A bibliometric analysis of relationship management as a scholarly field from 1997 to 2022

This bibliometric study aims to evaluate the state of art of the relationship management literature over the period 1997–2022. Data from 22,926 citations from 219 articles published in six public relations journals enable us to conclude that research on relationship management has grown as it has become a popular topic. The explosive growth is more noticeable after 2010, when the number of articles and citations more than doubled. Peer-reviewed journal articles and books are the two major sources of citations. The topics of interest are: proposing frameworks, testing and validating relationship quality measures, and testing and advancing theories or models.     

Content and citation analyses of public relations review

This study analyzed 161 cited and 177 uncited articles published in Public Relations Review (1975–1993) to determine if three independent variables—research methods, type of statistics, and topics—influenced whether or not articles were cited in other research articles. Significant differences were found between quantitative and qualitative research methods ( = 3.20, = .002) and topics (χ²(3,1)) = 10.47, = .01), but not by type of statistics. Topics also differed by years with professional topics the most published category and technical topics the least published. The authors provide tables listing the most cited authors, their university affiliations, and the journals citing their articles.     

A guide to journal articles on strategic management in nonprofit organizations, 1977 to 1992

This article is a guide to over a hundred journal articles on strategic management in nonprofit organizations, published from 1977 to 1992 in nineteen leading general management or nonprofit journals. The guide provides brief summaries of articles, organized into widely accepted strategic management topic areas and research categories. The article indicates areas where substantial foundations of knowledge exist and where such bases are lacking. It distinguishes between works on general nonprofit management and those on empirical research.     

Productivity of women scholars and gender researchers: Is funding a factor?

Articles by women scholars and proportions of articles focused on gender have increased steadily in major sociology journals since 1974. Women are more heavily represented as journal authors than as members of graduate-program departments, the institutional bases where most published work originates. We consider whether funding might account for these patterns by examining acknowledgement of support in published articles. We find no significant relationships among author gender, article topic, and notation of internal funding. Male-authored articles focused on nongender topics acknowledge external funding significantly more often than women-authored works and articles focused on gender written by women or men. Funding patterns therefore do not appear to account for increased productivity by women and gender researchers. She is currently studying the educational achievement of immigrant students. Linda Grant is an assistant professor of sociology and faculty associated of the Institute of Behavioral Research at the University of Georgia. Her current research focuses on gender and academic careers and gender relationships in schools. Her current research includes the feminist critique of sociology and publishing, and the U.S. women’s movement.     

The Career Development Quarterly: A 22‐Year Publication Pattern Metastudy

Patterns of articles published in The Career Development Quarterly (CDQ) from 1990 to 2011 were reviewed in this metastudy. Author characteristics (e.g., gender, employment setting, nation of domicile) and article characteristics (e.g., topic, type, design, sample, sample size, participant type, statistical procedures and sophistication) were described and analyzed for trends over time. Significant changes were noted in increased proportions of female authors, international contributors, research articles, more sophisticated research designs, and decreased numbers of practitioner‐authors. These trends highlight a robust journal that continues to evolve to address changing career development and counseling challenges.     

Vocational Psychology and New Challenges

A discussion group composed of vocational psychologists, guidance professionals, and career development specialists from around the world identified and discussed new challenges in understanding work and providing relevant career services. Four major themes emerged: What revisions are necessary in the profession's theory and practice to address changes in the nature of work and be more inclusive? How is culture to be addressed? What will help in the advancement from social justice rhetoric to meaningful practice? How can research continue to advance the field?     

A 20-Year Retrospective of The Career Development Quarterly

A review of The Career Development Quarterly was conducted for a 20-year period (Volumes 23 through 42). A total of 791 articles were classified into the 14 substantive areas of career research and practice devised by Fitzgerald and Rounds (1989). Author institutional affiliation, geographic location, and leading contributors were also computed. Two principle areas of research activity and publication were evident (life-span perspectives on career development, and career development interventions), which accounted for 51.2% of the articles examined. Overall, Quarterly content has remained stable and no clearly definable trends across the years were apparent in any given topic.     

Twenty-five years of the Journal of Economic Psychology (1981–2005): A report on the development of an interdisciplinary field of research

Economic Psychology has gained considerable momentum through the introduction of the Journal of Economic Psychology (JoEP) in 1981. Twenty-five years later, economic psychology has a clear profile as an interdisciplinary field of research. A content analysis of articles published in the JoEP together with a bibliometric analysis of references and citing journals identified the topics, the sources and the impact of JoEP. Results indicate the high degree of interdisciplinarity reached in the field, taking its ideas from social psychology, economics and consumer research, and its recognition in business and psychology. Implications for journal policy are discussed.     

Children's Career Development: Metaphorical Images of Theory,Research, and Practice

This summative article discusses 5 invited contributions on children's career development. The authors of these articles were asked to consider the status quo of children's career development, issues facing this field, and future directions. Several emergent themes focused on theory, research, and practice and their interactive potential in children's career development. Suggestions for future direction in the study of children's career development include the need for greater contextualization and interdisciplinary collaboration, the revision and innovation of theory, and the need for organizing frameworks for theory, research, and practice.     

