Mapping the research literature: bibliometrics with VOSViewer
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Scanning research literature is a fundamental task across all academic fields. Gaining an overview of previous studies is crucial for understanding the advances and identifying gaps in the literature. Bibliometrics, which refers to the statistical analysis of bibliographic data, is a powerful tool for mapping content on a specific topic. Two excellent tools for conducting bibliometric analysis are the Bibliometrix package in R and the open-source software VOSViewer—both publicly and freely available. Bibliometrix includes a user-friendly function, biblioshiny(), which launches a web application that provides detailed information about authors, publications, and institutions after importing bibliometric data from databases such as Scopus or Web of Science. The best part? It requires no coding skills, making it accessible to users with limited technical expertise. VOSViewer is ideal for building network maps of co-authorship and co-occurrence of keywords. It employs clustering techniques to reveal connections between keywords and identify research trends. The tool is straightforward to use: simply export the bibliometric data from databases like Scopus or Web of Science and import it into the software. Below is a step-by-step guide to help you get started with VOSViewer.