An overview of the science mapping techniques
Introduction
The challenges encountered by research, such as topic repetition, concept definition, and identification of reputed publications in a related field, can be reduced to a great extent, thanks to bibliometric analysis. It is gaining popularity as a new major review method, alongside meta-analysis and systematic literature review. In addition, it helps keep a record of literature specific to their field and sort research work by analysing their basis and assessing their impact. This enables the researcher to select the most important studies, influential researchers and research institutions specific to the field. One of the techniques of bibliometric analysis is called science mapping (Brika, 2021).
Science mapping is a bibliometric analysis method that visualises the intellectual structure and development of a scientific field or research topic over time. It involves using quantitative methods to analyse and map relationships among scientific publications, such as co-citation and co-authorship networks. The capacity of science mapping reviews to analyse a vast number of studies allows them to identify patterns that would not appear in research reviews using meta-analysis to analyse smaller sets of studies. Science mapping can help identify emerging trends, key researchers, influential publications, and potential research gaps in a field, which can be helpful for decision-making, research planning, and policy development (Hallinger, 2019).
The techniques for science mapping
Various techniques of science mapping have been developed over the years. When used with network analysis, they can provide clarity on the intellectual and bibliographic structure of a research field. The following table summarises the techniques, applications, unit of analysis and data requirements (Dondhu, 2021).
Table 1: Techniques for science mapping, their applications, the unit of analysis, and data requirements.
| Technique | Application | Unit of analysis | Data requirements | Example |
| Citation analysis | To investigate the relationships between publications by finding the most significant works in a particular study field. | Documents | Author name, citations, title, journals, DOI, references | Podsakoff, Mackenzie, Bachrach, and Podsakoff (2005) |
| Co-citation analysis | To examine the relationships between cited publications to understand the development of fundamental themes in a research field. | Documents | References | Fahimnia, Sarkis, and Davarzani (2015) |
| Bibliographic coupling | To assess the relationships between citing publications to understand the ongoing or recent evolution of themes in a research field. | Documents | Author name, title, journals, DOI, references | Donthu et al. (2020b) |
| Co-word analysis | To analyse current or future relationships among topics in a field of study by concentrating on the written work of the publication itself. | Words | Title, abstract, author keywords, index keywords, full text | Emich et al. (2020) |
| Co-authorship analysis | To investigate the author’s social relationships, affiliations, and equivalent impacts on the advancement of the research field. | Authors, affiliations | Author, affiliation (institution and country) | Acedo et al. (2006) |
Note: The unit of analysis refers to the primary subject of the analysis in each technique.
Conclusion
Science mapping is a method of bibliometric analysis that involves evaluating bibliographic data in published work to highlight the intellectual and bibliographic structure of a field of study. Since it deals with massive data, science mapping helps identify patterns which may not be evident in other review methods. Various techniques of science mapping have emerged which have their use in analysis.
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References:
- Brika SKM, Algamdi A, Chergui K, Musa AA and Zouaghi R (2021) Quality of Higher Education: A Bibliometric Review Study. Front. Educ. 6:666087. doi: 10.3389/feduc.2021.666087.
- Hallinger, P., & Kovačević, J. (2019). Science mapping the knowledge base in educational leadership and management: A Longitudinal Bibliometric Analysis, 1960 to 2018. Educational Management Administration & Leadership, 49(1), 5–30.
- Donthu, N., Kumar, S., Mukherjee, D., Pandey, N., & Lim, W. M. (2021). How to conduct a bibliometric analysis: An overview and guidelines. Journal of Business Research, 133, 285–296.
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