A Bibliometric Analysis of Book Reviews Published in Translation Journals between 2010 and 2021

Abstract

Contrary to the emphasis placed on the importance of book reviews as influential drivers of intellectual exchange in the social sciences and humanities, there is a lack of attention by researchers toward the potential of this academic form as a valuable research material and data source. This study aims to bridge this research gap by conducting a bibliometric analysis of 1814 book reviews published in fourteen reputable translation journals during the 2010–21 period. Four major findings were outlined: a slight decline in the number of book reviews in the translation discipline, a propensity among translation journals to favour highly organized yet somewhat mundane book reviews, an evident geographical concentration of contributors toward book reviewing, and prestige and topic biases involved in the proliferation of multiple reviews for a book.