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Only a few studies in communication research have focused on bibliometrics or scholarly communication per se, but these concepts are closely tied to strong traditions of communication research in content analysis and organizational communication. Bibliometric studies are becoming common in several fields of science because of the number and accessibility of electronic databases as well as the development of conceptual frameworks in which bibliometric measures are indicative of social processes such as the evolution of scientific specialties and the diffusion of innovations. Research on scholarly communication, and more narrowly on scientific communication, is receiving growing attention because of the problems and costs of disseminating information to scientists, practitioners, and policymakers. With its focus on informal and formal communication processes, this research clearly falls within the province of communication research. However, many of the studies have been conducted by information scientists with a practical need to improve scientific information systems. Communication researchers are beginning to apply bibliometric methods to topics ranging from political communication to the new media. Bibliometrics and the study of scholarly communication present an opportunity for communication researchers and information scientists to collaborate in an area of common interest.

Scientific debates in modern societies often blur the lines between the science that is being debated and the political, moral, and legal implications that come with its societal applications. This manuscript traces the origins of this phenomenon to professional norms within the scientific discipline and to the nature and complexities of modern science and offers an expanded model of science communication that takes into account the political contexts in which science communication takes place. In a second step, it explores what we know from empirical work in political communication, public opinion research, and communication research about the dynamics that determine how issues are debated and attitudes are formed in political environments. Finally, it discusses how and why it will be increasingly important for science communicators to draw from these different literatures to ensure that the voice of the scientific community is heard in the broader societal debates surrounding science.