Celebrating 30 years of Career Development International: nine key topics among 1,186 abstracts (1996–2025)

Michael Healy, Yehuda Baruch, Sebastien Point, Jennifer Harrison (), Beatrice Heijden, Jon Briscoe and William Donald
Additional contact information
Michael Healy: Swinburne University of Technology [Melbourne]
Yehuda Baruch: University of Southampton
Sebastien Point: Humanis - Hommes et management en société / Humans and management in society - UNISTRA - Université de Strasbourg
Jennifer Harrison: Métis Lab EM Normandie - EM Normandie - École de Management de Normandie = EM Normandie Business School, UFS - University of the Free State [Bloemfontein, South Africa]
Beatrice Heijden: Radboud University [Nijmegen], Open University of the Netherlands [Heerlen], UGent - Universiteit Gent = Ghent University = Université de Gand, UFS - University of the Free State [Bloemfontein, South Africa], Kingston University [London]
Jon Briscoe: Northern Illinois University
William Donald: University of Southampton

Post-Print from HAL

Abstract: Purpose – This study maps the conceptual structure of Career Development International (CDI) over its 30-year history. It identifies the principal topics based on published works between January 1996 and June 2025, tracing the shifting prevalence of these topics over time. Design/methodology/approach – Structural topic modelling was applied to a dataset of 1,186 CDI abstracts. Model selection and interpretability checks supported a nine-topic solution that maximised thematic distinctiveness and coherence. The analysis tracks longitudinal variation in topic prevalence, profiles 18 influential authors and 12 high-impact articles to distinguish specialist and generalist patterns of contribution and links thematic clusters to citation impact. Interpretive depth was further enriched through reflections from seven scholars with strong connections to CDI. Findings – The nine topics identified capture the journal's evolving emphases and reveal both enduring interests and emerging priorities in the field. Temporal patterns highlight phases of growth and decline across topics, while author and article profiling distinguish between concentrated expertise and broad engagement. Citation analysis demonstrates how particular topics have influenced scholarly and practical impact. Insights from seven scholars contextualise these dynamics and suggest promising directions for future inquiry. Originality/value – Extending earlier bibliometric work undertaken at CDI's 25th anniversary, this study offers similar findings but with greater granularity and a multi-dimensional perspective that integrates computational text analysis with expert reflection. The findings provide an empirical foundation for current and future editors, broader editorial team members and prospective contributors to understand the journal's trajectory and to shape its future development.

Keywords: Work-family dynamics; Work-identity; Wellbeing; Talent management; Sustainable development; Structural topic modelling; Mentoring; Leadership; Graduate employability; Job insecurity; Expatriate careers; Career development (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026-06-11
Note: View the original document on HAL open archive server: https://hal.science/hal-05654160v1
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Published in Career Development International, 2026, 31 (1), pp.5-21. ⟨10.1108/cdi-09-2025-0547⟩

Downloads: (external link)
https://hal.science/hal-05654160v1/document (application/pdf)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:hal:journl:hal-05654160

DOI: 10.1108/cdi-09-2025-0547

Access Statistics for this paper

More papers in Post-Print from HAL
Bibliographic data for series maintained by CCSD ().