Communication Scholars Research Articles (Page 1)

ABSTRACT Communication is commonly considered a process that is dynamically situated in a temporal context. However, there remains a disconnection between this theoretical dynamicality and the often less dynamic methods that communication scholars use to study it. Given the increasing accessibility of digital trace data, this study provides a methodological overview of how such fine-grained temporal information can be used in communication research. In particular, we show how to retain the hyper-longitudinal information in the trace data and analyze time-evolving “user-sequences,” which capture user activities at high temporal resolution. We then survey a set of established sequential methods, including sequence analysis, event history analysis, hidden Markov models, network analysis, process mining, and language-based models. We also articulate important sequential features that can be studied within user-sequences, such as transitions, subsequences, and trajectories. As an illustrative example, we apply the six methods to real-world user-sequences containing 1,262,775 timestamped traces from 309 unique users, gathered via data donations. Overall, our study provides a methodological overview of sequence analysis applied to digital trace data and offers initial guidance on method selection.

Blood sample collection is essential for clinical research but can be challenging due to cultural beliefs, emotional responses, and misconceptions. This can escalate in paediatric settings. Despite the growing landscape of clinical research, evidence from South Asia remains limited. This study explores the factors influencing willingness to accept paediatric blood sample collection for clinical research in Nepal, drawing on experiences from a clinical research cohort. A qualitative study grounded in a constructivist-interpretivist paradigm, using semi-structured interviews, was conducted with 38 parents/guardians of sick children attending a study fever clinic. A purposive sampling technique was used to recruit participants attending the study fever clinic at Patan Hospital, Nepal. Additionally, interviews were conducted with six research clinicians and nurses. Interviews were conducted between May 2022 and August 2023. The six-step thematic analysis process described by Braun and Clarke was used to identify key themes and subthemes related to blood collection experiences for research purposes. Willingness to provide consent for paediatric blood sampling was shaped by three inter-related factors: personal, behavioural and environmental. Personal beliefs about blood and blood volume, its replenishment and contribution to public health encouraged participation, while fears of harm and lack of personal benefit deterred consent. Behavioural factors included prior experience of blood collection, professional background and perceived necessity of the test. Environmental influences such as trust in the hospital and research staff, effective communication and family decision-making dynamics, were also critical. Some participants equated research blood collection with altruistic donation, while others expressed concerns about misuse or wastage. Our findings underscore the need to engage with the community regarding beliefs about blood in research, transparent communication and trust-building strategies in paediatric clinical research. These findings offer practical guidance for improving participant recruitment and retention in future clinical research in similar settings.

Holderried and colleagues tested whether artificial intelligence (AI)-generated, patient-centered information can help people understand what they need to do after being discharged from a hospital. Participants demonstrated stronger comprehension when they viewed the simplified, patient-centered information rather than a standard letter. This work adds to the available early-phase evidence of AI supporting hospital discharge communication. To meaningfully progress this area of research, we now need to carefully consider how to enhance the design and evaluation of patient-facing AI health communication tools. In this commentary, we argue that equity and consumer engagement remain underrepresented in studies on patient-facing AI health communication tools and describe possible approaches to address this issue.

Social media platforms like Facebook have become key spaces for dynamic, multimodal communication, where users combine text, images, emojis, and other resources to construct meaning. In Filipino digital discourse, these practices reflect rich linguistic creativity and relational work, shaping how identity, social interaction, and meaning are negotiated online. This study examines the multimodal communicative practices of Filipino Facebook users, focusing on how linguistic and non-linguistic resources interact to construct meaning in computer-mediated discourse. Drawing on a corpus of 315 anonymized expressions from publicly accessible Facebook posts, the study employs a qualitative discourse-analytic approach grounded in multimodal discourse analysis and relational work theory. Methodological rigor is enhanced through brief interpretive interviews for communicative validation and expert linguistic review by two Filipino language scholars. The analysis identifies key linguistic features, including word-formation processes (blending, clipping, affixation, reduplication), sound-based expressions (interjections, letter elongation, onomatopoeia), non-standard orthography, and creative colloquial forms such as reverse spelling (sakalam from malakas). These linguistic resources co-occur with non-linguistic elements such as emojis, emoticons, GIFs, stickers, and images. Together, these multimodal resources perform expressive, phatic, humorous, and affiliative functions that support emotional clarity, relational work, and interactional efficiency in text-based digital environments. The findings demonstrate how Filipino users mobilize culturally specific multimodal repertoires, exemplified by emoji-anchored code-mixing (e.g., Favorite ko yan) and affectively charged respellings, to manage affect and social alignment in everyday digital interaction. By focusing on Filipino Facebook discourse, this study contributes to computer-mediated communication research by highlighting the culturally situated nature of multimodal meaning-making and challenging Anglocentric assumptions in digital discourse studies. The findings also offer implications for digital literacy education in multilingual Southeast Asian contexts.

