Mapping knowledge and innovation research themes: using bibliometrics for classification, evolution, proliferation and determinism

Abstract

We employ bibliometric techniques to map the intellectual foundations, patterns, interdependence, and chronological development of research themes within the knowledge and innovation literature. Specifically we: measure the temporal development of this literature; identify themes and sub-themes underlying the published output and examine the residual impact of each to extant research; and, we illustrate the extent of independence and interdependence among the identified themes. We analyze a census of articles (n > 4,500) published during 1992 - 2012 in business management journals and identify an eight-cluster structure representing 88% of the variation within the data. To further interrogate the data, we mine the first cluster, as the dominant theme, and reveal seven sub-themes that clearly indicate the focal nodes of research in the knowledge and innovation domain. We provide a series of findings that address our research objectives and offer several implications for future research, which are tempered with our empirical limitations.