Since the end of the Cold War, Joseph S. Nye’s concept of soft power has become a central analytical framework for understanding national attraction and non-coercive influence in international relations. Despite the rapid expansion of both theoretical and empirical research, the field still lacks systematic bibliometric evidence concerning its knowledge structure, thematic evolution, and patterns of scholarly collaboration. To address this gap, this study constructs a comprehensive bibliometric map of global soft power research based on 2,772 English-language social science articles indexed in the Scopus database from 1991 to 2025. Using VOSviewer and RStudio (Biblioshiny), the analysis examines publication trends, citation structures, country collaboration networks, author co-citation relationships, keyword co-occurrence patterns, and thematic evolution pathways. The findings indicate that soft power research experienced steady growth after 2005, followed by a pronounced acceleration after 2015. While the United States, China, and the United Kingdom remain the principal research hubs, Australia emerges as an important cross-regional bridge, suggesting a shift toward a more multi-center structure of knowledge production. Keyword co-occurrence and thematic evolution further reveal a transition from early concept-oriented debates to a more diversified and policy-focused research agenda. In addition, soft power is increasingly conceptualized as an observable and comparable form of international influence, with growing attention to practical domains such as higher education cooperation, sports diplomacy, digital diplomacy, vaccine diplomacy, and the Belt and Road Initiative. Overall, this study systematically maps the intellectual structure and emerging frontiers of global soft power research, highlighting the rise of multipolar soft power and a shift toward policy-oriented and interdisciplinary inquiry, while providing a bibliometric foundation for developing measurable soft power assessment frameworks.
The Scopus-based core corpus consists of 704 English-language journal articles from 1966 to 2025, and this study analyzes the intellectual foundations, thematic evolution, and international collaboration structure of this research field. Since the records were retrieved on 22 October 2025, the 2025 data are analyzed as partial-year data rather than as a complete year. Bibliometric procedures included bibliographic description, thematic mapping, thematic evolution, document co-citation, author keyword co-occurrence, and country co-authorship networks, using association-strength normalization and performed with Biblioshiny and VOSviewer. A search-completeness test with the expanded query ("abusive supervision" and "despotic leadership") yielded 876 records, of which 695 matched the core corpus, and 181 were retained as a sensitivity set. The results reveal that publications were sparse for several decades, but after 2018 there was a significant rise in publications. Venue influence is concentrated in a small interdisciplinary core, with The Leadership Quarterly and Journal of Business Ethics providing theory and synthesis, and the Journal of Nursing Management and Frontiers in Psychology reflecting more recent applied diffusion. Document co-citation reveals a tripartite intellectual base comprising definitional accounts, exchange and justice mechanisms, and measurement or personality-trait traditions. Keyword structures identify three current fronts: abusive and exploitative mechanisms, dark-trait and ethics-oriented research, and healthcare-oriented studies of bullying, stress, and culture. Country co-authorship indicates a transatlantic and Asia-Pacific core with recent regional diversification. Overall, the field shows increasing convergence among fragmented labels while retaining important conceptual distinctions.
Alum Kusumah, Sulistyandari, Cheng-Wen Lee· Asian Journal of Interdiscip...· 0 citations
The digital divide continues to shape how societies access, use, and benefit from technology, often reinforcing existing social and economic inequalities. This study maps global research on the digital divide from 2006 to 2025 using bibliometric analysis of publications indexed in Scopus. A total of 4662 relevant articles were analyzed through tools such as VOSviewer to trace publication trends, influential authors, collaboration networks, and evolving thematic areas. The findings show a surge of interest after 2020, with the COVID-19 pandemic accelerating debates on digital literacy, equitable access, and inclusion. Social sciences and computer sciences emerged as the leading subject areas, while the United States, China and the United Kingdom contributed the highest number of publications. However, contributions from developing countries remain limited despite being the most affected by digital inequality. The results highlight underexplored issues such as the experiences of marginalized groups, the offline impact of digital exclusion, and new challenges posed by AI, IoT and metaverse. This study provides not only a snapshot of how research on the digital divide has evolved but also points towards future directions for scholarship and policymaking, particularly in ensuring that digital technologies contribute to more inclusive and sustainable societies.
Che Wan Shamsul Bahri Che Wan Ahmad, Khirulnizam Abd Rahman, Nur Muizz Mohamed Salleh et al.· e-Jurnal Penyelidikan dan In...· 0 citations
Drawing on bibliometric records of Long March-related scholarly articles indexed in the CNKI database from 2011 to 2025, this paper identifies a three-stage developmental trajectory, demarcated by the pivotal years 2016 and 2021. Employing VOSviewer and CiteSpace for co-occurrence and co-citation analyses, we construct a comprehensive visual mapping of the knowledge structure and thematic contours characterizing this body of research. Empirical analyses generate three salient observations on Long‑March‑related scholarship. First, it features a distinct two‑tiered intellectual structure: foundational canonical historical themes (e.g., Mao ZD, the Zunyi Conference) dominated research in 2011‑2015, while contemporary agendas such as the Long March National Cultural Park and rural revitalization prevailed during 2021‑2025. Second, the field has undergone a paradigmatic shift from historical textual criticism and archival compilation toward policy exegesis and applied inquiry, moving from discipline‑driven historical scholarship to applied and cultural‑communication‑oriented research. Third, journals display functional stratification: core outlets prioritize theoretical elaboration and historical contextual reconstruction, whereas non‑core journals mainly publish practice‑centered and pedagogy‑focused studies on Long March culture. This study clarifies the evolutionary logic and disciplinary layout of Long March research, provides theoretical reference and practical implications for the innovative inheritance and international cross-cultural communication of Chinese Red Culture.
