Journal article citation classics in school psychology: Analysis of the most cited articles in five school psychology journals

Determining journal article citation classics in school psychology: An updated bibliometric analysis using Google Scholar, Scopus, and Web of Science

Bibliometric analyses have been the primary form of examining and evaluating literature within a field of study. By focusing on citation count and source, researchers have been able to identify journal articles considered to be high impact in reach and relevance, branding them "citation classics" in a field. As time progresses, technology, methods, and metrics for conducting these analyses have improved, and although there have been several studies designed to identify citation classics and patterns of citations supporting them in school psychology literature, none have done so in an updated, comprehensive manner. To address these limitations, the current study aims to replicate and extend these works in three major ways: (a) including 11 primary school psychology journals in the search, (b) using three of the largest reference databases, and (c) collapsing results across these databases to accurately identify the most highly cited articles. The search yielded evidence of more than 12,000 articles accruing more than 500,000 citations. The 100 most highly cited articles were identified, and the majority were classified as explicative (n = 63) and quantitative (n = 70). Themes of bullying, burnout, and teacher-child relationships were the prominent focus. School psychology's citation classics tended to feature quantitative research and examine the relations between constructs, and several revealed a new category of citations classics: the methodological and statistical article.

Authorship trend and content analysis

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the classic characteristics of highly cited articles (HCAs) of top-ranked library and information science (LIS) journals and get acquainted with the high-quality works in specific areas of LIS for distinguishing what gets cited and who the prolific authors are.

Design/methodology/approach

The HCAs published across the top four LIS journals were downloaded, coded and a database was developed with basic metadata elements for analysis using bibliometric indicators. Lotka’s Inverse Square Law of Scientific Productivity was applied to assess the author’s productivity of HCA. The content analysis method was also used to find out the emerging areas of research that have sought high citations.

Findings

Inferences were drawn for the proposed five number of research questions pertaining to individual productivity, collaboration patterns country and institutional productivity, impactful areas of research. The Netherland found to be the potential player among all the affiliating countries of authors and Loet Leydesdorff tops the list among the prolific authors. It is observed that Lotka’s Classical Law also fits the HCA data set in LIS. “Research impact measurement and research collaboration,” “Social networking” and “Research metrics and citation-based studies” are found to be the emerging areas of LIS research.

Practical implications

Researchers may find a way what gets cited in specific areas of LIS literature and why along with who are the prolific authors.

Originality/value

This study is important from the perspective of the growing research field of the LIS discipline to identify the papers that have influenced others papers as per citation count, spot the active and more impactful topics in LIS research.

Inovações em Psicologia Escolar: o contexto da educação superior

A educação superior, tanto no Brasil quanto no exterior, tem sido alvo de inúmeras políticas educacionais contemporâneas. O sistema brasileiro ampliou-se velozmente na última década, ocasionando transformações institucionais no âmbito político-pedagógico e acadêmico, bem como no perfil dos estudantes. As mudanças têm como foco o direito de acesso acadêmico e a democratização de oportunidades. A expansão do ensino tornou-se uma urgente meta orientadora de decisivas ações governamentais. A consequente massificação agudizou, no espaço educativo das Instituições de Ensino Superior, as tensões e contradições, mas, também, as potencialidades para o desenvolvimento pessoal e as emancipações inerentes a esse contexto. Defendendo que a educação superior apresenta-se como fértil campo para a ação da Psicologia Escolar, apresenta-se, neste artigo, um modelo de atuação baseada em cinco eixos principais: 1) Mapeamento Institucional; 2) Escuta Psicológica; 3) Gestão de Políticas, Programas e Processos Educacionais; 4) Propostas Pedagógicas e Funcionamento de Cursos; 5) Perfil do Estudante. Essas reflexões e propostas para pesquisa e intervenção na área, fundamentadas pela Psicologia Histórico-cultural do desenvolvimento humano, enfatizam a mediação intencional do psicólogo no desenvolvimento dos atores educacionais. Como conclusão, destaca-se que a intervenção institucional e coletiva do psicólogo escolar deva estar voltada tanto à conscientização e ao empoderamento dos sujeitos, como às transformações sociais emancipadoras e ao sucesso acadêmico.

A history of the founding and early development of the Journal of School Psychology

Historical aspects of the founding and early development of the Journal of School Psychology are discussed. Emphases are placed on the first decade of the journal, the factors in its founding and development, persons who have served as editors and members of the editorial boards and corporate leadership, and the journal's changing formats. The publication's relationships to the Journal of School Psychology, Inc. and later to the Society for the Study of School Psychology are briefly mentioned.

Thoughts and recommendations concerning impact and productivity in school psychology journals

Having been personally involved in several examinations of productivity in various sub-disciplines of psychology, I read with great interest the articles in this special issue. I commend the authors for engaging in this activity, as I feel that a field benefits from occasional self-examinations. In this commentary, I caution against placing too much emphasis on impact factors, arguing that they are not measured without error and unethical behaviors could increase if they are weighted too heavily. I recommend examinations of methodological trends, whether implications for practice are based on observational data, whether female participation in the publication process matches their participation as members of the field, and finally including other characteristics in defining highly productive scholars that would attract potential graduate students.

School psychology publishing contributions to the advancement of knowledge, science, and its application: an introduction to the themed issue

This introductory article briefly reviews the studies and commentaries making up this themed issue on the process and products of professional publications in school psychology. Each article highlights important considerations for advancing scholarly scientific publishing in the field of school psychology. A case is made that enhancing the quality of scientific publications, as well as accumulating scholarly findings over time, serve as the primary mechanisms for improving practice for children, families, and school professionals. This article highlights features of the studies and commentaries directly related to advancing knowledge, science, and its application in school psychology.