Looking Backward, Looking Forward: A Systematic Review of 20 Years of Research and Commentary Published by Journal of Advertising Education

This article presents a systematic analysis of all refereed articles, research reports and invited commentaries (N = 197) published in the Journal of Advertising Education from 1996 to 2015. The analysis revealed that the most common article theme was classroom and course instruction (52.8%; n = 104). Within that theme, articles about using a tool or approach in the classroom (e.g., using a class wiki; 47.1%, n = 49) and achieving a learning outcome (e.g., developing teamwork skills; 30.8%; n = 32) were most popular. The authors performed additional analyses on articles reporting data collection and analysis (N = 122). The researchers found that only 26.2% (n = 32) of these articles identified a theory by name, and only six (4.9%) offered a theo-retical implication in the discussion. However, a significant majority of these articles provided practical implications for educators (86.1%; n = 105).