Is bilingualism losing its advantage? A bibliometric approach

TLDR

The study investigates publication trends over ten years to assess the temporal evolution of the bilingual advantage in executive control. The authors analyzed bibliometric indicators—paper counts, citation numbers, and impact factors—and classified studies into supporting, ambiguous, not mentioning, or challenging the bilingual advantage based on abstract content. Results show a rise in papers challenging the bilingual advantage in 2014–2015, with comparable impact factors and citations across categories, yet 2014 challengers accrued more citations than supporters, indicating a shift in the literature.

Abstract

This study uses several bibliometric indices to explore the temporal course of publication trends regarding the bilingual advantage in executive control over a ten-year window. These indices include the number of published papers, numbers of citations, and the journal impact factor. According to the information available in their abstracts, studies were classified into one of four categories: supporting, ambiguous towards, not mentioning, or challenging the bilingual advantage. Results show that the number of papers challenging the bilingual advantage increased notably in 2014 and 2015. Both the average impact factor and the accumulated citations as of June 2016 were equivalent between categories. However, of the studies published in 2014, those that challenge the bilingual advantage accumulated more citations in June 2016 than those supporting it. Our findings offer evidence-based bibliometric information about the current state of the literature and suggest a change in publication trends regarding the literature on the bilingual advantage.