Thematic Structure, Evolution, and Authorship Patterns of Physical Education Theory and Methodology (2019–2025)
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17309/tmfv.2026.1.01Keywords:
bibliometric analysis, thematic evolution, co-authorship patterns, physical education research, journal analysisAbstract
Background. Bibliometric analyses provide an evidence-based approach for examining the thematic orientation, development trajectories, and collaboration patterns of scientific journals.
Purpose. The purpose of this study was to analyze the thematic structure, thematic evolution, and authorship patterns of publications in Physical Education Theory and Methodology (PETM) during 2019–2025.
Methods. Scopus-indexed metadata were analyzed using bibliometric methods. A weighted keyword co-occurrence network was constructed and examined using the Louvain community detection algorithm. Thematic evolution was assessed across three periods (2019–2020, 2021–2022, 2023–2025), and recurrent co-authorship patterns were identified based on indexed author records.
Results. Five major thematic clusters representing the core research domains of PETM were identified. Thematic evolution analysis revealed a cumulative development pattern characterized by stable methodological foundations and pronounced growth in health-related, assessment-oriented, and integrative applied research. Authorship analysis demonstrated the presence of recurring author teams and stable collaborative structures.
Conclusions. The findings provide quantitative evidence of PETM’s controlled thematic diversification and support its positioning as a methodologically grounded journal with expanding international relevance. The results may inform editorial positioning, scope refinement, and future policy development.Downloads
References
Zupic, I., & Čater, T. (2015). Bibliometric methods in management and organization. Organizational Research Methods, 18(3), 429–472. https://doi.org/10.1177/1094428114562629 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/1094428114562629
Donthu, N., Kumar, S., Mukherjee, D., Pandey, N., & Lim, W. M. (2021). How to conduct a bibliometric analysis: An overview and guidelines. Journal of Business Research, 133, 285–296. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2021.04.070 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2021.04.070
Aria, M., & Cuccurullo, C. (2017). bibliometrix: An R-tool for comprehensive science mapping analysis. Journal of Informetrics, 11(4), 959–975. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joi.2017.08.007 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joi.2017.08.007
Cobo, M. J., López-Herrera, A. G., Herrera-Viedma, E., & Herrera, F. (2011). Science mapping software tools: Review, analysis, and cooperative study. Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology, 62(7), 1382–1402. https://doi.org/10.1002/asi.21525 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/asi.21525
Blondel, V. D., Guillaume, J.-L., Lambiotte, R., & Lefebvre, E. (2008). Fast unfolding of communities in large networks. Journal of Statistical Mechanics: Theory and Experiment, 2008(10), P10008. https://doi.org/10.1088/1742-5468/2008/10/P10008 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1088/1742-5468/2008/10/P10008
Newman, M. E. J. (2006). Modularity and community structure in networks. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 103(23), 8577–8582. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.0601602103 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.0601602103
van Eck, N. J., & Waltman, L. (2010). Software survey: VOSviewer, a computer program for bibliometric mapping. Scientometrics, 84(2), 523–538. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11192-009-0146-3 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11192-009-0146-3
Moed, H. F. (2005). Citation analysis in research evaluation. Springer.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Oleg Khudolii, Olha Ivashchenko
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
- Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).
