A state-of-the-art review on D number (2012-2022): A scientometric analysis

Abstract

D number theory is a relatively new uncertainty reasoning approach and its application has been gaining momentum due to its distinctive features and potential advantages. This theory aims to generalize Dempster-Shafer theory with two properties such that the elements in discernment frame do not require being mutually exclusive and the completeness constraint is also relaxed. Due to these properties, D number theory has found a wide application range, particularly in handling the vagueness nature of linguistic assessment.We aim to provide a systematic review of the application of D numbers since the inception in 2012 in the field of operations research and management science. By searching the term “D numbers” in the title, abstract and keywords of publications, the raw data has been collected on 30th December 2022 from Scopus and Web of Science. To ensure the quality of research, we only focus on the journal articles written in English from peer-reviewed journals with impact factor ≥1.5 located in the first or second SJR quartile. This filtering yields a final set of 72 articles from 40 international journals. The findings of this review indicate that the number of articles on D numbers has been increasing and have attracted cross-disciplinary attention. But it can be realized that there are very challenging tasks such as combination rule, integration function, belief and plausibility functions, distance function and uncertainty/reliability measure which have been far less studied and the lack of attention given to them can dramatically hinder the development of D number theory. The most popular research direction has been “decision making under uncertainty”. “Expert Systems with Applications” is the most prominent journal with most publications and the largest number of influential articles and “China” with the highest number of publications is the traditional leader in this field. Although 20 countries contribute to this study, D numbers research has not attracted widespread attention around the globe and the lack of literature from many countries with high academic influence is clear. Considering the fact that the research on D number theory is still evolving, this work has important guiding significance for the later research. The findings are expected to provide researchers with a comprehensive understanding of research trends of D numbers and promote further and deeper studies in this context.