• This paper presents the characteristics of highly cited articles (HCA) in
    communication subject published from 1989 to 2018 using data from the SSCI of
    Web of Science. A total of 1108 articles (2.1%) were considered as highly cited
    articles (HCAs) in communication. Further, we have analyzed the year wise
    distribution of articles and their bibliometric attributes. Most productive authors,
    countries, and journals were identified. Cluster analysis of author-supplied
    keywords was performed, and the top cited ten article’s citation life cycle was
    also examined.