Whistleblowing research from 1970 to 2021: a review and synthesis of the literature / K.S. Kuldeep

This study examined the whistleblowing literature from the period of 1970-2021. It was done for the purposes of understanding what the various whistleblowing themes were. The need for this study is attributed to the expanding nature of whistleblowing research at the expense of consistency and continuity. Using a structured methodology, this study used search protocols based on structured words and phrases to fin d relevant publications. A coding discipline was then applied to identify and catalogue the records into specific themes. Ten distinct sets of themes emerged. Although there is an element of commonality, the distinction of these sets allows them to be separately determined. Other findings include author publication related data and a focus on emerging subject trends in whistleblowing. This study shows the topical points which have been covered allowing for an assessment of areas understudied or to bring a differing theoretical approach into areas already reviewed. This study updates the current literature and identifies new and upcoming trends, which provides opportunities for future areas of research in whistleblowing.