Mapping Research Trends in Islamic Religious Education: A Bibliometric Analysis of Scopus-Indexed Publications

Ahsantudhonni Ahsantudhonni; Badrud Tamam; Aminudin Amin; Muhammad Hafidz; Ceceng Munajat

doi:10.35445/alishlah.v18i2.9418

Mapping Research Trends in Islamic Religious Education: A Bibliometric Analysis of Scopus-Indexed Publications

Ahsantudhonni Ahsantudhonni, Badrud Tamam, Aminudin Amin, Muhammad Hafidz, Ceceng Munajat

Abstract

Research on Islamic Religious Education (IRE) has expanded in response to globalization, digital transformation, religious moderation, and the growing use of artificial intelligence in education. This study aims to map publication trends, influential contributors, collaboration patterns, dominant themes, and future research directions in Scopus-indexed IRE studies.A bibliometric analysis was conducted using the PRISMA framework. Data were retrieved from the Scopus database using keywords related to Islamic Religious Education, teaching, and learning. After screening, 54 English-language peer-reviewed journal articles published between 2019 and 2025 were analyzed. Biblioshiny in R and VOSviewer were used to examine annual publication growth, country and institutional productivity, citation impact, co-authorship networks, and keyword co-occurrence.The findings show a marked increase in IRE publications, with the highest productivity recorded in 2024. Indonesia emerged as the dominant contributor, supported by leading institutions such as Djuanda University, UIN Raden Mas Said Surakarta, and UIN Sunan Kalijaga. Citation analysis identified earlier works by Nahar and Ashraf as highly influential, while recent studies on quality assurance, tolerance, and AI demonstrated strong normalized citation impact. Thematic mapping revealed that Islamic education and Islamic Religious Education remain dominant topics, alongside emerging themes such as religious moderation, radicalism, digital learning, and artificial intelligence.The study indicates a shift in IRE scholarship from primarily normative concerns toward technology-oriented and socially responsive research. Future studies should broaden international collaboration, include databases beyond Scopus, and explore ethical, inclusive, and interdisciplinary approaches to Islamic education in the digital era.

Keywords

Islamic religious education; bibliometric analysis; research trends; Scopus; religious education

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DOI: https://doi.org/10.35445/alishlah.v18i2.9418