knowledge about academic teaching and research practices within the scholarly community itself—practices that increasingly shape the sociocultural evolution associated with the historic transformation brought about by the use and misuse of advances in digital telecommunications technologies.

The development of meta-research in Communication enables a more comprehensive understanding of the Communication research system as a whole. This, in turn, provides a foundation for the planning of public research policies (at both national and international levels), while offering researchers in the field an overview of the state of the art and helping to identify emerging areas of interest for future work, in terms of research objects, methods, techniques, purposes, and theoretical perspectives.

The aim of this special issue is to capture current research practices in Communication Studies, with particular—though not exclusive—attention to work conducted in Spain and Latin America. The objective is to contribute another chapter to the necessarily unfinished history of meta-research in any field of knowledge, in which the scientific community must not only advance in terms of results, but also map and reflect on how such progress is produced. This reflexive exercise serves, internally, to support the training of present and future generations of researchers, and externally, to inform public policies relevant to the field. Contributions are expected to address the following overarching question: How is research currently conducted in Communication Studies?

Thematic Areas

The following non-exclusive thematic lines and indicative approaches are proposed:

  1. Theoretical and methodological perspectives for meta-research.
  2. Methodological trends and innovative proposals in the construction of research objects in Communication:
    1. Gender: women and research in Communication, as active subjects (the role and position of female researchers in the field); and as objects of study (gender representations in communication).
    2. Media communication: press, radio, television, cinema, documentary, programming, digital platforms, corporate structures and alliances.
    3. Content production: fiction, hate speech, climate crisis, uncertainty, risks, crises, catastrophes, politics, fake news, advertising, denialism, big data, clear communication, transparency.
    4. Reception: media and social media consumption, cyber well-being, older adults, immersion, interaction, social and digital vulnerabilities.

Culture: digitalisation, diversity, migration, reputation, empowerment, artificial intelligence, historical phases.

  1. Scientific production in Communication through the characterisation of research objects and research subjects.
  2. Conditions of access to, production of, and circulation of national and international scientific texts in Communication Studies.
  3. The history of research in Communication.
  4. Technological innovation and the social impact of research in Communication.

 

References

Caffarel Serra, C., Lozano Ascencio, C., Gaitán- Moya, J.A. y Piñuel Raigada, J.L. (Eds.). (2023). Mapcom: 15 años de investigación en comunicación en España. Editorial. Comunicación Social Ediciones y Publicaciones. ISBN: 978-84-17600-82-2. Acceso abierto: https://espejodemonografias.comunicacionsocial.es/issue/view/545

Caffarel, C., Gaitán, J. A., Lozano-Ascencio, C., y Piñuel, J. L.( Eds.). (2018). Tendencias metodológicas en la investigación académica sobre Comunicación. Comunicación Social. Salamanca. ISBN: 9788415544692.

Doval-Avendaño, M., & Martín Algarra, M. (2021). Periodismo y tecnología, tendencias de investigación y propuestas. Estudios sobre el Mensaje Periodístico, 27(2), 463-480. https://doi.org/10.5209/esmp.71073

Gaitán Moya, J. A., Lozano Ascencio, C., Caffarel-Serra, C., & Piñuel Raigada, J. L. (2021). La investigación en comunicación en proyectos I+D en España de 2007 a 2018. Revista Latina De Comunicación Social, (79), 1–25. https://doi.org/10.4185/RLCS-2020-1486

Gaitán Moya J. A., Ortega-Mohedano F. y Caffarel-Serra C. (2021). Análisis de las revistas mejor indexadas en comunicación en España. Mapa de la difusión de los artículos vinculados a proyectos I+D+i en revistas españolas desde 2007 hasta 2018. Estudios sobre el Mensaje Periodístico, 27(3), 845-854. https://doi.org/10.5209/esmp.73262

Gaitán Moya, J. A., Lozano Ascencio, C., & Piñuel Raigada, J. L. (2016). Prospectiva de la investigación sobre TV a partir de los Proyectos I+D y Tesis doctorales de 2007 a 2013 en las Facultades españolas de comunicación. Revista De La Asociación Española De Investigación De La Comunicación, 3(6), 51-59. https://doi.org/10.24137/raeic.3.6.7

