Citation Structure: An Analysis of the Literature Cited in the 'Journal of Leadership Education' from 2002 to 2006

The "Journal of Leadership Education (JOLE)" has been a primary outlet of leadership education publishing and research dissemination since 2002. The purpose of this study was to assess the first five years of literature cited in "JOLE". The study used a quantitative content analysis design. Analyzed in the study were 45 articles with research methodologies published in "JOLE" from 2002 through 2006. Seven hundred eighty-one cited literature works were identified in the journal. The average number of citations per article was approximately 17. The most frequently cited journal sources were from leadership, management, and psychology. Additional cited works are defined. Citation analysis indicates that "JOLE" relies heavily on books, journals, conference proceedings, and other literacy works outside leadership education. "JOLE" does not exhibit compactness, indicating that it reaches past its citation boundaries and into interrelated areas of other disciplines. However, it does exhibit extremely weak self-identity meaning it does little to build upon research previously cited in "JOLE". Future research in "JOLE" should strive to cite articles from within its journal and determine what drives citations in leadership education.