Capturing Methodological Trends in Mobile Communication Studies

Abstract

This study investigates methodological trends in mobile communication studies. The articles published over the past 20 years in five journals (Communication Research, Journal of Communication, Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, New Media & Society, and Information, Communication & Society) are analysed. The results show that the quantitative and qualitative studies have increased while theoretical accounts have remained few. The quantitative approach is the most applied. The studied articles reflect a structural problem of science communication that stems from the lack of cumulativity of scientific results and cross-national analyses and from the standard length of articles that poses limitations for scientific communication.