Human reliability and ergonomics: a literature review from 1963 to 2011

This study reviews the academic literature on human reliability from the ergonomics perspective. The methodological approach used in this analysis combines several techniques, including bibliometric, content analysis, and social network analysis. The initial sample consisted of 304 articles, which totalized 1,872 citations, published in 94 journals, from the 47-year period between 1963 and 2011. From this initial sample, only 50 articles (16%), totalizing 471 citations are classified as ergonomics area, published in 14 journals, which involve 108 authors, with 471 citations. This sample was expanded via the seminal studies of ergonomics. These articles were coded and tabulated according to their year of publication, the number of publications per journal, major areas of interest, and the relationship between the articles and the research methods discussed. Networks were prepared by keywords, co-citations, and cross-citations.