“Mapping the Global Research Landscape of Guidance and Counseling: A Bibliometric Analysis of Publication Trends, International Collaboration Networks, and Emerging Research Themes”

ABSTRACT : Background: Guidance and counseling play a vital role in promoting academic development, career decision-making, personal growth, and social-emotional well-being. With the evolving educational, social, and professional landscape, scholarly research in this field has expanded across various domains, including school counseling, educational guidance, career development, vocational counseling, and counselor education. Understanding the global development of this research is essential for identifying major contributions, emerging themes, and future research directions. Aim: This study aimed to map the global research landscape of guidance and counseling by examining publication trends, international collaboration networks, intellectual structures, and emerging research themes. Methods: A bibliometric analysis was conducted using Scopus-indexed publications covering the period 2000– 2026. Following a structured identification, deduplication, and screening process, 982 publications were retained for analysis. Bibliometric techniques, including citation analysis, co-citation analysis, international collaboration analysis, and keyword co-occurrence analysis, were employed to examine the scientific development, intellectual foundations, collaborative patterns, and thematic structure of the field. VOS viewer was utilized for bibliometric network visualization and mapping.