Publication patterns in the humanities: an author-level analysis of generational shifts and changing research agendas

Abstract The humanities have distinct publication practices compared to the sciences, with books and local language literature being essential. This study aims to identify and analyze the publication patterns of humanities scholars in Spanish-speaking countries, revealing unique publication behaviors and fostering diverse perspectives rather than linear knowledge progression. We analyzed the publication histories of approximately 40,000 scholars from 1950 to 2021 using data from the Dialnet database. By identifying archetypal publication profiles, we explored their distribution across generational cohorts and research topics. Our findings reveal substantial generational shifts toward journal-centric publication patterns, probably influenced by bibliometric-driven evaluation systems. They also show a relation between publication patterns and research topics. This highlights the need for more inclusive assessment practices that recognize the diverse nature of humanities scholarship. We contribute to ongoing discussions on promoting bibliodiversity in research assessment and the potential impacts of current policies on the humanities.