A Historical, Bibliometric, and Content Analysis of the Journal of Educational and Psychological Consultation : Evolution of Consultation Research Across 35 Years

The Journal of Educational and Psychological Consultation (JEPC) was established in 1990 to advance theory, research, and practice related to consultation and interdisciplinary collaboration in educational settings and has served as a primary outlet for consultation-focused scholarship for more than three decades. Despite its influence, no comprehensive bibliometric and content analysis of the journal’s full publication history has been conducted. Using bibliometric and content-analytic methods, this study examined all JEPC publications from 1990 through 2024 (N = 795 articles). Data were obtained primarily from Scopus and Journal Citation Reports and analyzed to address 11 research questions related to publication volume, special issues, authorship patterns, international representation and collaboration, citation trends, journal impact indicators, and thematic content. Results indicated that JEPC’s scholarly impact has increased over time, particularly during the past decade, despite a slight decline in annual publication volume. Authorship patterns reflected growing collaboration among researchers; however, international representation and cross-national collaboration remained limited and largely US-based. Content analyses revealed increased attention to culture, equity, and systems-level consultation since 2013, alongside relative declines in prevention and collaborative consultation topics. Overall, findings highlight JEPC’s evolving scholarly influence and editorial responsiveness to sociopolitical contexts, while also identifying opportunities to strengthen international engagement and interdisciplinary consultation scholarship. Implications are discussed for editorial practices, future bibliometric research, and the continued development of consultation scholarship in education.