In terms of academic advancement, a crucial factor is “scientific visibility,” the
publication of research results in internationally recognized journals related to
the specific subject area. However, delineating the subject area of public administration
science is not straightforward. On the one hand, it encompasses various disciplines
related to public administration or applicable knowledge, while on the other hand,
its interdisciplinary nature is also reflected in the research. Nevertheless, it is
worthwhile to select from available options and strategically publish in journals
that best represent the research subfield and are most adequate in terms of international
visibility. The aim of this study is twofold: on the one hand to examine the subdivisions
of public administration science and on the other hand to classify journals related
to its subfields into quartiles (Q1-Q4) in the Scimago database, thereby formulating
suggestions for the placement of publications. The subdivision of public administration
science was conducted using the Webster-Watson analysis method, and articles published
in public administration journals were processed using a data analytics approach by
the authors. Based on the research findings, public administration science was divided
into 5+1 subfields, and then the 63,144 articles published in 197 journals listed
in the Scimago database were classified into quartiles according to these subfields,
thus supporting the decision-making of the authors on the placement of publication.
