Mapping the field’s knowledge base: A bibliometric analysis of evaluation thought leaders, authorship patterns and profiles, and connections across scholar communities

Whether you are new to evaluation or have been in the field for long, have you ever wondered how ideas in the field evolved and who introduced them? In this multi-paper session, we will describe our innovative and novel approach for answering these questions by mapping the community of evaluation thought leaders. In the first paper, we will describe why this study is important to the field and its relevance for the evaluation community. The second paper describes the multi-methods used to answer these questions, based on a newly generated database of all published articles in evaluation journals since 1977. The third paper highlights how we are enhancing traditional data analysis with AI methods and tools. The last paper shares early study findings and draws attention to what diverse concepts and ideas have been advanced, which evaluation thought leaders have advanced them, and unique insights for scholars, practitioners, and funders.
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Amanda Sutter, MA & MSW – Doctoral Student, Department of Educational Psychology, University of Connecticut, Isabelle Bourgeois, n/a – Faculty of Education, University of Ottawa, Sebastian Lemire, Steffen Bohni Nielsen, Bianca Montrosse-Moorhead, Ph.D.