IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/spr/scient/v109y2016i2d10.1007_s11192-016-2096-x.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Assessing the maturity of a research area: bibliometric review and proposed framework

Author

Listed:
  • Heather Keathley-Herring

    (University of Central Florida)

  • Eileen Van Aken

    (Virginia Tech)

  • Fernando Gonzalez-Aleu

    (Universidad de Monterrey)

  • Fernando Deschamps

    (Pontifical Catholic University of Parana
    Federal University of Parana)

  • Geert Letens

    (Royal Military Academy)

  • Pablo Cardenas Orlandini

    (Virginia Tech)

Abstract

In recent years, many disciplines have begun to adopt more systematic and standardized approaches to evaluate the impact and development of a research area with a stronger emphasis on quantitative techniques. In particular, identifying and analyzing the published literature have become important exercises for many disciplines and methods such as systematic literature review and bibliometric analysis have become more regularly used to obtain a deeper understanding of a research area. One concept that is of particular interest is the maturity, or level of development, of a research area. While this concept has been mentioned in many works, it has not yet been formalized, resulting in a lack of consensus concerning the definition of research area maturity and analysis techniques to assess maturity. Therefore, most assessments of research area maturity consider only a subset of the possible criteria with significant differences in the metrics and analyses used among different disciplines. Due to the inconsistencies in the definition and assessment of this concept, a comprehensive synthesis of this literature area is needed. This paper presents the results of a study to identify and analyze the literature, define the maturity of a research area, and synthesize the criteria for assessing maturity. The results are used to develop a generalized maturity assessment framework that establishes a comprehensive set of criteria, which can be adapted for use across a variety of research areas.