To develop consensus-based definitions for infectious urinary tract disease in dogs and cats. A modified Delphi approach was used to develop consensus on standard terminology and definitions. Four rounds of review were performed with two different expert and stakeholder audiences. The four rounds of review involved 19, 16, 90 and 52 participants, respectively. Consensus was reached for a collection of 29 terms and associated definitions, and one set of cut-off values. Standardisation of terminology is a foundational component of clinical communication, surveillance and guideline development. Unclear or variable definitions have commonly been present in studies of urinary tract disease in dogs and cats, causing confusion and hampering evidence assessment. Development of a set of standardised terms and definitions based on broad stakeholder consensus should assist with diagnosis, communication, surveillance and clinical research, improving the evidence base pertaining to infectious urinary tract disease and fostering improved clinical guidance.

The Virginia Government Simulation (VGS) is designed to build career readiness by immersing students in a realistic legislative environment where they practice the professional skills employers value: research, written and oral communication, negotiation, teamwork, leadership, problem solving, professionalism, advocacy, conflict management, etc. We provide a practical guide for creating a statewide legislative simulation that helps students translate classroom learning into applied, transferable career skills.

The Evolving Role of Large Language Models in Healthcare Research and Scientific Communication

This essay defines what counts as "good science communication" for fostering public trust in science. Because information about science reaches the public via intermediaries, design must translate complex knowledge while managing ambiguity and uncertainty. Communication research shows audience expectations shape evaluations of messages and of science itself. Accordingly, this essay begins with the audience-centred Quality Assessment Scale from the Audience's Perspective-fifteen dimensions (e.g., correctness, clarity, credibility, relevance, dialogue)-and then conceptualizes trust with the Public Trust in Science Scale as multilevel and multidimensional (expertise, integrity, benevolence, transparency, dialogue orientation). Mapping quality signals to trust outcomes yields testable recommendations for strategies that balance detail, uncertainty, relevance, and engagement without sacrificing rigor, offering a basis for designing, measuring, and iterating trust-building communication.

Recent research trends have shown increasing visibility of eating disorder–related content on social media. This has raised concerns about how persuasive communication promotes the normalization of harmful narratives among young users. The purpose of this study is to examine how digital persuasion is constructed and experienced within online eating disorder communities on X (formerly Twitter) and how Gen-Z users interpret and engage with such content. Drawing inspiration from rhetorical persuasion theory, the study concentrates on the use of ethos, pathos, and logos in community-generated content and their role in shaping users’ engagement and meaning-making. This study employed a qualitative research design, using in-depth interviews with 10 participants who actively engage with eating disorder-related content on X. The findings of the research show that emotional appeals, peer credibility, and shared experiential narratives play a central role in sustaining engagement and contributing to the normalization of eating disorder behaviours within these online communities. Participants reported that repeated exposure to such content fostered feelings of belonging, validation, and perceived understanding. Furthermore, they highlighted that even when the users were aware of the potential harm associated with the content, they still felt persuaded. This study contributes to communication scholarship by demonstrating how persuasive strategies function within harmful online communities to shape users’ interpretations and engagement practices. It highlights the importance of addressing digital persuasion in media literacy efforts and communication-based interventions aimed at reducing the normalization of harmful health-related content among young audiences. Keywords: Digital persuasion, eating disorder content, online communities, Gen Z, X (Twitter).

