Mapping the field: A bibliometric literature review on technology mining

Area of Science:

• Science, Technology, and Innovation Studies
• Bibliometrics
• Information Science

Background:

• Technology mining (TM) is an emerging field with rapidly increasing research and applications.
• Accurately capturing TM research topics and developments presents a challenge for scholars.
• A comprehensive understanding of TM's foundation and frontiers is needed.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the research foundation and development frontiers of technology mining.
• To distinguish emerging research topics from mature ones within the TM field.
• To deepen scholarly understanding of technology mining through bibliometric analysis.

Main Methods:

• Bibliometric literature review combining quantitative methods and content analysis.
• Co-citation analysis of the technology mining publication dataset.
• Bibliographic coupling techniques applied to the TM publication dataset.

Main Results:

• Technology mining research is built upon four foundational areas.
• Five distinct frontier clusters were identified in current TM research.
• Emerging topics include technology topic analysis, opportunity analysis, and management/decision support.

Conclusions:

• The study provides a structured overview of technology mining's research landscape.
• Identified foundational areas and frontier clusters offer insights into TM's core and growth.
• Emerging topics highlight key directions for future technology mining research and development.