A Bibliometric Analysis of School Psychology International and International Journal of School & Educational Psychology Across 45 Years: Implications for International Engagement in Producing Scholarship

Abstract

This study examined publication output, authorship patterns, citation impact, and international representation across 45 years of articles published in School Psychology International (SPI) and across available years of International Journal of School & Educational Psychology (IJSEP). SPI showed a long-term, relatively stable growth trajectory in articles published per year, with modest fluctuations, whereas IJSEP exhibited a more variable pattern, peaking in articles published in 2019 before declining somewhat. Authorship became increasingly collaborative over time, with the average number of authors per article rising steadily in SPI and remaining consistently higher in IJSEP. SPI articles received higher average citations per article than IJSEP, although citation rates per year were similar across journals. Highly cited SPI articles were predominantly quantitative and focused on bullying and victimization, whereas IJSEP's highly cited articles were more often expository and focused on teacher experiences, professional issues, and student well-being. Across journals, highly cited articles frequently emphasized positive psychology, but none resulted from international collaborations. International collaboration was more prevalent in IJSEP (22.0%) than SPI (15.2%). Across journals, 81 countries were represented by first authors, with increasing international representation driven largely by co-authorship. Although authorship was historically dominated by those from Western European and North American countries, recent declines in rates of authors from these regions—particularly among first authors—suggest a shift toward broader international engagement.