Abstract
Communication as a field of research is examined through the diversity of scholarly communities, research levels, methods, values, and traditions that shape the discipline. The article describes communication research as organized around sociological levels, elements of the communication process, and delimiting variables that form overlapping interest groups. It also considers how research perspectives, including managerial, policy, technological, industry, and critical orientations, influence questions, interpretations, and disciplinary conflicts. Rather than presenting communication as a unified field with a single object or method, the article identifies common threads that connect research communities, including the central role of communication in social behavior, the problem of meaning, the concept of process, and attention to context. It concludes by urging communication administrators to support broad definitions, cross area reading, tolerance, and sustained scholarly dialogue.
Recommended Citation
Anderson, James A.
(1984)
"Communication as a field of research,"
Association for Communication Administration Bulletin: Vol. 48, Article 8.
Available at:
https://stars.library.ucf.edu/aca/vol48/iss1/8
