Addressing the Interdisciplinary Nature of Health Communication Research: A Citation Analysis to Determine Core Journals for Different Library Collections

Health communication is important to individuals, organizations, and society. Using citation data, this study analyzes citations to and within the two health communication journals, Health Communication and Journal of Health Communication from 1997/1999 through 2022 and identifies scholarly journals most relevant for health communication research from within and outside the field. Recognizing the interdisciplinary nature of health communication, this study provides a more inclusive picture of health communication research and its relevance to other subject areas by detailing the most cited and citing journals. By applying Bradford’s Law of Scattering, the author will establish a core list of journals for health communication research. The data will provide evidence-based recommendations for collection management to librarians who manage communication, health, and medical journal collections.