Abstract

The sophistication of society and the scientific specialization lead to the fragmentation of the groups and the audiences. With congresses happens the same and in this paper the organization of more general and cross-discipline conferences is proposed. A review of the evolution of the congresses and their characteristics over the past 15 years in Spain is done. In the annex the main Spanish congresses are listed.

Abstract

This review reflects on the activities carried out during 2014 by four professional associations on Library and Information Science: IFLA (International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions), Eblida (European Bureau of Library, Information and Documentation Associations), Liber (Association of European Research Libraries) and Fesabid (Spanish Federation of Archive, Library, Documentation and Museum Societies). Regarding the situation in Spain, the author regrets the current fragmentation into small local associations, despite the existence of a federation (Fesabid), because this weakens the Spanish professional community as a whole.

Abstract

Between 2004 and 2006, the two most relevant scientific associations for academics and researchers in the field of public relations and communication were set up in Spain with the mission of strengthening and disseminating research and promoting forums and networks for scientific exchange: the Association of Researchers in Public Relations (AIRP) and the Spanish Association for Communication Research (AE-IC). Based on a study of the doctoral theses presented and contributions to international conferences organized by both associations in the period between 2004 and 2018, our main objective is to determine, describe, and analyze research trends in the academic field of public relations in the Spanish context. To this end, content analysis is applied as a qualitative and quantitative method in the social sciences. Among the most relevant results, the following stand out: the predominance of women researchers in the field, public relations and digital communication as the main topics, the use of mixed methodology, and content analysis as the main research technique. The diagnosis of the evolution and management of public relations research in Spain presented herein defines the corresponding trends and challenges.