Death Studies

Top Research Topics at Death Studies?

The journal focuses largely on the fields of Grief, Clinical psychology, Suicide prevention, Social psychology and Psychiatry. While Grief is the focus of the journal, it also provided insights into the studies of Coping (psychology), Social support, Interpersonal relationship and Developmental psychology. Clinical psychology research presented in it encompasses a variety of subjects, including Scale (social sciences), Anxiety, Suicidal ideation, Mental health and Depression (differential diagnoses).

Death anxiety is a primary topic of Anxiety research in it. Suicide prevention research featured in it incorporates concerns from various other topics such as Injury prevention, Medical emergency, Human factors and ergonomics and Occupational safety and health. Studies on Social psychology discussed in Death Studies link to the field of Meaning (existential).

• Grief (29.23%)
• Clinical psychology (21.31%)
• Suicide prevention (17.55%)

What are the most cited papers published in the journal?

• THE DUAL PROCESS MODEL OF COPING WITH BEREAVEMENT: RATIONALE AND DESCRIPTION (1415 citations)
• SEARCHING FOR THE MEANING OF MEANING: GRIEF THERAPY AND THE PROCESS OF RECONSTRUCTION (446 citations)
• Coronavirus Anxiety Scale: A brief mental health screener for COVID-19 related anxiety. (365 citations)

Research areas of the most cited articles at Death Studies:

The published articles are organized to address concerns in the fields of Grief, Clinical psychology, Coping (psychology), Developmental psychology and Psychiatry. The works on Grief tackled in the published articles bring together disciplines like Social support, Social psychology and Interpersonal relationship. Mental health, Suicide prevention, Complicated grief and Anxiety are some topics wherein Clinical psychology research discussed in the journal papers has an impact.

What topics the last edition of the journal is best known for?

• Law
• Social psychology
• Internal medicine

The previous edition focused in particular on these issues:

The topics of Clinical psychology, Grief, MEDLINE, Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and Anxiety are the focal point of discussions in the journal. The journal explores research in Clinical psychology alongside concepts in Confirmatory factor analysis and other areas of study in Cronbach's alpha and Scale (ratio). Some problems in Grief that were presented in the journal overlapped with concepts under Developmental psychology, Social issues and Suicide prevention.

The concepts on Developmental psychology presented in Death Studies can also apply to other research fields, including Intervention (counseling), Context (language use) and Thematic analysis. Nursing, Psychiatry, Death anxiety and Qualitative research are some topics wherein MEDLINE research discussed in the journal have an impact. Topics in Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) were tackled in line with various other fields like Turkish, Scale (social sciences) and 2019-20 coronavirus outbreak.

The most cited articles from the last journal are:

• Facilitating grief: An exploration of the function of funerals and rituals in relation to grief reactions. (14 citations)
• How do family members experience drug death bereavement? A systematic review of the literature (11 citations)
• Sociocultural factors associated with attitudes toward suicide in Australia. (9 citations)

Papers citation over time

A key indicator for each journal is its effectiveness in reaching other researchers with the papers published at that venue.

The chart below presents the interquartile range (first quartile 25%, median 50% and third quartile 75%) of the number of citations of articles over time.

Top authors and change over time

The top authors publishing in Death Studies (based on the number of publications) are:

• Robert A. Neimeyer (64 papers) published 6 papers at the last edition, 1 more than at the previous edition,
• David E. Balk (49 papers) absent at the last edition,
• David Lester (36 papers) absent at the last edition,
• Lillian M. Range (28 papers) absent at the last edition,
• Antoon A. Leenaars (17 papers) absent at the last edition.

The overall trend for top authors publishing in this journal is outlined below. The chart shows the number of publications at each edition of the journal for top authors.

