The Impact of the Internationalization of Political Science on Publishing in Two Languages: The Case of Japan, 1971-2023

Abstract

This study meticulously examines the ”science of science” and bibliometrics, illuminating new discoveries pertaining to scientific practices, such as scientific patterns, impacts, and citations. However, a significant portion of these studies predominantly concentrates on Western countries, thereby limiting the universality and applicability of their findings. There is a noticeable dearth of comprehensive research focused on non-Western countries, like Japan, resulting in a Western-centric bias in the existing literature. The authors propose an intricate case study focusing on Japanese political scientists, integrating both English and Japanese publications into their professional repertoire as a distinctive avenue to explore the internationalization trajectories of political science. Subsequent to a comprehensive literature review and the formulation of cogent research questions aimed at elucidating the internationalization dimensions of political science, a multifaceted research methodology is employed. Utilizing descriptive statistics, text analysis, and network analysis, the study endeavors to provide substantive answers to the research queries. The findings reveal a consistent augmentation in the number of Japanese political scientists disseminating their research in international journals since 1971. Conversely, the prevalence of international co-authorship has witnessed only a marginal increase. Additionally, a distinct bifurcation is evident among Japanese scholars, delineated by their publication preferences between international and domestic journals.