The role of collaborative research network on E-waste studies in North America using a bibliometric approach

Abstract

Electronic waste (E-waste) has been extensively investigated by researchers throughout the globe, however specific research trends in North America (NA) are yet unknown. This study attempts to present an up-to-date bibliometric view of the e-waste studies, and to identify the research sub-fields and networks. A total of 370 documents were retrieved from the WoS database (from 2005 to 2023). E-waste research topic that originated from NA, as well as its relative growth rate, collaborative measures, institutional productivity, and the popular journals were evaluated in this bibliometric analysis. The study showed that research productivity increased noticeably in the last decade. The USA has the most e-waste publications (72.70%), followed by Canada (22.70%) and Mexico (9.19%). The topic with the highest percentage of papers (209, or 56.49%) was environmental science. Resources Conservation and Recycling was the most active journal on e-waste research. The University of California, USA (8.64%) played an active role in the publication. Author's keywords can be generally grouped into four clusters. Network analysis results suggest that collaborative activities by leading universities will likely boost the number of studies. A diversified and strong collaborative research network may be a key driver for e-waste research output, but not necessarily research impact. It is recommended that policy makers and funding agencies create collaborative funding programs specifically for e-waste research.