Candidate: Meg Kwak

Degree of: Doctor of Philosophy

Department: Psychology

Title: Using Bibliometric Journal Citation Analysis as a Technique to Assess Trends in School Psychology Journal Publications Between 1995-1999

Committee:
Dr. Kristal Ehrhardt, Chair
Dr. Alan Poling
Dr. John Austin
Dr. Sarah Summy
Dr. Millicent Perkins

Date: Monday, February 25 12:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m.
3715 Wood Hall

Abstract:
School Psychology is a field influenced by the many different areas within psychology and education. School psychologists respond to many challenges and when working in the schools it is imperative that they stay abreast of the newest research findings. In order to remain informed, as well as to develop new knowledge, it is essential that professionals are aware of the influences of the publications and the relative strength of specific journals (Kawano, Kehle, Clark, & Jenson, 1993). One way to assess publication trends is through journal citation analysis. Citation analysis is characterized by its objective ability to highlight the ways that information moves within and from a scientific discipline and has been used frequently to assess such trends (e.g., Hoffman & Holbrook, 1993; Howard & Curtain, 1993). Although there are limitations to this technique, it has been referred to as a technique that works, and is a reliable and accurate representation of a field (Everett & Pecotich, 1993; Lievrouw, 1990).

This project used citation analysis to assess trends in articles published in the five major school psychology journals. Specifically, the degree of self-citations and cross citations were found to be relatively low compared to
findings in other areas of psychology and only one journal, SPQ, had most of its references come from a journal that was behavior analytic in nature. Finally, it was found that Best Practices in School Psychology III (Thomas & Grimes, 1995) was the most often cited book, T. R. Kratochwill was the most frequently cited author, and "School based consultations: Theory, techniques, and research" (Gutkin & Curtis, 1990) was the most often referenced article/book chapter.

Overall, these data support the notion that school psychology journals are not guilty of excessive "within journal inbreeding." The field is growing and remains diverse in author contribution, and research and extension to journals other than those focused simply in the field of school psychology. Along the same lines, school psychology is a field which is maturing into its own and able to sustain a focused group in a time when journal publications grow.

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