Mijia Chen, Wenjun Lu, Linda Zhang· Journal of Education Teachin...· 0 citations
Innovation Survey Research (ISR) has developed over three decades since the launch of the Community Innovation Survey (CIS) in 1992, yet no prior study has systematically mapped its intellectual structure, developmental trajectories, or regional differences. This study addresses three research questions: (1) the knowledge growth, impact and collaborative relationships of ISR; (2) the trajectories of evolution and transformation of its core research themes; and (3) the differences between European and non-European ISR. We conducted a comparative bibliometric analysis of 1,012 Scopus-indexed articles published between 1995 and 2024, combining co-occurrence network mapping, Leiden clustering and thematic literature review of representative works within each cluster. ISR has shown sustained growth since 2008 and a sharp increase in citations after 2020, reaching 54,451 total citations. Six thematic clusters were identified: firm innovation activities, open innovation and absorptive capacity, innovation types, manufacturing and service innovation, eco-innovation and innovation ambidexterity. These clusters have evolved from industry-centred RnD towards more specialised innovation typologies. After excluding 17 theoretical or multi-region articles, comparative analysis between European ([Formula: see text]) and non-European ([Formula: see text]) ISR reveals different trajectories. European ISR shows higher journal concentration and five clusters centred on complex topics such as open innovation and innovation ambidexterity, while non-European ISR displays a more dispersed structure with three clusters emphasising fundamental innovation activities, innovation barriers and developing-economy contexts. This study offers the first comprehensive knowledge map of ISR, contributing to understanding its intellectual evolution and regional characteristics, with implications for innovation policy, data infrastructure and international research collaboration.
Moon-Koo Kim, Jong-Hyun Park· Journal of Information &...· 0 citations
Research on migration and socio-economic change in India has expanded rapidly but remains dispersed across disciplines, methods, and regional case studies. This review maps the field’s intellectual and conceptual landscape and synthesises what is established, contested, and insufficiently examined. A convergent mixed-methods systematic review combined performance analysis and science mapping of 153 open-access, peer-reviewed documents published during 2000–2026 in the Bibliometrix/Biblioshiny environment with a structured thematic synthesis of 148 full-text articles. Reporting followed the PRISMA 2020 guidelines. Publication output was limited before 2014, increased sharply after 2019, and peaked in 2023, suggesting a possible transition towards consolidation. Authorship was highly dispersed (Lotka \(\beta\) = 3.82), while 14 core sources formed the field’s principal publication base. Bibliometric mapping and thematic synthesis converged on five domains: environmental distress and survival mobility; the migration–development and remittance nexus; left-behind households and the feminisation of agriculture; migrant precarity and statistical invisibility; and transnational diasporic identity. Across these domains, circular and female migrants were frequently underrepresented in official statistics. By integrating quantitative science mapping with qualitative synthesis, the review provides a structured account of the field’s development, intellectual organisation, and unresolved debates. It also identifies priorities for longitudinal, intersectional, and spatially explicit research capable of addressing persistent data and evidence gaps.
Nancy Nancy, S. Dalal· Asian Journal of Geographica...· 0 citations
This study aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the intellectual and thematic evolution of human resource information systems (HRIS) research within the context of digital transformation. Despite its growing strategic importance, HRIS literature remains fragmented across theoretical, methodological, and geographical dimensions. This study seeks to map the structural dynamics, emerging themes, and future research trajectories shaping the field. A bibliometric and science mapping approach was employed using data extracted from 303 peer-reviewed articles (1990–2025) indexed in the Scopus database. The analysis utilized VOSviewer and Biblioshiny (R Bibliometrix) to examine publication performance, co-authorship networks, citation patterns, and keyword co-occurrences, offering an evidence-based assessment of the intellectual landscape of HRIS research. Results reveal the transition of HRIS from a technology-centric system to a strategic and human-centered digital capability, emphasizing themes such as digital transformation, HR analytics, employee trust, and organizational agility. The study identifies key theoretical clusters, influential authors, and global collaboration patterns while exposing persistent gaps related to conceptual integration, methodological diversity, and regional representation. The findings provide valuable insights for scholars, practitioners, and policymakers to strengthen theoretical coherence, promote interdisciplinary collaboration, and enhance HRIS-driven digital capability within organizations. This study is among the first to offer a global, longitudinal bibliometric synthesis of HRIS research, presenting an integrative framework that links technological innovation, strategic human resource management, and knowledge-based organizational development.
Noni Setyorini, P. Nastiti, Chadyan Fathurachman et al.· Asian Management and Busines...· 0 citations