Exploring the Cinematic and Televisual Dimensions of Crime, Justice, and Punishment: A Comprehensive Bibliometric Analysis

Abstract

This paper presents a comprehensive analysis of the bibliometric profile of postgraduate theses focusing on the theme of crime, justice, and punishment. The study aimed to conduct a general evaluation of postgraduate theses on the relationship between crime, punishment, and justice in Turkish cinema and television, analyzing their limitations and development trends. A systematic approach was employed to assess scientific outputs on crime, punishment, and justice in cinema and television based on the literature in the YÖKTez Centre database. The goal was to understand how this line of research emerged, its characteristics, main trends, and the extent to which the increase in theses reflects a mature and robust research field. To achieve this, among the theses (n=3005) with “crime,” “punishment,” and “justice” in their titles in the YÖK Thesis Centre, those related to “crime,” “punishment,” and “justice” in cinema or television (n=37) were included in the study. Theses not written in the field of cinema and television were excluded from the study (n=2968). Utilizing bibliographic analysis possibilities, the data (n=37) were analyzed according to universities, authors, supervisors, topics, methodological approaches, keywords, and years of publication to identify relevant trends. As a result of the analysis, it was found that the first thesis was written in 2001, with the majority written in 2019 (n=7), and most theses originating from Marmara University (n=5). It was observed that many of the theses were written in Turkish (n=33), and qualitative methods (n=33) were preferred in the analyzed theses. Many of the researchers were women (n=24), and the studies were mostly at the master’s degree level (n=28). When the distribution of the theses according to supervisor profiles was analyzed, it was found that the first rank was Professor (n=18), the second rank was Assistant Professor (n=11), and the third rank was Associate Professor (n=8). The general conclusion was that there were not enough studies on postgraduate theses on crime, punishment, and justice in cinema and television. It is hoped that this study, thought to have advantages in predicting future trends, will be a resource for researchers interested in cinema and television crime, punishment, and justice literature, making the current effort meaningful.