A comparative analysis of theses written in the field of human resource management in the ProQuest and YÖK Thesis databases

This thesis aims to comparatively examine graduate theses published between 2020 and 2024 in the field of Human Resource Management (HRM) through national (YÖK Thesis) and international (ProQuest Dissertations and Theses) databases. In this study, ProQuest and YÖK Thesis databases were selected as data sources. While ProQuest provides access to the international literature, YÖK Thesis reflects academic production at the national level. The combined use of these two databases enabled a comparative analysis of current trends in the HRM field at both national and international levels. A total of 1,459 theses determined by various filtering criteria were examined within the scope of the study. In this respect, the research population consists of academic studies in the HRM field, while the sample comprises theses selected within certain limitations. The study included 457 master's and 125 doctoral theses obtained from the YÖK National Thesis Center, along with 251 master's and 626 doctoral theses selected from the ProQuest database. As a result of the study, distinct trends regarding the distribution of theses by years, types, and fields of study were identified. Business-oriented studies predominated in the YÖK Thesis database, whereas interdisciplinary approaches were more common in ProQuest. Methodologically, quantitative approaches predominated in Turkish theses, whereas qualitative and mixed methods were employed more frequently in international dissertations. At the level of key concepts, strategic and contemporary topics such as "human resource management," "performance management," "talent management," "recruitment," "career management/development," and "pandemic" stood out in both databases, indicating that the HRM field is addressed within similar thematic frameworks at the national and international levels. However, studies in the ProQuest database tended to focus more on innovative issues gaining global significance, such as social equity, technological developments, and diversity, whereas those in the YÖK Thesis database primarily addressed locally salient and practice-oriented topics. This situation reveals that international studies afford more space for theoretical diversity and contemporary trends, whereas national studies are shaped within the framework of existing practices and institutional structures. These findings highlight the similarities and differences between national and international research orientations in the HRM field and reveal important gap areas for future research.