Social construction of public relations knowledge by academic institutions worldwide: A bibliometric network analysis.

This VOSviewer-enabled bibliometric study examines scientific knowledge construction in public relations research since 1955. A co-citation analysis indicates that while sustaining its cross-disciplinary nature, public relations increasingly relies on scholarship generated within its own discipline, with Public Relations Review, Journal of Public Relations Research and Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly most cited academic sources. A citation analysis of author affiliations revealed a number of findings, including universities with the highest count of publications, university pairs that tend to cite each other, as well as regional university groups and large clusters within a broader, citation-based network. Among the 108 most productive academic institutions from four continents included into the study, U.S.-based universities produced the highest number of publications in nine peer-reviewed journals. Cross-referencing citation relationships among university clusters in different world regions illustrates an ongoing pattern of globalized construction of public relations knowledge. • A bibliometric network analysis traces the construction of public relations knowledge since 1955. • Public relations has been increasingly relying on scholarship generated within the discipline. • Public Relations Review and Journal of Public Relations Research are most cited academic sources. • U.S.-based universities produced the highest number of publications in nine peer-reviewed journals. • Based on cross-referencing citation relationships, the construction of public relations knowledge has been globalized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]