Global research productivity in cybersecurity: a scientometric study

Abstract

PurposeThe purpose of the study is to conduct a scientometric analysis of cybersecurity literature indexed in the core collection of the Web of Science for a period of ten years (2011–2020).Design/methodology/approachCybersecurity is a focused topic of research across the globe. To identify the global research productivity in the field, the terms “cybersecurity, cyber-security, web security, information security, computer security, etc.” were used for retrieving the publications in the advanced search mode of the database “Web of Science”, limiting the time frame for 2011– 2020. The results retrieved were downloaded in the Excel file for further analysis and interpretation. The harvested data was analysed by using scientometric techniques to measure the progress such as growth rate, doubling time and author collaborations. Besides, the Biblioshiny and VOSviewer software were used for mapping networks.FindingsThe research output in the field of cybersecurity has shown an increasing trend during 2011–2020, and the maximum number of scholarly publications was published in 2020 (1,581), i.e. more than 715% of 2011 (221). A good number of countries (93) have contributed globally in cybersecurity research, and the highest share in research publications was reported by the USA (23.55%), followed by China (23.24%), South Korea (5.31%), UK (5.28%) and India (4.25%). The authorship patterns in cybersecurity publications show a collaborative trend, as most articles have been published by multiple authors. Total 5,532 (90.14%) articles have been published in co-authorship, whereas only 605 (9.86%) articles have been published by single authors. Keyword analysis shows that the most common keyword research by the authors is cybersecurity and its variants such as “cyber security” and “cyber-security” (1,698) followed by security (782), computer security (680) and information security (329).Research limitations/implicationsThe database studied for the work does not represent the total literary output available on the theme. There are plenty of other databases, such as Scopus, Compendex, INSPEC, IEEE Xplore, arXiv, contributing to the same theme as well.Practical implicationsThe findings of the study may help researchers, information technologists, library professionals and information specialists to identify the research progress, authorship patterns, collaborative networks and hot topics of research in the field of cybersecurity. Besides, it will assess the global response to the cybersecurity issue.Originality/valueThe study is the scientometric analysis of the cybersecurity based on current literature and will highlight the progress and development of global research in the said field.