Sport, Exercise, and Performance Psychology

Top Research Topics at Sport, Exercise, and Performance Psychology?

The journal primarily focuses on research topics in Social psychology, Athletes, Applied psychology, Developmental psychology and Clinical psychology. While it primarily focused on Social psychology, it also opened dialogues on the discipline of Structural equation modeling. While work presented in it provided substantial information on Athletes, it also covered topics in Self-concept and Anxiety.

The featured Applied psychology research zeroes in on concepts in Sport psychology but also tackles themes under Technical peer review. The research on Developmental psychology tackled can also make contributions to studies in the areas of Physical education, Self-efficacy and Competence (human resources).

• Social psychology (34.14%)
• Athletes (33.10%)
• Applied psychology (23.45%)

What are the most cited papers published in the journal?

• Enhancing mental toughness and performance under pressure in elite young cricketers: A 2-year longitudinal intervention. (85 citations)
• Dispositional perfectionism and well-being: A test of the 2 × 2 model of perfectionism in the sport domain. (80 citations)
• Battlemind debriefing and battlemind training as early interventions with soldiers returning from Iraq: Randomization by platoon. (77 citations)

Research areas of the most cited articles at Sport, Exercise, and Performance Psychology:

The published papers primarily tackle Social psychology, Athletes, Clinical psychology, Applied psychology and Developmental psychology. Issues in Social psychology were discussed in the published articles, taking into consideration concepts from other disciplines like Cognitive psychology and Well-being. The most cited papers was used to explore different topics like Athletes and Elite.

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

• Social psychology
• Cognition
• Psychotherapist

The previous edition focused in particular on these issues:

The journal focuses on Athletes, Social psychology, Applied psychology, Developmental psychology and Perception. Athletes research featured in Sport, Exercise, and Performance Psychology incorporates concerns from various other topics such as Psychological intervention, Biofeedback and Self-compassion. Studies on Social psychology discussed in it link to the field of Mental toughness.

The studies in Applied psychology featured incorporate elements of Intervention (counseling) and Mental health. The journal holds forums on Developmental psychology that merges themes from other disciplines such as Eating disorders and Cognitive complexity. It explores issues in Perception which can be linked to other research areas like Endurance training and Affective valence.

The most cited articles from the last journal are:

• Pressure Training for Performance Domains: A Meta-Analysis (6 citations)
• A multi-study examination of the complementarity dimension of the coach-athlete relationship (4 citations)
• Perfectionistic Tipping Points: Re-Probing Interactive Effects of Perfectionism (3 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 Sport, Exercise, and Performance Psychology (based on the number of publications) are:

• Daniel F. Gucciardi (8 papers) published 3 papers at the last edition, 2 more than at the previous edition,
• Mark A. Eys (8 papers) published 1 paper at the last edition the same number as at the previous edition,
• Camilla J. Knight (7 papers) published 2 papers at the last edition, 1 more than at the previous edition,
• Christopher Ring (7 papers) absent at the last edition,
• Maria Kavussanu (7 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 Sport, Exercise, and Performance Psychology (based on the number of publications) are:

• Loughborough University (13 papers) published 1 paper at the last edition the same number as at the previous edition,
• Bangor University (12 papers) published 1 paper at the last edition,
• Curtin University (12 papers) published 3 papers at the last edition, 2 more than at the previous edition,
• University of Birmingham (10 papers) absent at the last edition,
• Leeds Beckett University (9 papers) published 2 papers at the last edition the same number as 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, 17.95% of publications had an unrecognized affiliation. Out of the publications with recognized affiliations, 37.50% were posted by at least one author from the top 10 institutions publishing in the journal. Another 15.62% included authors affiliated with research institutions from the top 11-20 affiliations. Institutions from the 21-50 range included 25.00% of all publications and 21.88% 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 Opportunities in Sport, Exercise, and Performance Psychology

A career in Sport, Exercise, and Performance Psychology offers a wide array of opportunities. Many professionals in this field find employment in academic settings, healthcare organizations, and professional sports teams. Academically, psychologists can potentially work as professors, research directors, and faculty. In healthcare environments, opportunities as practicing psychologists, counseling services, and rehabilitation centers often exist. There is a higher emphasis on sports teams due to increased interest in improving player performance and well-being.

Not only are experts in this field in high demand, but they also enjoy rewarding professional lives often driven by their passion for sports and psychology. What better way could there be than to merge one's passion for sports with a career in psychology? But to transition into a successful career, certain requirements and qualifications are needed.

You'll need to have an educational background in psychology or a closely related field. Most practitioners in this field are required to hold a master's degree in psychology at the very least, while a doctorate is often preferred. Specific licensure requirements vary between states.

For example, if you want to become a psychologist in South Dakota, you can learn about the specific licensure requirements on this page.

This profession requires a skilled understanding and application of psychological principles to the sporting realm, making it a unique and engaging career path.