A bibliometric study on blockchain-based supply chain: a theme analysis, adopted methodologies, and future research...

Area of Science:

• Supply Chain Management
• Information Technology
• Operations Research

Background:

• Blockchain technology, initially associated with Bitcoin, is a distributed ledger technology.
• Its application in supply chains addresses critical issues like transparency, information sharing, efficiency, and traceability.
• Existing research reviews offer valuable insights, but a comprehensive, visualized perspective is needed.

Purpose of the Study:

• To provide a knowledge-based visualization of blockchain in supply chains.
• To synthesize existing literature using bibliometric and network analysis.
• To identify research gaps and propose future research directions.

Main Methods:

• Bibliometric analysis and network analysis of 431 articles from Scopus and Web of Science (2017-April 2022).
• Data analysis included co-occurrence, bibliographic coupling, citation, co-authorship, and co-citation analysis.
• Thematic analysis was used for content, research methods, and industry dynamics.

Main Results:

• Identification of key research themes and trends in blockchain-based supply chains.
• Mapping of the intellectual structure and evolution of research in this domain.
• Discovery of significant research gaps and emerging areas for investigation.

Conclusions:

• This study offers a comprehensive overview and visualization of blockchain in supply chain research.
• It equips researchers and practitioners with knowledge to advance blockchain adoption in supply chains.
• Identified research gaps and future directions will guide subsequent scholarly work.