Bibliometric analysis of research in international construction

Abstract

There has been increasing interest in international construction since the late 1990s due to growing competition in global markets. A bibliometric analysis of international construction research is conducted to evaluate the trends and to map the productivity in the field. Using the Scopus database from 2003 to 2013; document type, research performance of leading journals and authors, geographic and institutional distribution of research is assessed. The core and sub topics of the literature is also analyzed to determine critical themes in international construction. Results reveal that (1) risk management, (2) measuring performance, (3) general strategy and (or) competitiveness, and (4) foreign market entry decision are the top four core themes in international construction research. The fluctuations in the number of papers in different subject categories reflect the new tendency in international construction debate, which emphasizes a shift from measuring performance themes to general strategy and (or) competitiveness and foreign market entry decision in international construction.