Periodically evaluating and analyzing the content of scientific journals published for a specific purpose is important to understand the development process of journals and to help the readers to follow the scientific developments in the relevant field. The main purpose of this study is to examine the journals “Autism, Autism Research and Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders”, which are indexed in the Social Science Citation Index (SSCI) in the Web of Science and published in the field of autism, focusing on the articles published in the last five years and to determine the research trends in the field of autism. Autism is a journal focusing on applied research with a high impact factor. Autism Research focuses on the genetic, neurobiological, immunological, and psychological mechanisms associated with Autism. Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) includes experimental studies on autism from cognitive, behavioral, neurobiological, and genetic perspectives. For this purpose, all issues of these three journals between 2020 and 2024 were analyzed using the narrative review method. Before the review, the articles were downloaded digitally, classified, and folders according to their years. The downloaded articles were shared equally by the third and fourth authors.

During the detailed readings:
(a) the purpose of the article,
(b) participant characteristics,
(c) the topic examined,
(d) the research method and design used,
(e) the findings obtained, and
(f) the recommendations presented were taken into consideration.

A coding form and coding guide were developed for the coding process. Through the coding form created using Google Form, the trends in publications over time were evaluated for each study in terms of article information, participant characteristics, subject areas studied, research method and design, research findings, and research recommendations. The third and fourth authors conducted the coding process independently, followed by a consensus-building process. Undecided cases were resolved with the participation of the first and second authors. Each coded subject area was analyzed using content analysis. All articles were analyzed independently, and the findings were thematized under the evaluation form headings. The findings were supported with frequencies and percentages, and the analysis results were visually presented. The findings show that the Journal Autism Spectrum Disorder Research publishes ten issues each year and includes an average of 13-16 studies in each issue, the Autism journal publishes eight issues each year and includes an average of 17-18 studies in each issue, and the Autism Research Journal publishes twelve issues each year and includes an average of 11-14 studies in each issue. The work was conducted with an analysis unit of 2448 documents conducted with individuals with and without autism in the journals in the last 5 years. While the number of studies published on ASD continues to increase, the most frequently examined topics include genetics, perception and cognition, neurobiology, physiology, neuropsychology, etiology and epidemiology, family education, problem behaviors, and motor skills. The findings are discussed together with the literature, and implications for the future are drawn.

Keywords: Autism, Autism Research, Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders, research trends, narrative review.