Data-centric approaches are increasingly shaping wireless communication research, where the availability and quality of datasets directly influence the reliability of learning-based and model-driven methods. In this context, unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) communication poses unique challenges, as it requires datasets that jointly capture geometric information, propagation conditions, and diverse link configurations. This work introduces a geometry-aware UAV communication dataset designed to support research on controlled UAV communication link directions and propagation scenarios. The dataset is generated using standardized 3GPP and ITU-R channel models across multiple urban, suburban, and rural regions, accounting for variations in altitude, carrier frequency, and node distribution. The dataset provides spatially resolved channel parameters along with geometry-rich files containing environmental features, which can be used to extract relevant parameters for UAV communication studies. These data support reproducible research in geometry-aware channel modelling, path-loss prediction, LOS/NLOS analysis, delay-related modelling, and trajectory-conditioned link-quality analysis.

This dissertation examines how public relations functions operate within Muhammadiyah and how communication practices contribute to constructing and sustaining organizational identity grounded in the values of Islam Berkemajuan (Progressive Islam). While public relations scholarship has largely developed within corporate and governmental contexts, relatively limited attention has been given to communication practices within socio religious organizations. This study addresses that gap by investigating how public relations operates as a value-based communication system within Muhammadiyah. Employing a qualitative case study design, data were collected through in-depth interviews, document analysis, and observation of organizational communication activities. The analysis integrates three theoretical perspectives: the Communicative Constitution of Organizations, the Cultural Approach to Organizations, and Organizational Information Theory. The findings indicate that public relations in Muhammadiyah functions as a decentralized and culturally embedded communication system connecting the organization’s ideological values with broader societal dynamics. Communication practices are enacted through networks of leaders, institutional units, and multichannel media, enabling the continuous articulation, interpretation, and dissemination of Islam Berkemajuan. The study contributes to communication scholarship by expanding the understanding of value-based public relations within religious organizations and highlighting the role of communication in sustaining organizational identity and legitimacy.

Understanding both patient and clinician perspectives on communication challenges in virtual primary care consultations is important to ensure safe and effective care. This commentary reviews the important work of Alboksmaty and colleagues, highlighting their contributions and noting some limitations. To further support translation of clinical practice-based recommendations from this original research, this commentary relates the study findings to patient-centered communication frameworks and evidence-based virtual communication strategies. This commentary also extends the helpful mitigation strategies offered in the original research, demonstrating how they apply to the Expert Recommendations for Implementing Change (ERIC) implementation framework to facilitate organization-based change. The need for additional research differentiating phone-based and videoconferencing-based primary care consultation communication strategies is highlighted.

BackgroundDespite the availability of effective vaccines, flu and COVID-19 uptake remains suboptimal, including among Indigenous communities in California who face unique barriers to accessing public health information. While previous research has evaluated health communication message content and design, fewer studies have systematically compared different dissemination strategies for the same intervention, leaving gaps in understanding optimal approaches for reaching marginalized populations.ObjectiveThis protocol describes a three-arm dissemination study designed to compare the effectiveness of different strategies for distributing COVID-19 and flu vaccine promotion videos among Indigenous Peoples residing in California, including American Indian and Alaska Natives, and migrant Indigenous Peoples from Latin America.MethodsFollowing extensive formative work, including cross-sectional surveys, social network analyses, a discrete choice experiment, and qualitative focus groups conducted with guidance from an Indigenous Community Advisory Board, we developed four 30-second vaccine promotion videos available in English and Spanish, two targeting American Indian and Alaska Native communities and 2 targeting Latin American communities. Videos will be translated to four Indigenous languages (Purépecha, Mam, Zapoteco, and Mixteco). The study compared three dissemination strategies implemented over a two-month period: (1) targeted social media advertisements on Facebook and Instagram, (2) distribution through community-based organizations using their established communication channels, and (3) peer-to-peer sharing through Indigenous community members (“seeds”) recruited from previous research. Primary outcomes focus on dissemination effectiveness, defined by measures of reach (eg, link shares, clicks and video views), engagement (eg, watch time and survey completion), and message impact (eg, trust in the message and vaccination intent), assessed using Bitly link tracking, YouTube analytics, and follow-up surveys. Descriptive and comparative analyses will be conducted to assess differences across dissemination strategies.ResultsThe study was funded in January 2023. Intervention development was completed in July 2025. Dissemination activities and data collection across all three study arms were conducted between October 6, 2025, to November 28, 2025, aligned with the COVID-19 and influenza vaccination season in the United States. Data consolidation, cleaning, and analyses began January 2026 and primary results are expected to be submitted for publication in Spring 2026.ConclusionsThis study addresses a critical gap in health communication research by providing a systematic methodology for comparing digital dissemination strategies within Indigenous communities. The combination of community-informed recruitment, multilingual accessibility, and comprehensive digital tracking tools offers a replicable model for evaluating how public health messages spread through different channels, particularly for populations historically excluded from traditional outreach efforts.

