Methods and Trends in Higher Education Research: Bibliographic Analysis

Abstract

The article analyzed 1,583 publications (2006 –2025) from 563 Scopus sources, showing that higher education grew at an average rate of 13.66% per year. The average age of the documents was 6.23 years, with 17.05 citations per article. The US, UK, and Australia were the "supercenters," while Germany, China, South Africa, and Indonesia emerged as new power poles. Leading institutions included Lancaster University, HKU, and Incher-Kassel. Major journals such as the Journal of Higher Education, Teaching in Higher Education, Education Sciences, and the International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education held high prestige. Malcolm Tight played a prominent role in disseminating ideas, along with Ulrich Teichler, Jung Jisun, and Hugo Horta within the academic network. The keyword "higher education" connected policy, governance, methodology, and learners, with new trends toward personalized experiences and the integration of AI and ML. The research provides a comprehensive perspective for identifying gaps, fostering collaboration, and designing data-driven policies.