Gómez-Escalonilla G. y Izquierdo-Iranzo P. (2022). Género y comunicación en revistas y congresos científicos. Comunicación y Género, 5(1), 1-11. https://doi.org/10.5209/cgen.77148

Gómez-Escalonilla, G., & Izquierdo-Iranzo, P. (2020). Contribuciones científicas presentadas en los congresos de la Asociación Española de Investigación de la Comunicación (2007-2018). Profesional de la información, v. 29, n. 4, e290440. https://doi.org/10.3145/epi.2020.jul.40

Gómez-Escalonilla, G. y Barranquero, A. (2024). Investigación cualitativa en los estudios de comunicación: características, objetos y técnicas. Profesional de la información, v. 33, n. 2, e330211. https://doi.org/10.3145/epi.2024.0211  

Izquierdo-Iranzo, P., Gaitán, J.A. & Caffarel, C. (2020). Mapa de la mujer como sujeto y objeto de la investigación en comunicación en España. Comunicació: Revista de Recerca i d’Anàlisi [Societat Catalana de Comunicació]. Vol. 37 (1) (maig 2020), pp. 31-52. DOI: 10.2436/20.3008.01.189. https://burjcdigital.urjc.es/server/api/core/bitstreams/9ad6f668-fa35-4ca8-b7f4-eac791dee335/content

Lozano-Ascencio, C. & Rodríguez-Díaz, R. (2022). La investigación sobre periodismo y Latinoamérica a través de las tesis doctorales defendidas en universidades españolas. Contratexto, (037), 77-97. https://doi.org/10.26439/contratexto2022.n037.5685

Lozano-Ascencio, C. & Rodríguez-Serrano, A. (2018). La investigación de la comunicación en la actualidad. En: adComunica. nº15. dedicada a La investigación en Comunicación Castellón: Asociación para el Desarrollo de la Comunicación adComunica y Universitat Jaume I, 21-24. ISSN: 2254-2728. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.6035/2174-0992.2018.15.2 

Peñafiel-Saiz, C., Ronco-López, M., Videla-Rodríguez, J.J. & Echegaray-Eizaguirre, L. (2019). Percepción y análisis de la comunidad universitaria sobre el sistema actual de investigación de la comunicación en España. Revista Latina de Comunicación Social, 74, pp. 1521-1541. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4185/RLCS-2019-1397

 

Piñuel-Raigada, J.L., Caffarel-Serra, C., Lozano-Ascencio, C. 6 Gaitán-Moya, J.A. (Eds.). (2019). Investigación, Comunicación y Universidad: Proyectos I+D y Tesis doctorales, Debates y Encuesta a investigadores en las Facultades con Grados de Comunicación en España. Editorial Comunicación Social Ediciones y Publicaciones. Salamanca. ISBN: 978-8417600129.

Piñuel, J.L.  & Morales, E. (2018): Un estudio praxeológico de la investigación en comunicación, a través del análisis del discurso hegemónico de investigadores académicos en España. Perspectivas de la Comunicación. Vol 11 · Nº 2 · pp. 83-135 Universidad de La Frontera, Chile. https://www.perspectivasdelacomunicacion.cl/index.php/perspectivas/article/view/1580/1744

Polledo-Zulueta, Y., Rubira-García, R. & Lozano-Ascencio, C. (2023). La realidad comunicativa latinoamericana en las tesis doctorales de comunicación defendidas en España. Revista de la Asociación Española De Investigación de la Comunicación, 10(20), raeic102006. https://doi.org/10.24137/raeic.10.20.6

Teso Alonso, M. G. & Sandulescu Budea, A. M. (2023). La investigación española en torno al uso de las nuevas tecnologías de la información en el periodismo. Revista de la Asociación Española de Investigación de la Comunicación, 10 (Especial), 33-57. https://doi.org/10.24137/raeic.10.e.4

 

Dates and contacts

Submission Deadline: June 30th, 2026

Notification of acceptance: October, 2026

Publication: November 2026

 

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