Between Quartiles and Accreditation: The Decline of Catalan Use in Scientific Production in Communication (2019–2023)

In recent years, several studies have contributed to describing the scientific output in the field of Communication within the Spanish context. However, there is a lack of research specifically focused on the Catalan-speaking territories. The present study analyses the scientific production of academic journals published in Catalan-speaking regions during the period 2019–2023. Objectives: The aim is to examine the linguistic and methodological characteristics of journals in the field of Communication, as well as their authorship patterns and the main editorial challenges they face. Methodology: The methodology combines a content analysis of 1,721 scientific articles published in 23 academic journals with seven semi-structured interviews conducted with editorial teams. Results: The findings indicate a predominance of Spanish, followed by English, over the use of Catalan. There is a marked tendency to employ qualitative methodologies, usually in co-authorship and with gender parity. In order to normalise the use of Catalan as a scientific language, journal editors call for changes in accreditation policies, increased research funding, and greater institutional support for the specific characteristics and topics of Catalan-speaking regions.