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Article published In:
The Agenda Setting Journal
Vol. 1:1 (2017) ► pp.5–22

Theoretical and methodological trends of agenda-setting theory

A thematic analysis of the last four decades of research

| Central Connecticut State University
| The University of Alabama
| The University of Alabama

Through a thematic meta-analysis, the current study examined theoretical, topical, and methodological trends of agenda-setting research over time from 1972 through 2015. Research trends, topics, media, methods, and utilization of other theories in agendasetting studies were discussed along with the evolution of the theoretical map of agenda-setting studies. Findings indicated that the number of agenda-setting research studies has been increasing over time, along with the expansion of research topics, media, methods, and use of other theories. This study provided a general overview of agenda-setting studies as well as new insights for future research trends and directions.

Keywords: agenda setting, thematic analysis, trends, Internet
Article outline
  • Historical development of agenda-setting theory
  • Revisiting agenda-setting theory with the advent of the Internet
  • Method
    • Sample
    • Coding scheme
    • Inter-coder reliability
  • Results
  • Discussion and conclusion
  • Author queries
  • References


This article is currently available as a sample article.

Published online: 2 March 2017
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/asj.1.1.03kim
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