Geographical-institutional diversity and heterophily in academic research: a social network analysis of international collaboration, research communities and co-authorship in the public relations discipline

In recent years, there has been an increased awareness in academic public relations (PR) circles about the need for a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive (DEI) research community that fosters representation of different perspectives and backgrounds. This study aims to expand the concept of DEI within the PR community to a geographical-institutional perspective, exploring its potential benefits and proposing strategies for enhancing geographical-institutional scientific collaborations. Utilizing Social Network Analysis (SNA), the study analyses co-authorship patterns and relationships among PR researchers, communities, and academic institutions to explain the landscape of international academic collaboration over the past decade. The dataset comprises 575 articles on social media-related PR topics from nine prominent PR journals spanning 2010 to 2020. Through a multi-level analysis, including macro, mezzo, and micro perspectives, the study reveals a predominately geographically homophilic landscape. Most coauthored works originate from scholars affiliated with American universities, with minimal representation from geographically remote academic institutions. Theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed, highlighting avenues for enhancing geographical-institutional diversity and collaborations within the PR research community.