The development of higher education research topics between 2000 and 2021: Seven patterns from generalist journals

Higher education research, which was once trying to establish itself, is now accepted as an important research field across societies globally. Specifically, the last decades have seen dramatic developments. This study analysed the development of higher education research in the last two decades using novel natural language processing techniques. The study covered the abstracts of all articles published between 2000 and 2021 in the six generalist journals of higher education research. The findings highlight 15 emergent research topics, some of which have not been highlighted before. The study further analysed these 15 emergent research topics with the covariates of publication year, funding status, collaboration, world region, and journal, and conducted a diversity analysis of abstracts. Based on these analyses, the study argues for seven major patterns in the development of higher education research in the last two decades. The seven patterns highlight social and research issues in higher education, especially related to inequalities about identity and geographical location. The study calls for more inclusiveness in publication practices and overall higher education contexts to further pluralise and enrich higher education research with diverse perspectives. Copyright © 2025 The Author(s). Review of Education published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of British Educational Research Association.