While linguistic access in the digital sphere is a growing concern, many overlook the key role of written scripts in mediating who can fully utilize digital tools. This interview presents the experiences and perspectives of Kamal Mansour, a pre-eminent typographer working to support the world’s scripts with enabled fonts, in conversation with Dr Isabelle Alice Zaugg, a scholar of communication and semiotics who investigates the technical foundations for digital language justice. An enabled font is a key piece of digital infrastructure required to exchange text in a script and the language(s) it represents, thus widening linguistic inclusion in the digital sphere. However, moving written scripts from the page on to the screen also requires multiple levels of technical policy, which represent layered challenges considering that digital architecture is designed around Latin script defaults and a capitalist consumption model that does not take into account the economics of the Majority World. This interview also explores the essential place of typography within the visual culture of language communities as well as the skills and intuition required of typographers as they design culturally appropriate fonts for scripts from unfamiliar contexts. This interview highlights the inspiration and the reflections of one of the most experienced typographers in the world, taking us in-depth into what it would really take for digital tools to enrich the communication ecosystems of all language communities.

In the rapidly changing world of communication, especially in the field of science communication, it is important to understand the best ways to convey difficult information to different audiences. This quantitative study assessed the effectiveness of various communication methods in the field of science communication and the emerging dynamics of new media. A questionnaire survey was used to collect data from 500 participants, and valid data were obtained from 220 researchers, 180 journalists, and 100 communication managers, these obtained data were analyze using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) software. Social media and various storytelling methods help to communicate science to audiences in a more understandable and engaging way. The findings highlights that how audiences are continuing to change and provide practical strategies for people to improve their communication techniques. The novelty of this study is that it combines scientific communication research, journalism, and communication management, providing a holistic view of people from different professional backgrounds.

This paper examines how business communication culture influences work-related stress and burnout across diverse organizational sectors. Using a quantitative survey of 107 employees and validated instruments such as the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) and the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), the study analyzes the effects of open, hierarchical, and disorganized communication practices on emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and perceived control. Results show that open and transparent communication serves as a protective factor, while hierarchical and disorganized patterns significantly increase misunderstanding frequency, reduce perceived autonomy, and elevate stress. Emotional exhaustion was the most pronounced burnout dimension, particularly in sectors with high interpersonal demands. Findings highlight the mediating role of perceived control and confirm that communication quality is a central predictor of psychological well-being at work. The study contributes to organizational communication research by offering evidence-based recommendations for leadership communication training and structured communication protocols.