Annual Review: Practice and Research in Career Counseling and Development, 1991

The purpose of this review was to integrate information from selected journal articles, book chapters, and a few books published in 1991 about careers. More than 140 entries were selected from more than 400 identified and were organized under three broad categories: (a) understanding careers, (b) the context of careers, and (c) career interventions. Each category was subdivided into thematic sections containing several entries on the same topic. The material, both from individual entries and integrated themes, was interpreted as lessons for the professional development of counselors, program planners, and researchers.     

Writing diversity: Ethnicity and race in Australian Social Work, 1947-1997

Abstract

In 1997, Australian Social Work celebrated 50 years of publication. This paper provides a content and discourse analysis of 50 years of articles on Indigenous and immigrant Australians in the journal and its predecessors. The analysis critically evaluates the published accounts of cross-cultural social work research, policy and practice and identifies the meanings these articles convey of race and ethnicity in Australian professional identity and practice. The analysis found little published analysis of social work practice with Indigenous Australians and that articles written about Indigenous Australians are either more negative or more positive than the generally approving tone of articles about immigrants. Only one or two articles in either category proposed a structural or community development approach to practice.

An early draft of this paper was given at the AASWWE Conference, Cairns, 1998.     

The Career Development Quarterly: A Centennial Retrospective

The Career Development Quarterly has been the premier journal in the field of vocational guidance and career intervention since its inception 100 years ago. To celebrate its centennial, 3 former editors trace its evolution from a modest and occasional newsletter to its current status as a major professional journal. They recount its history of publishing foundational articles in vocational guidance practice and career development theory, commitment to improving counseling practice, leadership in public policy and social justice issues, and expansion to international audiences.     

Qualitative research in family therapy: publication trends from 1980 to 1999

In the early 1990s, scholars from a variety of disciplines encouraged greater inclusion of qualitative research methodology in the mental health field. Moon, Dillon, and Sprenkle (1990) hoped their paper “Family therapy and qualitative research” would serve as a stimulus for further development of qualitative research in the field of family therapy. Ten years later, entering the new millennium, has the field been influenced by recommendations for an increase in use of qualitative methodology in family therapy? A content analysis was conducted on articles published in the marriage and family therapy literature from 1980 to 1999. Of the numerous articles examined in four journals, 131 articles were published using qualitative research methodology. Findings support the contention that qualitative research is increasing, but still accounts for a small number of research articles published in marriage and family therapy journals.     

Practice and Research in Career Counseling and Development—2010

This review of the 2010 career counseling and development research presents the breadth and depth of topics published in the field ranging from children's conceptions of career to employee burnout. The review covers topics in the career literature on professional issues, career theory and concepts, career development, the world of work, career assessment and technology, and career interventions. The author summarizes the 2010 research to provide information and direction to career practitioners, theorists, and researchers.     

The state of health public relations: A content analysis of published articles in seven communication journals from 2001 to 2021

By analyzing 162 articles published in seven peer-reviewed communication journals, this study sheds light on the research topics, theories, methods, and authorship of articles in the health public relations literature. An examination of current research in health public relations is essential to identify literature gaps and guide future research directions. The findings demonstrate that research interest in health public relations has fluctuated over the past two decades. Theoretically grounded studies represent most of the studies in this field, with the situational theory and relationship management applied most often. Regarding methodology, quantitative research is prevalent, with survey method used most often, followed by content analysis and in-depth interviews. Research topics that involve health content consistently receive significant attention, while relationship management has begun to dominate the research discourse in recent years.     

Shedding light on thirteen years of darkness: content analysis of articles pertaining to transgender issues in marriage/couple and family therapy journals

What is the extent to which marriage/couple and family therapy (M/CFT) journals address transgender issues and how many of them say they are inclusive of transgender persons when they are not? To answer these queries, a content analysis was conducted on articles published in M/CFT literature from 1997 through 2009. Of the 10,739 articles examined in 17 journals, only nine (0.0008%) focused on transgender issues or used gender variance as a variable. Findings support the assertion that transgender issues are ignored and marginalized by M/CFT scholars and researchers alike.     

Positivism in sociological research: USA and UK (1966-1990)

Positivism has been declared dead in sociological theory circles, yet questions remain as to its viability among researchers. The authors present diagnostic evidence about positivism in sociological practice through a content analysis of journal articles published in the late 1960s and the late 1980s in the sociological journals of the USA and Britain. Using an index based on seven elements of positivism that were characteristic of the 'theory construction' movement of the late 1960s, the authors find evidence of the effects of time and nation on the use of positivism. Disaggregation of the index reveals that most of the observed change is associated with the elements of 'instrumental' positivism, particularly statistics. The results raise questions about the relationship between theory and research and about sociologists' philosophies of science.     

RANKING LAW JOURNALS AND THE LIMITS OF JOURNAL CITATION REPORTS

Journal rankings published by Journal Citation Reports (JCR) are widely used to assess research quality, which influences important decisions by academic departments, universities, and countries in the allocation of research funds. We study refereed law journal rankings by JCR and Washington and Lee Law Library (W&L). JCR's rankings are uncorrelated with W&L's. The differences appear to be attributable to underrepresentation of law journals in JCR's database. We illustrate the effects of database bias on rankings through case studies of three elite journals, the Journal of Law and Economics, Supreme Court Review, and the American Law and Economics Review. (JEL C18, C81, Y10)