Introduction to a Scientometrics Research Perspective in Applied Linguistics

Applied linguistics is a field that is becoming increasingly complex due to language constructs and its close relationship with neighboring disciplines like psycholinguistics. As an interdisciplinary field, applied linguistics consistently incorporates concepts from other areas, and researchers frequently redefine it to keep up with multilingual contexts, big data, technological advancements, and the impacts of globalization. To advance the field theoretically, researchers must address the complexities by problematizing and theorizing research methods. Scientometrics is one approach to doing so. In this chapter, we aim to provide readers with an overview of the volume – Scientometrics Research Perspective in Applied Linguistics. Our goal is to introduce the concept of scientometrics, differentiate it from related terms like bibliometrics, outline the various techniques used for data collection and analysis, highlight its applications in applied linguistics, provide reasons for editing the volume, and clarify the objectives of the volume. Moreover, we give a concise description of the chapters of this volume.