Research traceability identification talent in sports psychology: a bibliometric analysis with vosviewer
Keywords:
Bibliometric Analysis, Sport Psychology, Talent Identification, VOSviewer
Abstract
Problems: Talent identification in sports is a multidimensional field of research that continues to evolve in line with advances in science, technology, and the needs of modern sports. Talent identification encompasses not only physical aspects and tactical skills but also psychological, social, cognitive, and environmental factors. Despite the increasing research, mapping global research trends, particularly on psychological skill-based talent identification in sports, remains a lack of a comprehensive structure. Purpose: This study aims to analyze the mapping of global research trends regarding psychological skills-based talent identification in sports, evaluate scientific collaboration networks, identify existing research gaps, and compile recommendations for future research. Methods: This study employed bibliometric analysis with the help of VOSviewer software. Data sources were obtained from Google Scholar for the 2015–2025 period through the Publish or Perish Reference Manager application. Mapping was conducted based on frequently appearing and interrelated keywords in the scientific literature, namely "Talent Identification by Psychological Skills in Sport," which resulted in 500 documents with a topical scope that reflects the diversity of themes in the field being studied. Results: The research results show that the peak number of publications occurred in 2016, indicating increased interest in this topic during that period. The most frequently published journal was Psychology of Sport and Exercise, published by Elsevier. Conclusion: This study provides a comprehensive overview of the development of talent identification research in sports from a psychological perspective and can be a starting point for further researchers in finding relevant sources and theoretical foundations, as well as identifying research opportunities that are still open in the future
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References
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Nurul Hidayati, N., Ahmad Mudhakir, D., & Hidayatun Nihayah, D. (2023). Visualizing Research on English Learning: a Bibliometric Analysis. Lingua Scientia |, 30(2).
Park, I., & Jeon, J. (2023). Psychological Skills Training for Athletes in Sports: Web of Science Bibliometric Analysis. In Healthcare (Vol. 11, Issue 2). https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare11020259
Parra-Martinez, F. A., & Wai, J. (2023). Talent identification research: a bibliometric study from multidisciplinary and global perspectives. Frontiers in Psychology, 14(May), 1–22. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1141159
Reardon, C. L., Hainline, B., Aron, C. M., Baron, D., Baum, A. L., Bindra, A., Budgett, R., Campriani, N., Castaldelli-Maia, J. M., & Currie, A. (2019). Mental health in elite athletes: International Olympic Committee consensus statement (2019). British Journal of Sports Medicine, 53(11), 667–699.
Rees, T., Hardy, L., Güllich, A., Abernethy, B., Côté, J., Woodman, T., Montgomery, H., Laing, S., & Warr, C. (2016). The Great British Medalists Project: A Review of Current Knowledge on the Development of the World’s Best Sporting Talent. Sports Medicine, 46(8), 1041–1058. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-016-0476-2
Sarmento, H., Anguera, M. T., Pereira, A., & Araújo, D. (2018). Talent identification and development in male football: A systematic review. Sports Medicine, 48(4), 907–931.
Stoyanova-Bozhkova, S., Paskova, T., & Buhalis, D. (2022). Emotional intelligence: a competitive advantage for tourism and hospitality managers. Tourism Recreation Research, 47(4), 359–371.
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Thrower, S. N., Barker, J. B., Bruton, A. M., Coffee, P., Cumming, J., Harwood, C. G., Howells, K., Knight, C. J., McCarthy, P. J., & Mellalieu, S. D. (2024). Enhancing wellbeing, long-term development, and performance in youth sport: Insights from experienced applied sport psychologists working with young athletes in the United Kingdom. Journal of Applied Sport Psychology, 36(3), 519–541.
Thulesius, H. (2011). Assessing research impact with Google Scholar: The most cited articles in the journal 20082010. Scandinavian Journal of Primary Health Care, 29(4), 193–195. https://doi.org/10.3109/02813432.2011.629160
Till, K., Emmonds, S., & Jones, B. (2019). Talent identification. Strength and Conditioning for Young Athletes, 21–44.
Torrance, E, P. (n.d.). Guiding Creative Talent.pdf.
van Eck, N. J., & Waltman, L. (2013). VOSviwer Manual. Univeristeit Leiden, January, 1–49.
Weinberg, R. S., & Gould, D. (2023). Foundations of sport and exercise psychology (Eigth). Human kinetics.
