Mapping service quality in higher education: insights from bibliometric study

Purpose This study aims to examine the publishing trends on service quality in higher education (SQHE) from 1993 to 2023. In addition, this bibliometric study looks at highly productive counties, authors, journals and affiliations in SQHE research. Furthermore, the study analyzes the relationships between the research constituents using science mapping techniques. Design/methodology/approach Data has been extracted from the Scopus database using a bibliometric approach. To gather pertinent information, a comprehensive search strategy was designed. Data analysis has been performed using Word, Excel, R (Bibliometric R package) and VOSviewer software. Findings A total of 552 studies were published in the Scopus database from 1993 to 2023. Results of the study reveal that there is a rising trend in the number of publications and the maximum number of articles published in the year 2021 (n = 59). Malaysia was found to be the most productive country. Joseph, Sultan and Yeo were found to be the most prolific authors. Quality Assurance in Education was the leading journal, and Universiti Teknologi Mara was the most productive affiliation in SQHE research. Research limitations/implications This study relies on a single database for literature retrieval. Practical implications The qualitative analysis carried out in this study will assist education administrators in making informed decisions. Originality/value To the best of current knowledge, this seems to be the first in-depth bibliometric study that represents a comprehensive view of SQHE research.