Pathology of Tourism Studies in the Journal of Rural Research: Application of Content Analysis

This study adopts a pathological approach to aim at tourism research in the Rural Research Quarterly. It is a qualitative study in terms of nature and an applied one in terms of purpose. The research was conducted through the content analysis of 38 articles in the Quarterly Journal of Rural Studies. Initially, previous studies were reviewed and an integrated model was developed to determine the content analysis indicators. Then, the selected sample of articles written in the field of tourism was evaluated. The macro dimensions of the model in content analysis included identity, structure, function and citation. The validity and the reliability of the study were confirmed based on the validity of the check list and reliability of the editors. Two different software packages, iMindMap9 and SPSS25, were used in the analysis process. The causes of deviation and the challenges of tourism research were identified, and the results were reported according to the dimensions of the content analysis model. Finally, certain solutions were proposed on the basis of the findings.