Xiang, C., Tengku Kamalden, T. F., Liu, H., & Ismail, N. (2022). Exploring the Multidisciplinary Factors Affecting Sports Talent Identification. Frontiers in Psychology, 13(July), 1–14. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.948121
Yue, Y., Zubing, X., Yasmin, F., & Poulova, P. (2025). Impact of competitive anxiety and coach leadership style on track and field athlete performance: moderating role of coping strategies and emotional intelligence. Current Psychology, 44(3), 1511–1526.
Baker, J., Wilson, S., Johnston, K., Dehghansai, N., Koenigsberg, A., de Vegt, S., & Wattie, N. (2020). Talent Research in Sport 1990–2018: A Scoping Review. Frontiers in Psychology, 11(November). https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.607710
Barraclough, S., Till, K., & Kerr, A. (2022). Methodological Approaches to Talent Identification in Team Sports : A Narrative Review. MDPI, 10(81), 1–16.
Bompa, T., & Buzzichelli, C. A. (2019). Periodization: Theory and Methodology of Training. Human Kinetics.
Cassidy, T., Potrac, P., & Rynne, S. (2023). Understanding Sports Coaching (4th Editio). https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003184348
Chen, S. Y., & Wu, J. T. (2017). Global productivity of dermatological research: a bibliometric analysis from 1985 to 2014. British Journal of Dermatology, 176(1), 234–236. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjd.14802
Delgado López-Cózar, E., Orduña-Malea, E., & Martín-Martín, A. (2019). Google scholar as a data source for research Assessment. Springer Handbooks, 95–127. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-02511-3_4
Dlugonski, D., Gadd, N., McKay, C., Kleis, R. R., & Hoch, J. M. (2022). Physical literacy and physical activity across the life span: a systematic review. Translational Journal of the American College of Sports Medicine, 7(3), e000201.
Doncaster, G., Medina, D., Drobnic, F., Gómez-Díaz, A. J., & Unnithan, V. (2020). Appreciating Factors Beyond the Physical in Talent Identification and Development: Insights From the FC Barcelona Sporting Model. Frontiers in Sports and Active Living, 2(July), 1–9. https://doi.org/10.3389/fspor.2020.00091
Gallardo-Gallardo, E., Dries, N., & González-Cruz, T. F. (2013). What is the meaning of “talent” in the world of work? Human Resource Management Review, 23(4), 290–300. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hrmr.2013.05.002
Ghosh, S. (2025). Examining Different Research Communities: Authorship Network. Studies in Computational Intelligence, 1189 SCI, 71–82. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-82435-7_6
Gledhill, A., & Harwood, C. (2015). A holistic perspective on career development in UK female soccer players: A negative case analysis. Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 21, 65–77. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychsport.2015.04.003
Gledhill, A., & Harwood, C. (2019). Toward an Understanding of Players’ Perceptions of Talent Development Environments in UK Female Football. Journal of Applied Sport Psychology, 31(1), 105–115. https://doi.org/10.1080/10413200.2017.1410254
Gledhill, A., Harwood, C., & Forsdyke, D. (2017). Psychosocial factors associated with talent development in football: A systematic review. Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 31, 93–112. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychsport.2017.04.002
Gwyther, K., Pilkington, V., Bailey, A. P., Mountjoy, M., Bergeron, M. F., Rice, S. M., & Purcell, R. (2024). Mental health and well-being of elite youth athletes: a scoping review. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 58(17), 1011–1019.
Hardy, L., Jones, G., & Gould, D. (2018). Understanding psychological preparation for sport: Theory and practice of elite performers. John Wiley & Sons.
Harzing, A. W. K., & van der Wal, R. (2008). Google Scholar as a new source for citation analysis. Ethics in Science and Environmental Politics, 8(1), 61–73. https://doi.org/10.3354/esep00076
Kaygusuz, S. (2024). Unlocking Peak Performance: The Critical Role of Sports Psychology. Psychology & Psychological Research International Journal, 9(3), 1–2. https://doi.org/10.23880/pprij-16000431
MacNamara, Á., Button, A., & Collins, D. (2010). The role of psychological characteristics in facilitating the pathway to elite performance part 1: Identifying mental skills and behaviors. Sport Psychologist, 24(1), 52–73. https://doi.org/10.1123/tsp.24.1.52
Mathur, C., & Singh, P. (2024). To study the relationship between Emotional Intelligence and Sports Anxiety among Athletes. International Journal of Interdisciplinary Approaches in Psychology, 2(5), 16–39.
