title: Trends and topics in sports research in the Social Science Citation Index from 1993 to 2008.
abstract: This descriptive study evaluated behavioral and social science research on sport for 1993 through 2008, examined the characteristics of sport research, and identified mainstream issues appearing during these 16 years. Based on the Social Science Citation Index (SSCI) database from 1993 to 2008, 7,655 articles referring to sport or sports were available. The publication analyses showed that 13 core journals published the most articles in the behavioral sciences of sport. By analyzing all titles, author keywords, and KeyWords Plus, the results showed that physical education, athlete performance, and sports participation were the mainstream issues of sport research in the 16-year study period. The words adolescent, youth, and children frequently appeared, indicating that the emphasis of sport research focused on these participant groups. This bibliometric study reviewed global sports research in SSCI, and described certain patterns or trends in prior research on sport.
authors.affiliation: Department of Leisure and Recreation Management, Asia University, No. 500, Lioufeng Rd., Wufeng, Taichung City 41354, Taiwan. lishiuegau@gmail.com
authors.forename: Li-Shiue
authors.initials: LS
authors.lastname: Gau
mesh_terms: D015706:Bibliometrics; D035843:Biomedical Research / Q000706:statistics & numerical data / Q000639:trends*; D006801:Humans; D012942:Social Sciences / Q000706:statistics & numerical data / Q000639:trends*; D013177:Sports / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D013997:Time Factors