284 Copyright © 2021, IGI Global. Copying or distributing in print or electronic forms without written permission of IGI Global is prohibited. Chapter 16 DOI: 10.4018/978-1-7998-4930-8.ch016 ABSTRACT The general objective of this research is to carry out a theoretical-methodological assessment of the digital environment as an object of study in the feld of communication sciences in Spain, through the analysis of articles included in specialized journals in this area. By means of the bibliometric analysis, we assess the texts published in specialized journals in this feld and, among the important variables, the authors take into account the theoretical features of discourse related to this subject matter, the frame- work for scientifc disciplines, and research categories or concepts. The methodological designs will be mentioned as regards those that evidence scientifc discourse, areas of analysis, privileged research techniques, and which in specifc have been used the most, as well as the predominant forms of triangu- lation. This new study will complete a decade of analysis of research productivity in communication at Spanish universities, which began with research projects based on communicative intra-history such as MAPCOM by designing a map of the research system on communication practices. INTRODUCTION The Academic Discourse of Communication Research in Spain In Spain, the field of research in social communication practices is an object of study and interest in the latter has progressively increased in recent years in our scientific context, therefore, its academic discourse requires a certain degree of epistemological vigilance to correctly assess the state of development in a field and to facilitate the management of scientific policies on certain objects of interest. An Approximation in the Study of Communication Research: Digital Evolution and the Study of This Subject in Spanish Academic Journals Alexandra María Sandulescu Budea Rey Juan Carlos University, Spain