No name, no fame: a bibliometric analysis of publications of giftedness in adults

The aim of the present study is to conduct a systematic review and analysis of the literature on gifted adults to explore the state of research in this area. A bibliometric science mapping tool, based on co-word analysis and h-index, is applied using the Science Mapping Analysis Software Tool (SciMAT). Initially, 661 articles published between 1948 and 2022 were retrieved from the Web of Science (WoS). Refined by English language and specific descriptors, 376 results were considered, and 28 themes and 32 clusters were identified as significant in the giftedness literature. Supported by life-span studies and earlier work on ability, data analysis revealed that adult giftedness is an emerging topic of research with a tentative development only a decade ago. The emergence of studies on giftedness in adults appears to be driven not only by cognitive testing (i.e., intelligence studies) or achievement research, but also, and more recently, by life satisfaction studies and the use of qualitative methodologies.