ABSTRACT Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite communication systems have evolved into a critical component of global broadband networks, enabling wide‐area connectivity, IoT services, and intelligent multilayer satellite–terrestrial integration. Despite rapid advancements in constellation deployment, routing mechanisms, resource management, and LEO–5G/6G convergence, the long‐term evolution of research themes and network architectures remains insufficiently mapped. This study analyzes 2420 Web of Science articles published between 1995 and 2025 and applies bibliometric techniques, main path analysis, and edge‐betweenness clustering to identify the core technological trajectories shaping the LEO communication domain. The results reveal five major phases of development: foundational constellation design, multilayer architecture integration, performance and QoS optimization, 6G‐driven intelligent connectivity, and secure collaborative networking. Four dominant research clusters emerge: communication and IoT applications, routing and topology management, satellite edge computing and task offloading, and LEO‐enhanced GNSS positioning, highlighting the field's structural diversification. Main path and key‐route analyses further show a gradual shift from traditional connectivity‐oriented engineering toward distributed, AI‐enabled, and security‐aware satellite communication frameworks. This study provides the first longitudinal mapping of LEO communication research, offering an integrated understanding of how architectural evolution, protocol innovation, and emerging intelligent services intersect. The findings support future advances in satellite networking, resource optimization, and the design of resilient and interoperable LEO systems.

From spider dances to human language, multimodality is ubiquitous in natural communication systems. Much scholarship has been devoted to investigating why multimodality evolved and the role it plays in communication. Here, we highlight the role of multimodality in safeguarding the most fundamental prerequisite of all functioning, extant communication systems: honesty. We begin by introducing the arms race between honesty and deception in natural communication systems, and the critical role socially-mediated controls can play in maintaining signal honesty when classic, intrinsic costs are not sufficient. We next introduce three ways by which multimodality buffers signal honesty by 1) providing insurance against signal unreliability in dynamic environments, 2) forming an honest, multimodal gestalt with which to cross-validate signal honesty, and 3) increasing signal complexity, making the entire signal harder to fake. We then discuss the case of highly cooperative societies, with human language emphasized, and argue that signal honesty is important especially in complex and cooperative societies wherein the need to cooperate and be accepted as part of the group may supersede honesty. Finally, we propose future directions wherein human and non-human communication research could expand beyond the well trodden realms of competition and mate attraction to investigate the role of multimodality and honesty in cooperative, "cheap" signals, and emphasize the importance of drawing from both the human and non-human literatures in investigating the forces that have shaped the evolution of communication.

Critical Discourse Studies (CDS) faces three vulnerabilities: Eurocentric canons, computational reductionism, and rhetorical decolonization. This article offers a retrospective critical autoethnographic intervention that reimagines CDS as relational practice. Writing as a Filipino communication scholar, I revisit my trajectory—from textbook encounters with multimodal CDA to the theorization of trust cultures and relational sovereignties—to show how scholarly becoming generates theory. From this emerge four provocations: beyond toolkits, beyond textbooks, beyond derivative Souths, and toward ambivalence and hope. I clarify relational critique as an approach that treats relationality as the ontological ground of critique rather than a contextual supplement. I also specify the retrospective autoethnographic materials and analytic stance guiding this inquiry. Rather than rejecting toolkits, I argue for decentering toolkit-centrism by situating methods as secondary to the theorization of social problems. Finally, I outline a relational agenda that bridges interpretive inquiry with emerging computational practices.

This study examines the cross-cultural adaptation of Pattani Thai students pursuing higher education at UIN Sultan Maulana Hasanuddin Banten, Indonesia. Grounded in Kim’s integrative theory of cross-cultural adaptation, the research aims to explore how minority Muslim students negotiate cultural, communicative, and religious differences within a Muslim-majority host environment. A qualitative ethnomethodological approach was employed to capture participants’ lived experiences. Four Pattani Thai students were purposively selected as research participants. Data were collected through in-depth interviews, non-participant observation, and documentation, and analyzed using Miles and Huberman’s interactive model, including data reduction, data display, and conclusion verification, with source triangulation to ensure credibility. The findings reveal a dynamic stress–adaptation–growth process characterized by initial culture shock, language barriers, differences in social norms, and religious identity negotiation. Participants developed adaptive strategies through social support, communicative adjustment, and gradual emotional regulation, leading to increased intercultural competence and identity flexibility. While based on a small purposive sample (n=4), the study provides contextually grounded insights into intra-ASEAN student mobility, demonstrating that adaptation within culturally proximate yet normatively distinct Muslim societies remains complex and negotiated. These findings contribute to intercultural communication scholarship and offer practical implications for culturally responsive student support programs in Southeast Asian higher education contexts.