The Need for Knowledge Integration, A JoBEM Synthesis Editorial

One of the first initiatives when I took on the JoBEM editorship was to edit a special issue on syntheses, integrating knowledge based on extensive research on particular bodies of research. My observation is that journals, especially communication journals, rarely publish collections of syntheses. One of the reasons is that communication is still a young discipline, and many theories or topics of research have not yet accumulated a critical mass of findings to draw reasonable conclusions, as divergent perspectives and measures, and research focuses may exist. In addition, journals typically want special issues to be thematic, focusing on one area of research that may be controversial, emergent, and beckoning for attention. With syntheses, different authors may focus on different topics, and the editor faces a set of different choices. As a result, such a special issue may not have the coherence of a thematic special issue. Of course it is also very challenging to do syntheses. It is even more daunting to assemble a number of established scholars to engage in such exercises. However, as a journal, we do see each single issue covers a multitude of research projects, with various topical areas, and a variety of methodologies. Unlike a book, a journal issue is a amalgam of research papers with different insights and findings. So there is no inherent disadvantage to doing a special issue on syntheses. As researchers, our ultimate goal is to accumulate and contribute knowledge. When a body of literature has gained substance, it is time to look at commonalities and differences, and if possible, identify, negotiate and reconcile the differences. I am convinced that the benefits far outgain its drawbacks. To me, a synthesis should be a state-of-the-discipline literature review or essay that advances knowledge and understanding of communication systems, practices, processes, and impacts. The paper should provide a rigorous assessment of the status, critical issues and needed directions of a theory or a body of research; it should also offer new theory or insight; and expand the boundaries of the discipline. In all cases, the paper should be comprehensive and thoughtful in its synthesis and analyses, and situates a body of scholarship within a larger intellectual context. A synthesis is an intense intellectual exercise. I truly appreciate all the authors who contributed to this issue, as well as those who did not make it. JOURNAL OF BROADCASTING & ELECTRONIC MEDIA 2022, VOL. 66, NO. 4, 511–514 https://doi.org/10.1080/08838151.2022.2154095