Applying bibliometric review methods in education: rationale, definitions, analytical techniques, and illustrations

Abstract

This article introduces readers to the bibliometric method of conducting reviews of research. The bibliometric review is a subset of systematic review which aims to provide insight into patterns of knowledge production and accumulation. Bibliometric reviews neither examine individual studies in detail, nor do they focus on the synthesis of research findings per se. Instead, they use quantitative software tools to analyze bibliographic data associated with a large set of documents extracted from a repository such as Scopus or the Web of Science. While this review method has been in use for several decades, in recent years the development of new software tools has led to its increased usage across many disciplines, including the field of education. This article presents the rationale for this systematic review method, discusses some of the most frequently used analytical techniques, presents illustrations to aid readers in understanding output, and highlights several criteria that should be considered when evaluating the quality of bibliometric reviews. The authors conclude that bibliometric review method is a valuable addition to the existing array of systematic review methods used in education.