Determining the dominant understandings in security science literature in Turkey: A bibliometric analysis on the journal of security science

The development of a scientific discipline is closely related to the quantity and quality of research conducted within that discipline. Therefore, examining the studies published in a particular field is crucial for evaluating and understanding its development. While there are numerous national and international studies that assess the quality and quantity of research in various disciplines, no such study has been found specifically for the field of security science. This study aims to determine the subjects, approaches, and methods used in research within the field of security science. By analyzing 129 articles published in the Journal of Security Sciences between 2012 and 2021, the study seeks to provide insights and recommendations for the advancement of research in this field. The articles were subjected to bibliometric analysis, considering various criteria such as research objectives, methods, topics, and theoretical foundations. The contributions of these studies to the development of the discipline were evaluated. Based on the analysis of these articles, it is evident that methodological aspects of studies in this field are still in the early stages. The most significant deficiency identified is the lack of practical research in the analyzed articles. Conducting empirical studies is deemed essential for the advancement of security science. Consequently, several suggestions are proposed for future research. Moreover, an evaluation is provided as a foundation for future studies in the field of security science.