Bibliometric Analysis of Physical Literacy in the Scopus Database: 2010-2020

The multifaceted concept of physical literacy (PL) has been gaining momentum in physical education (PE) and sports sciences in recent years. The purpose of this study was to explore the bibliometric characteristics of international publication trends in PL research from 2010 to 2020. Using the keyword ＂physical literacy,＂ bibliographic records and references were retrieved from the Scopus database (retrieval date: May 27, 2021). The VOSviewer software and the Bibliometrix R-package were used for data analysis. The information was classified according to annual publication, country, journal, authors, and co-occurrences. The results indicate: There were 250 articles representing 39 countries and 97 journals. Articles published in 2018 were cited most often, and a publication peak was observed in 2020. Canada, the United States, and the United Kingdom were the three leading countries publishing PL research. Most of the articles were published in PE and public health-relevant journals. The highly cited articles identified the following core themes: PE, concept, motivation, age, and definition. In conclusion, this study noted PL's consistent presence in publications and rapid development in PE research, and identified recent PL-related topics. The logic of the PL definition could be a source of creative and innovative debates for advancing research frontiers. PL assessment is regularly updated to cover more diverse concepts and lifelong journeys. Future research should conduct in-depth studies on a single variable and an emerging issue and continue tracking and reviewing PL-related models.