The Journal of Family Business Management: a bibliometric analysis

Abstract

PurposeThe Journal of Family Business Management was established in 2011 as the premier source of research related to family business from a management perspective. The journal has progressed to become one of the most important sources for emerging and novel information related to family business so it is important to analyse its history in order to make progress with future research. The goal of this article is to statistically analyse through bibliometric techniques the changes occurring in the journal.Design/methodology/approachThis article presents a bibliometric analysis of the journal that can help analyse past performance but also predict future trends. The analysis presents information on the most cited authors, institutions and journals, which indicates the international diversity of the journal. In addition, the most used keywords and article topics are presented that help to understand the main themes discussed in the journal.FindingsThe statistical analysis suggests that whilst there is a tendency to publish more European and North American research on family business, this is changing with countries from South America, Oceania and Asia increasing their representation in the journal. In addition, the topics covered in the journal have stayed the same in terms of focussing on family and family business practices but also expanded to include more research on entrepreneurship and innovation.Research limitations/implicationsA bibliometric analysis technique was used thus there are some limitations in terms of the type of methodology and focus only on published articles in the journal. As articles in press were not included this is an area that could be addressed in future research.Practical implicationsAs evident in the most published institutions in this journal, family business institutes can gain from research conducted on family business management. This means that family business managers should try to collaborate with research institutions on emerging new areas that require solutions.Originality/valueThis article presents some suggestions for future research that will help guide more research into areas that are currently under-represented in the journal and emerging topics that are likely to garner interest.