International Journal of Project Management

Top Research Topics at International Journal of Project Management?

The discussions in the journal mainly cover the fields of Project management, Process management, Project management triangle, Management science and Operations management. The research on Project management tackled can also make contributions to studies in the areas of Public relations and Engineering management. The work on Process management tackled in the journal brings together disciplines like Environmental resource management and Process (engineering).

Most of the works presented in the journal deals with Project management triangle but it intersects with the subject of Project planning. In addition to Project planning research, the journal aims to explore topics under Software project management and Schedule (project management). International Journal of Project Management features Management science research that overlaps with concepts in Knowledge management.

Issues in Project charter were discussed, taking into consideration concepts from other disciplines like Project governance and Project manager. Project risk management research featured in the journal incorporates concerns from various other topics such as Risk management and Risk management plan. It dives deep in exploring the relationship between the study of Risk management and Risk analysis (engineering).

• Project management (39.09%)
• Process management (24.16%)
• Project management triangle (21.06%)

What are the most cited papers published in the journal?

• Project management: cost, time and quality, two best guesses and a phenomenon, its time to accept other success criteria (1519 citations)
• The “real” success factors on projects (1225 citations)
• Causes of delay in large construction projects (984 citations)

Research areas of the most cited articles at International Journal of Project Management:

The most cited papers generally zeroe in on subjects such as Project management, Process management, Project management triangle, Management science and Project charter. In addition to Project management research, the most cited papers aim to explore topics under Engineering management and Public relations. While the most cited papers focused on Project management triangle, they were also able to explore topics like Project planning and Program management.

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

• Management
• Statistics
• Social psychology

The previous edition focused in particular on these issues:

The scientific interests tackled in the journal are Knowledge management, Project management, Process management, Corporate governance and Megaproject. The overlapping concepts between Process (engineering) and Project manager are the key highlights of Knowledge management study. The research on Project management featured in International Journal of Project Management combines topics in other fields like Quality (business), Project team, Public relations, Open innovation and Variety (cybernetics).

It explores issues in Public relations which can be linked to other research areas like Control (management) and Project governance. Process management research presented in International Journal of Project Management encompasses a variety of subjects, including Conceptual framework, Phase (combat), Project stakeholder, Outcome (game theory) and Key (cryptography). Topics in Corporate governance were tackled in line with various other fields like Order (exchange) and Public administration.

The most cited articles from the last journal are:

• What about the people? Micro-foundations of open innovation in megaprojects (13 citations)
• Agile practices and performance: Examining the role of psychological empowerment (11 citations)
• Coping with uncertainty: Knowledge sharing in new product development projects (8 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 International Journal of Project Management (based on the number of publications) are:

• J. Rodney Turner (33 papers) absent at the last edition,
• Miia Martinsuo (31 papers) published 2 papers at the last edition, 2 less than at the previous edition,
• Ralf Müller (30 papers) published 1 paper at the last edition,
• Jonas Söderlund (28 papers) absent at the last edition,
• Karlos Artto (22 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 International Journal of Project Management (based on the number of publications) are:

• Hong Kong Polytechnic University (69 papers) published 1 paper at the last edition, 1 less than at the previous edition,
• University of Manchester (57 papers) absent at the last edition,
• City University of Hong Kong (53 papers) published 1 paper at the last edition,
• University of Technology, Sydney (44 papers) published 4 papers at the last edition, 3 more than at the previous edition,
• University College London (42 papers) published 5 papers at the last edition, 4 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, 16.67% of publications had an unrecognized affiliation. Out of the publications with recognized affiliations, 23.33% were posted by at least one author from the top 10 institutions publishing in the journal. Another 8.33% included authors affiliated with research institutions from the top 11-20 affiliations. Institutions from the 21-50 range included 16.67% of all publications and 51.67% 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.

Career Prospects in Project Management

The prospects for professionals venturing into project management and related fields are extensive. A number of avenues are constantly opening up, some of which this article has shed light upon, including, but not limited to, Project Planning, Risk Management and Engineering Management. Taking Indiana as a case study, the field of Engineering Management has been particularly successful, with Management Science also being a focal point of interest. Furthermore, Urban Planning, for instance, has been identified as one of the promising areas of growth. Detailed data demonstrating the earning potential within this field can be found when analyzing the urban planner salary in Indiana. On an overall note, the career growth and financial elucidation of professionals in these fields are generally promising but may significantly vary based on location, tenure, and the specific field of project management that one is involved in. The potential of the sector cannot be overstated and it is the application of the knowledge garnered from studies and journals, such as the International Journal of Project Management, that fuels this potential. The versatility of project management skills allows professionals to serve in various sectors; from Engineering to Public Relations, the demand for project management skills remains pervasive across multiple industries, pointing to a stellar growth trajectory for careers within this realm.