An assessment of progress in research on global public relations from 2001 to 2014

•Atotal of 163 articles examined topics related to global public relations 2001-2014.•Given the steady increase in the number of articles addressing global public relations, the field should shift from description to theorization.•The field should establish global public relations specific theories with methodological diversification.•A total of 244 scholars across countries have contributed in the area of global public relations.

Designed to investigate the trends, patterns and rigors of research studies examining global public relations, this study conducted a content analysis of published articles in public relations journals as well as other communication journals between 2001 and 2014. During this time span, a total of 163 articles examined topics related to global public relations. Information including journal name, publication year, country examined, authorship, theoretical application, method approach, and future research direction was recorded for each article. Given the steady increase in the number of articles addressing global public relations during the timeframe examined, the field should shift from description to theorization and establish theories specific to global public relations with methodological diversification. The United States was the nation of most frequent focus in the articles, followed by China, the United Kingdom, and South Korea.