Top affiliations and change over time

Only papers with recognized affiliations are considered

The top affiliations publishing in Death Studies (based on the number of publications) are:

• University of Memphis (59 papers) published 5 papers at the last edition, 1 less than at the previous edition,
• University of Southern Mississippi (32 papers) absent at the last edition,
• University of Haifa (29 papers) published 2 papers at the last edition, 2 less than at the previous edition,
• Richard Stockton College of New Jersey (24 papers) absent at the last edition,
• Arizona State University (23 papers) published 2 papers at the last edition, 1 more than at the previous edition.

The overall trend for top affiliations publishing in this journal is outlined below. The chart shows the number of publications at each edition of the journal for top affiliations.

Publication chance based on affiliation

The publication chance index shows the ratio of articles published by the best research institutions in the journal edition to all articles published within that journal. The best research institutions were selected based on the largest number of articles published during all editions of the journal.

The chart below presents the percentage ratio of articles from top institutions (based on their ranking of total papers).Top affiliations were grouped by their rank into the following tiers: top 1-10, top 11-20, top 21-50, and top 51+. Only articles with a recognized affiliation are considered.

During the most recent 2021 edition, 6.32% of publications had an unrecognized affiliation. Out of the publications with recognized affiliations, 7.87% were posted by at least one author from the top 10 institutions publishing in the journal. Another 3.37% included authors affiliated with research institutions from the top 11-20 affiliations. Institutions from the 21-50 range included 15.17% of all publications and 73.60% were from other institutions.

Returning Authors Index

A very common phenomenon observed among researchers publishing scientific articles is the intentional selection of journals they have already attended in the past. In particular, it is worth analyzing the case when the authors participate in the same journal from year to year.

The Returning Authors Index presented below illustrates the ratio of authors who participated in both a given as well as the previous edition of the journal in relation to all participants in a given year.

Returning Institution Index

The graph below shows the Returning Institution Index, illustrating the ratio of institutions that participated in both a given and the previous edition of the conference in relation to all affiliations present in a given year.

The experience to innovation index

Our experience to innovation index was created to show a cross-section of the experience level of authors publishing in a journal. The index includes the authors publishing at the last edition of a journal, grouped by total number of publications throughout their academic career (P) and the total number of citations of these publications ever received (C).

The group intervals were selected empirically to best show the diversity of the authors' experiences, their labels were selected as a convenience, not as judgment. The authors were divided into the following groups:

• Novice - P < 5 or C < 25 (the number of publications less than 5 or the number of citations less than 25),
• Competent - P < 10 or C < 100 (the number of publications less than 10 or the number of citations less than 100),
• Experienced - P < 25 or C < 625 (the number of publications less than 25 or the number of citations less than 625),
• Master - P < 50 or C < 2500 (the number of publications less than 50 or the number of citations less than 2500),
• Star - P ≥ 50 and C ≥ 2500 (both the number of publications greater than 50 and the number of citations greater than 2500).

The chart below illustrates experience levels of first authors in cases of publications with multiple authors.

Pathways to Similar Careers

In addition to working in death and grief studies, readers may be interested in exploring similar career paths that involve mental wellness and counselling. One such career is that of a school psychologist. This profession requires much of the same skills and education as a career in clinical psychology or Psychiatry. If you are interested in pursuing a role as a school psychologist, it's important to understand the expected duties, requirements, and the process of becoming a school psychologist.

In the most basic sense, a school psychologist uses their knowledge of psychology to help students excel acadically, socially, and emotionally. They work in a school environment evaluating the needs of students and implementing strategies to improve learning behaviors and social aptitudes. They also work closely with teachers, parents, and other school management to identify and assist children who are struggling, and to create a conducive learning environment.

There are specific requirements and steps to becoming a school psychologist. A person typically needs to complete a bachelor's degree, followed by a recognized graduate program in school psychology like this one in New Mexico. Following their formal education, an internship and licensure examination are typically required.

In conclusion, a career in school psychology presents a fulfilling opportunity for those interested in fostering mental wellness and development in young students. It's a path that requires deep understanding of psychology and education, but brings great rewards in contributing to the growth and success of future generations.