The articles published in 15 specialist academic journals – based in Australasia, Europe and North America – focusing on higher education in the years 2010 (n = 567) and 2000 (n = 388) are analysed. The analysis focuses on: the themes and issues addressed in the articles published, the methods and methodologies used, theoretical engagement, the level of analysis, and the sex, location and department of the authors. Three main trends are identified over the period 2000–2010: a striking increase in the volume of high quality higher education research being published (outside North America), the increasingly international orientation of the leading higher education research journals (outside North America), and the growing role of women as higher education researchers.