Mayer, J. D., Caruso, D. R., & Salovey, P. (2016). The ability model of emotional intelligence: Principles and updates. Emotion Review, 8(4), 290–300.
Nurul Hidayati, N., Ahmad Mudhakir, D., & Hidayatun Nihayah, D. (2023). Visualizing Research on English Learning: a Bibliometric Analysis. Lingua Scientia |, 30(2).
Park, I., & Jeon, J. (2023). Psychological Skills Training for Athletes in Sports: Web of Science Bibliometric Analysis. In Healthcare (Vol. 11, Issue 2). https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare11020259
Parra-Martinez, F. A., & Wai, J. (2023). Talent identification research: a bibliometric study from multidisciplinary and global perspectives. Frontiers in Psychology, 14(May), 1–22. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1141159
Reardon, C. L., Hainline, B., Aron, C. M., Baron, D., Baum, A. L., Bindra, A., Budgett, R., Campriani, N., Castaldelli-Maia, J. M., & Currie, A. (2019). Mental health in elite athletes: International Olympic Committee consensus statement (2019). British Journal of Sports Medicine, 53(11), 667–699.
Rees, T., Hardy, L., Güllich, A., Abernethy, B., Côté, J., Woodman, T., Montgomery, H., Laing, S., & Warr, C. (2016). The Great British Medalists Project: A Review of Current Knowledge on the Development of the World’s Best Sporting Talent. Sports Medicine, 46(8), 1041–1058. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-016-0476-2
Sarmento, H., Anguera, M. T., Pereira, A., & Araújo, D. (2018). Talent identification and development in male football: A systematic review. Sports Medicine, 48(4), 907–931.
Stoyanova-Bozhkova, S., Paskova, T., & Buhalis, D. (2022). Emotional intelligence: a competitive advantage for tourism and hospitality managers. Tourism Recreation Research, 47(4), 359–371.
Tărăban, I., Boncilică, A. N., Tilibaşa, M. A., Dranga, O., & Marchiş, D. F. (2024). Connecting the Dots: A Bibliometric Analysis Exploring the Relationship between Knowledge Management and Organizational Structure. Proceedings of the International Conference on Business Excellence, 18(1), 605–622. https://doi.org/10.2478/picbe-2024-0052
Thrower, S. N., Barker, J. B., Bruton, A. M., Coffee, P., Cumming, J., Harwood, C. G., Howells, K., Knight, C. J., McCarthy, P. J., & Mellalieu, S. D. (2024). Enhancing wellbeing, long-term development, and performance in youth sport: Insights from experienced applied sport psychologists working with young athletes in the United Kingdom. Journal of Applied Sport Psychology, 36(3), 519–541.
Thulesius, H. (2011). Assessing research impact with Google Scholar: The most cited articles in the journal 20082010. Scandinavian Journal of Primary Health Care, 29(4), 193–195. https://doi.org/10.3109/02813432.2011.629160
Till, K., Emmonds, S., & Jones, B. (2019). Talent identification. Strength and Conditioning for Young Athletes, 21–44.
Torrance, E, P. (n.d.). Guiding Creative Talent.pdf.
van Eck, N. J., & Waltman, L. (2013). VOSviwer Manual. Univeristeit Leiden, January, 1–49.
Weinberg, R. S., & Gould, D. (2023). Foundations of sport and exercise psychology (Eigth). Human kinetics.
Xiang, C., Tengku Kamalden, T. F., Liu, H., & Ismail, N. (2022). Exploring the Multidisciplinary Factors Affecting Sports Talent Identification. Frontiers in Psychology, 13(July), 1–14. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.948121
Yue, Y., Zubing, X., Yasmin, F., & Poulova, P. (2025). Impact of competitive anxiety and coach leadership style on track and field athlete performance: moderating role of coping strategies and emotional intelligence. Current Psychology, 44(3), 1511–1526.
Published
2026-04-30
How to Cite
Febrianty, M., Komarudin, K., Novian, G., & Lai, X. Q. (2026). Research traceability identification talent in sports psychology: a bibliometric analysis with vosviewer. Jurnal Patriot, 8(1), 17-27. https://doi.org/10.24036/patriot.v8i1.1220
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Articles
Copyright (c) 2026 Jurnal Patriot
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