A Bibliometric Analysis of Bibliometric Studies in the Field of Educational Sciences

This study aims to reveal the current state and examine the development of bibliometric analysis research conducted in the field of educational sciences based on data from the Web of Science (WoS). Using metadata retrieved from WoS between 1985 and 2025, a bibliometric analysis was conducted to map the literature on bibliometric studies within the educational sciences domain. An initial search using the keywords "bibliometric" and "bibliometric analysis" yielded 22,679 documents. The dataset was then refined by applying the filters "Education & Educational Research" under WoS categories and "article" as the document type, resulting in a final dataset of 522 articles published between 1985 and 2024. The data were analyzed using Biblioshiny, the web interface of the bibliometrix package in RStudio. The analysis included annual scientific production, the most relevant journals in the field, leading researchers, scientific productivity by country, frequently used keywords, corresponding authors’ countries and publications, citation networks by journal, international collaboration patterns, and the most cited articles in WoS. The results indicate a linear increase in bibliometric studies in educational sciences since 2014, with the highest number of publications in 2024. The countries with the most contributions were Spain, China, Brazil, and Türkiye. The most prolific journals were Education and Information Technologies, Education Sciences, Cogent Education, Movimento, and Frontiers in Education. The most frequently used keywords were "bibliometric analysis," "bibliometrics," "education," and "bibliometric." This study provides a comprehensive evaluation of bibliometric research in educational sciences and offers valuable insights into the field's development for future research.