Research in Sport and Exercise Psychology between 2003 and 2013: An analysis of the English-speaking publication trends before the field's 50th Anniversary

Abstract

Sports and exercise psychology as a scholastic field was officially inaugurated in 1965 in Rome on the occasion of the first World Congress on Sports Psychology. As it nears its 50th anniversary in 2015, we have conducted a content analysis of the existing six subject specific English-speaking international journals in the field to obtain an overview of research and publication trends. Articles (n = 2276) published between 1 January 2003 and 1 January 2013 were examined. The type of publications, subject of the articles, institutional and national origin, and authors' gender were examined. Results revealed that the subject matter of the articles could be grouped into 45 areas. The majority (79.6%) of the work was empirical. Articles originated from 725 institutions located in 43 nations. Most publications (75%) over the decade reviewed stemmed from only five, mainly Anglophone, nations. First and second authorships were largely by male scholars (64.7% vs. 68.2%). Compared to 2003, in 2012 significant changes took place in authorships and the subject areas of the articles. It is concluded that research and publications in the field of sport and exercise psychology are dynamic and growing. At present, the work is largely dominated by English-speaking contributions and male scholars. However, input from British and German scholars was nearly three times higher in 2012 than in 2003.