Specialisation and Spanish journals of communication. Especialización y revistas académicas españolas de Comunicación

The specialisation of journals derives from their classification in databases and the terms used by journals to describe themselves (title, scope and target audience). A journal’s specialisation is manifested in the image it promotes, which is decisive for its selection and consideration by authors. In addition, the specialisation reflects the journal’s degree of consolidation in a particular field of knowledge. Method. This study incorporates the perspective of strategic communication and is based on the content analysis of the Spanish journals of communication’s websites and on their classification in the databases IN-RECS, Dialnet, Carhus Plus+, RESH, DICE, MIAR and ISOC. The sample of Spanish journals is composed of 63 publications. Results and conclusions. Most journals (80%) use general descriptors from the field of communication, while 57% mentions specific sub-disciplines and reflects a greater degree of specialisation. The terms used by the different databases to refer to the scientific field and area of knowledge are not uniform and do not reflect common criteria.