Abstract
Objective This study examines the attributes and citation history of classic publications in educational psychology using bibliometric indicators.Methods Bibliographic data were collected from the 60 journals in the Web of Science (WoS) category of educational psychology from 1900 to 2023. Classic articles were defined as having ≥1,000 citations from their publication date to 2023 in the WoS Core Collection.Results One hundred forty-one classic documents in the WoS category of educational psychology were identified. The 1990s and 2000s were the most prolific decades in terms of classic articles in the discipline, although the highest cumulative citation count occurred in the 1930s. All classic articles were published in 17 different journals. The United States leads the production of classic publications, although they also emerge in European, Asian, and Oceanian countries. Many classic publications demonstrate steady and continuous citation growths over time, but five alternative citation life cycles emerged. Ten recurrent themes addressed in classic publications were identified: psychometrics, memory, socio-emotional development, motivation, rigour in qualitative research, (ethnic) identity, reading comprehension, cognitive load, parenting styles, and child development.Conclusion Identifying classic articles can provide useful insights into trends in the development of educational psychology research.