Suggested Citation

  • Heather Keathley-Herring & Eileen Van Aken & Fernando Gonzalez-Aleu & Fernando Deschamps & Geert Letens & Pablo Cardenas Orlandini, 2016. "Assessing the maturity of a research area: bibliometric review and proposed framework," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 109(2), pages 927-951, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:scient:v:109:y:2016:i:2:d:10.1007_s11192-016-2096-x
    DOI: 10.1007/s11192-016-2096-x
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s11192-016-2096-x
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1007/s11192-016-2096-x?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Xiaoling Sun & Hongfei Lin & Kan Xu & Kun Ding, 2015. "How we collaborate: characterizing, modeling and predicting scientific collaborations," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 104(1), pages 43-60, July.
    2. Philippe Mongeon & Adèle Paul-Hus, 2016. "The journal coverage of Web of Science and Scopus: a comparative analysis," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 106(1), pages 213-228, January.
    3. Diana Hicks, 1999. "The difficulty of achieving full coverage of international social science literature and the bibliometric consequences," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 44(2), pages 193-215, February.
    4. Derek R. Smith, 2012. "Impact factors, scientometrics and the history of citation-based research," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 92(2), pages 419-427, August.
    5. Christina H. Drew & Kristianna G. Pettibone & Fallis Owen Finch & Douglas Giles & Paul Jordan, 2016. "Automated Research Impact Assessment: a new bibliometrics approach," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 106(3), pages 987-1005, March.
    6. Saikou Y. Diallo & Christopher J. Lynch & Ross Gore & Jose J. Padilla, 2016. "Identifying key papers within a journal via network centrality measures," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 107(3), pages 1005-1020, June.
    7. Garfield, Eugene, 2009. "From the science of science to Scientometrics visualizing the history of science with HistCite software," Journal of Informetrics, Elsevier, vol. 3(3), pages 173-179.
    8. Yuehua Zhao & Rongying Zhao, 2016. "An evolutionary analysis of collaboration networks in scientometrics," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 107(2), pages 759-772, May.
    9. Adèle Paul-Hus & Nadine Desrochers & Rodrigo Costas, 2016. "Characterization, description, and considerations for the use of funding acknowledgement data in Web of Science," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 108(1), pages 167-182, July.
    10. Gagnon, R. J. & Ghosh, S., 1991. "Assembly line research: Historical roots, research life cycles and future directions," Omega, Elsevier, vol. 19(5), pages 381-399.
    11. Henry Small, 1973. "Co‐citation in the scientific literature: A new measure of the relationship between two documents," Journal of the American Society for Information Science, Association for Information Science & Technology, vol. 24(4), pages 265-269, July.
    12. Antonio Perianes-Rodriguez & Javier Ruiz-Castillo, 2016. "A comparison of two ways of evaluating research units working in different scientific fields," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 106(2), pages 539-561, February.
    13. Lutz Bornmann, 2015. "Alternative metrics in scientometrics: a meta-analysis of research into three altmetrics," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 103(3), pages 1123-1144, June.
    14. William W. Hood & Concepción S. Wilson, 2001. "The Literature of Bibliometrics, Scientometrics, and Informetrics," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 52(2), pages 291-314, October.
    15. Henry Small, 1999. "Visualizing science by citation mapping," Journal of the American Society for Information Science, Association for Information Science & Technology, vol. 50(9), pages 799-813.
    16. Cobo, M.J. & López-Herrera, A.G. & Herrera-Viedma, E. & Herrera, F., 2011. "An approach for detecting, quantifying, and visualizing the evolution of a research field: A practical application to the Fuzzy Sets Theory field," Journal of Informetrics, Elsevier, vol. 5(1), pages 146-166.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Ruth Zárate-Rueda & Yolima Ivonne Beltrán-Villamizar & Daniella Murallas-Sánchez, 2021. "Social representations of socioenvironmental dynamics in extractive ecosystems and conservation practices with sustainable development: a bibliometric analysis," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 23(11), pages 16428-16453, November.
    2. Mehdi Amirkhani & Igor Martek & Mark B. Luther, 2021. "Mapping Research Trends in Residential Construction Retrofitting: A Scientometric Literature Review," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(19), pages 1-18, September.
    3. Gaviria-Marin, Magaly & Merigó, José M. & Baier-Fuentes, Hugo, 2019. "Knowledge management: A global examination based on bibliometric analysis," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 140(C), pages 194-220.
    4. Serhat Burmaoglu & Ozcan Saritas, 2019. "An evolutionary analysis of the innovation policy domain: Is there a paradigm shift?," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 118(3), pages 823-847, March.
    5. Astrid Kainzbauer & Parisa Rungruang & Philip Hallinger, 2021. "How Does Research on Sustainable Human Resource Management Contribute to Corporate Sustainability: A Document Co-Citation Analysis, 1982–2021," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(21), pages 1-21, October.
    6. Carlos Sánchez‐Camacho & Rocío Carranza & David Martín‐Consuegra & Estrella Díaz, 2022. "Evolution, trends and future research lines in corporate social responsibility and tourism: A bibliometric analysis and science mapping," Sustainable Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 30(3), pages 462-476, June.
    7. Bruno Miranda Henrique & Vinicius Amorim Sobreiro & Herbert Kimura, 2018. "Building direct citation networks," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 115(2), pages 817-832, May.
    8. Kameliya Deyanova & Nataliia Brehmer & Artur Lapidus & Victor Tiberius & Steve Walsh, 2022. "Hatching start-ups for sustainable growth: a bibliometric review on business incubators," Review of Managerial Science, Springer, vol. 16(7), pages 2083-2109, October.
    9. Xiaomei Luo & Yuduo Wu & Lina Niu & Lucheng Huang, 2022. "Bibliometric Analysis of Health Technology Research: 1990~2020," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(15), pages 1-17, July.
    10. Mingchun Cao & Ilan Alon, 2020. "Intellectual Structure of the Belt and Road Initiative Research: A Scientometric Analysis and Suggestions for a Future Research Agenda," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(17), pages 1-40, August.
    11. Liyan Huang & Hong Ching Goh & Rosli Said, 2023. "Understanding the social integration process of rural–urban migrants in urban china: a bibliometrics review," Journal of Population Research, Springer, vol. 40(4), pages 1-34, December.
    12. Myriam Ertz & Sébastien Leblanc-Proulx, 2019. "Review of a proposed methodology for bibliometric and visualization analyses for organizations: application to the collaboration economy," Journal of Marketing Analytics, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 7(2), pages 84-93, June.
    13. Qian Wang & Shixian Luo & Jiao Zhang & Katsunori Furuya, 2022. "Increased Attention to Smart Development in Rural Areas: A Scientometric Analysis of Smart Village Research," Land, MDPI, vol. 11(8), pages 1-28, August.
    14. Hugo Baier-Fuentes & José M. Merigó & José Ernesto Amorós & Magaly Gaviria-Marín, 2019. "International entrepreneurship: a bibliometric overview," International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal, Springer, vol. 15(2), pages 385-429, June.
    15. Shashi & Piera Centobelli & Roberto Cerchione & Amit Mittal, 2021. "Managing sustainability in luxury industry to pursue circular economy strategies," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 30(1), pages 432-462, January.
    16. Raghu Raman & Ricardo Vinuesa & Prema Nedungadi, 2021. "Bibliometric Analysis of SARS, MERS, and COVID-19 Studies from India and Connection to Sustainable Development Goals," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(14), pages 1-20, July.
    17. Manuel Castriotta & Michela Loi & Elona Marku & Ludovica Moi, 2021. "Disentangling the corporate entrepreneurship construct: conceptualizing through co-words," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 126(4), pages 2821-2863, April.
    18. Azima, Mahshad & Seyis, Senem, 2023. "Science mapping the knowledge domain of energy performance research in the AEC industry: A scientometric analysis," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 264(C).
    19. Gao, Qiang & Liang, Zhentao & Wang, Ping & Hou, Jingrui & Chen, Xiuxiu & Liu, Manman, 2021. "Potential index: Revealing the future impact of research topics based on current knowledge networks," Journal of Informetrics, Elsevier, vol. 15(3).
    20. Corsini, Alberto & Pezzoni, Michele, 2023. "Does grant funding foster research impact? Evidence from France," Journal of Informetrics, Elsevier, vol. 17(4).

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:spr:scient:v:109:y:2016:i:2:d:10.1007_s11192-016-2096-x. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.springer.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.