Mapping worldwide research on the Internet of Things during 2011-2016
| Published date | 10 December 2018 |
| Date | 10 December 2018 |
| Pages | 979-992 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/EL-09-2017-0196 |
| Author | Mohammadamin Erfanmanesh,A. Abrizah |
| Subject Matter | Information & knowledge management,Information & communications technology,Internet |
Mapping worldwide research on
the Internet of Things during
2011-2016
Mohammadamin Erfanmanesh
Department of Library and Information Science, University of Malaya,
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and
A. Abrizah
Department of Library and Information Science, University of Malaya,
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and Malaysian Citation Center, Ministry of Education,
Putrajaya, Malaysia
Abstract
Purpose –The Internet of Things (IoT) has attracted wide attention from researchers to address the
potential of this technology in various industries recently. This study aims to investigate different
characteristics of worldwide research on the IoT using bibliometrics, network analysis and altmetrics.
Growth of the literature, publication types, languages, publication countries and research subjects are
addressed. The scientificand social impact of the journal articles has also been examined using citation and
altmetricsscores.
Design/methodology/approach –The Scopus database was searched for articles indexed under the
terms “Internet of Thing*”or “IoT”or “Internet of Everything*”or “Web of Thing*”, and a total of 13,725
articlesfrom 2011 to 2016 were retrieved and analysed.
Findings –There was a continuous increase in the numberof publications per year over the period, with a
6.7-fold rise in the number of publications,with the highest share of research output (4,989) published in 2016.
Contribution of authors at the micro, meso and macro levels was analysed. About 89 per cent of total
publicationswere the result of collaborative efforts, and Asia-Pacificwas responsible for almost 53 per cent of
world scientific production of IoT literature. Generally, the IoT research are found in publications
concentratingon computer networks and communications, electricaland electronic engineeringand computer
science applications.The results also showed that the presence of IoT research on the social web is still low,
with 6.8 per cent of totalpublications presenting some altmetric activity.
Research limitations/implications –The work reported is limited to only Scopus-indexed
publications.While the search methodology aimed to be as inclusive as possible, it may nothave captured all
scholarlyresearch output in the IoT world.
Practical implications –The findings of thisstudy may help researchers understand the performanceof
IoT researchfrom across the world and suggest directions for further research.
Originality/value –This paper reviews the literature of the IoT in past five years using rigorous bibliometric,
altmetric and network analysis tools.
Keywords Internet of Things, Bibliometric analysis, Altmetrics, Internet of Everything,
Web of Things
Paper type Research paper
This research did not receive any grant from any funding agency in the public, commercial or not-for-
profit sector.
Mapping
worldwide
research on the
Internet of Things
979
Received25 September 2017
Revised9 December 2017
Accepted18 January 2018
TheElectronic Library
Vol.36 No. 6, 2018
pp. 979-992
© Emerald Publishing Limited
0264-0473
DOI 10.1108/EL-09-2017-0196
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at:
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