Abstract
Blockchain technology has experienced a meteoric rise in popularity, revolutionising industries and igniting intense research efforts around the world. The intellectual environment surrounding research on blockchain technology has been meticulously analysed in this bibliometric paper. We seek to shed light on the major trends, research themes, and key contributors influencing the blockchain research domain by utilising comprehensive bibliometric data from Dimension.ai (An Open Access Database). Our analysis spans between the year 2019 to July 2023 and includes a wide range of scholarly articles. Initially, a screening process was employed to assess 16,479 published articles against our inclusion criteria based on keyword search. Finally, 11,593 articles met the criteria and were included in our analysis. We offer a thorough overview of the development and dynamics of blockchain research using bibliometric indicators like publication counts, citation counts, co-authorship networks, and patterns of international collaboration, with visualizations generated using VOSviewer. Furthermore, our analysis highlights the distribution of research efforts distributed globally, demonstrating the participation of various nations and institutions. We investigate the degree of international cooperation, illuminating the global interconnectedness of researchers in the advancement of blockchain knowledge. In conclusion, this paper provides a thorough overview of the state of the research on blockchain technology, offering insightful information to both academics and business stakeholders. This paper elucidates the evolution of research on blockchain technology by outlining the intellectual landscape, and it also provides a road map for future efforts to realise the transformative potential of blockchain technology.
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Data availability
The data utilized in our study was retrieved from the open access platform Dimensions.ai (https://app.dimensions.ai/discover/publication), as explicitly mentioned in the research methodology section. Given that the data is sourced from open access platform, it is readily available to the public without restrictions. Interested parties can access the data directly through Dimensions.ai (https://www.dimensions.ai/), in accordance with the platform’s terms of use and data sharing policies. However, information on how to obtain it and reproduce the analysis is available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.
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Mahima Habil: Data curation, Methodology, Writing-Original draft preparation, Writing-Reviewing and Editing. Saransh Kumar Srivastav: Conceptualization, Methodology, Visualization, Writing-Original draft preparation, Software. Pooja Thakur: Visualization, Methodology, Data curation, Software, Writing-Reviewing and Editing.
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Mahima Habil—https://scholar.google.com/citations?hl=en&user=jPISuWwAAAAJ&view_op=list_works&gmla=AH70aAUv9zIxfXL2XQ_t2gu6BiNHgesg_rclFUf3BWt472sG9vIus9f5Tm0JzRF2DnjBWsQKE1l0UlogbVgltpFJ. Saransh Kumar Srivastav—https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=yl-0qrUAAAAJ&hl=en. Pooja Thakur https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=Y6YU0AEAAAAJ&hl=en.
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Habil, M., Srivastav, S.K. & Thakur, P. Mapping the landscape of blockchain technology: a bibliometric analysis. J Comput Soc Sc (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s42001-024-00280-9
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s42001-024-00280-9