Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Tracking the evolution of the services marketing literature Fisk, Raymond P; Brown, Stephen W; Bitner, Mary Jo Journal of Retailing; Spring 1993; 69, 1; ABI/INFORM Global pg. 61 Volume 69 Number 1 Spring 1993 Tracking the Evolution of the Services Marketing Literature RAYMOND P. FISK University of Central Florida Orlando, Florida STEPHEN W. BROWN MARY JO BITNER Arizona State University Tempe, Arizona Arizona State University Tempe, Arizona The authors offer their personal interpretations as partlclpant- observers together with a data-based analysis of the evolution of the services marketing literature. Bibliographic analysis of more than 1000 English-language, general services marketing publications spanning four decades provides the empirical base for the paper. Using an ev- olutionary metaphor as the framework, the authors trace the literature through three stages: Crawling Out (1953-79); Scurrying About (1980- 85); and Walking Erect (J986-present). The discussion of the three stages shows how the literature has evolved from the early services- marketing-is-different debate to the maturation of specific topics (e.g., service quality, service encounters) and the legitimization of the ser- vices marketing literature by major marketing journals. A classification and summary of the publishing outlets where the literature has ap- peared is presented. The article closes with discussion and speculation on the future of the services marketing literature. INTRODUCTION The services marketing literature is a phenomenon driven by a rapidly growing population of services marketing scholars and the loose-knit sys- tem of publication outlets that has emerged to publish their works. Both the The authors acknowledge the insightful comments of the following people to previous versions of the manuscript: Leonard Berry, Bernard Booms, A. Parasuraman, Carol Sur- prenant, and Lauren Wright. The support of the First Interstate Center for Services Market- ing, Arizona State University is also acknowledged. Journal of Retailing 61