Between Local Relevance and Global Visibility: A Bibliometric and Content Analysis of Faculty Publications at a Philippine State University

Mapping the publication output of regional state universities in the Global South reveals structural conditions of knowledge production that aggregate statistics conceal. This study presents a systematic bibliometric and content analysis of 154 unique faculty publications from Mariano Marcos State University (MMSU), a chartered state university in Northern Philippines, covering 2018 to 2025. Drawing on four independently compiled extraction datasets coded across 34 variables, the analysis examined publication trends, authorship configurations, disciplinary distribution, research paradigms, methodological approaches and designs, data collection and analysis methods, theoretical framework adoption, funding acknowledgment, local or regional relevance, and research implications. Output volume rose sharply from 2021 onward, peaking in 2023 (n = 36) and sustaining activity through 2025 (n = 26). Journal articles constituted 96.1% of the corpus. Education (general) dominated at 48.7%, and quantitative approaches were most frequent (43.5%). Collaborative (2–3 author) publications represented 50.0%, with a mean authorship of 3.09. Three findings warrant particular analytical attention: only 29.2% of publications cited a theoretical or conceptual framework; only 1.3% acknowledged external funding; and 77.3% reported practical implications only. These patterns are interpreted through the lens of peripheral knowledge production theory, institutional research ecology, and the structural constraints operating on Philippine regional state universities. The findings provide an empirical baseline for research governance and faculty development in Philippine SUCs and in comparable institutions across the Global South.