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Cited by 104Blockchain Technology Applications and SecuritySmart Cities and TechnologiesBlockchain Technology in Education and Learning

Blockchain technology in the smart city: A bibliometric review

Open access
Rejeb, Abderahman, Rejeb, Karim, Simske, Steven J., Keogh, John G.·2022·Quality & Quantity
DOI 10.1007/s11135-021-01251-2PMC PMC8493053
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Abstract

Blockchain can function as a foundational technology with numerous applications in smart cities. The objective of this paper is twofold. First, it provides a detailed overview of the extant literature on blockchain applications in smart cities; second, it reveals the trends and suggests future research directions for scholars who wish to contribute to this rapidly growing field. We conducted a bibliometric review using a keyword co-occurrence network and article co-citation analysis. The analysis includes the assessment of 148 articles published between 2016 and 2020 in 76 academic journals. The review results demonstrate that the number of articles devoted to the study of blockchain applications and smart cities has increased exponentially in recent years. More importantly, the research identifies some of the most influential studies in this area. The paper discusses trends and highlights the challenges related to the deployment of blockchain in smart cities. To the authors’ best knowledge, this represents the first study to review the literature from leading journals on blockchain applications in smart cities using bibliometric techniques.

AI snapshot

Written from the paper’s full text.

TL;DR

This bibliometric review maps 148 journal articles published between 2016 and 2020 on blockchain applications in smart cities, identifying publication trends, leading countries and journals, keyword clusters, and co-cited works. It reports exponential growth in the field and highlights challenges including scalability, lack of standards, and technological immaturity.

Key findings

  • The review analyzed 148 articles published from 2016 to 2020 in 76 academic journals; annual output peaked in 2020 with 92 papers.
  • Leading contributing countries were China (32 papers), India (27), and the USA (27), followed by South Korea (17), the UK (15), Australia (13), and Spain (11); countries with fewer than five papers totaled 35 papers.
  • Leading journals were IEEE Access (15 articles), IEEE Internet of Things Journal (10), and Future Generation Computer Systems (6); 66 “Other” journals published 85 papers.
  • Keyword co-occurrence produced six clusters with 89 nodes; article co-citation with a threshold of at least two citations displayed 58 nodes in four clusters. The most cited articles were Khan and Salah (2018) with 548 citations, Sharma et al. (2017) with 189, and Sun et al. (2016) with 172.

Methods

  • Bibliometric review using Scopus, searching title, abstract, and keywords with `Blockchain AND "smart cit*"`; limited to English journal articles published before 2021 in engineering, computer science, social sciences, business/management/accounting, decision sciences, and economics. Scopus returned 162 documents, reduced to 150, then screened to 148 final articles.
  • Descriptive analysis of publication year, country, and journal, plus keyword co-occurrence network and article co-citation analysis using VOSviewer and Bibexcel with LinLog/modularity normalization. Keyword co-occurrence threshold was a minimum of two; co-citation threshold was at least two citations per article.

Limitations

  • Stated: the review covers a short period (2016–2020) and specific subject areas; the collection is not exhaustive; only article co-citation analysis was used, not bibliographic coupling, author co-citation, or co-authorship; results depend on the search keywords; only journal articles were selected, excluding conference proceedings, books, and book chapters; and only Scopus was used because VOSviewer cannot merge multiple databases.
  • Evident: the study is a bibliometric and network analysis rather than an empirical test of blockchain outcomes; the paper itself notes that some application fields, such as healthcare, data sharing, and sharing economy services, have received less empirical attention.

Model-written summary. Check it against the paper before relying on it.

Integrity signals

Registry

Crossref · 10.1007/s11135-021-01251-2

Cites

125 of 125 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

Statistics

Nothing to recompute.

Claims the paper makes

0 of 41 cited sources checked · 0 supported · 0 flagged

  • Findingown data

    IEEE Access was the journal publishing the highest number of articles (n = 15).

    “In terms of output, IEEE Access was the journal publishing the highest number of articles (n = 15).”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim
  • Findingown data

    The number of articles devoted to the study of blockchain applications and smart cities has increased exponentially in recent years.

    “The review results demonstrate that the number of articles devoted to the study of blockchain applications and smart cities has increased exponentially in recent years.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim
  • Findingreasoning

    The blue cluster is related to the technical characteristics of blockchain technologies such as security, privacy, latency, throughput, transparency, and trust.

    “The blue cluster is related to the technical characteristics of blockchain technologies such as security, privacy, latency, throughput, transparency, and trust.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim
  • Findingown data

    The category "Others" consists of 66 journals that published less than four articles on blockchain applications in the smart city.

    “The category “Others” consists of 66 journals that published less than four articles on blockchain applications in the smart city.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim
  • Findingown data

    In total, these journals published 85 papers.

    “In total, these journals published 85 papers.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim
  • May combine two claims. 43
  • Classified as probably not a substantial claim. 58
  • The quote only partly states this claim. 1

  • May combine two claims.

    Findingown data

    The analysis includes 148 articles published between 2016 and 2020 in 76 academic journals.

    “The analysis includes the assessment of 148 articles published between 2016 and 2020 in 76 academic journals.”
    • Also stated in: § Data collection · plain
      “Eventually, 148 journal articles were retrieved for the final review and analysis”
    • Also stated in: § Distribution of publications by journal · plain
      “The 148 articles were published in 76 journals.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing). May combine two claims.

    Findingown data

    The category "Others" comprises all countries with less than five papers, totaling 35 papers.

    “It should be noted that the category “Others” comprises all countries with less than five papers (total papers from such countries = 35).”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

    Findingown data

    The remaining journals on the list published either four or five articles each.

    “The remaining journals on the list published either four or five articles each.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • May combine two claims.

    Findingown data

    Six clusters emerged in the keyword co-occurrence network, with 89 nodes appearing in the network.

    “As illustrated in Fig. 5, six clusters emerged, with 89 nodes appearing in the network.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • May combine two claims.

    Findingown data

    Researchers from the United Kingdom, Australia, and Spain contributed 15, 13, and 11 papers, respectively.

    “Researchers from the United Kingdom (UK), Australia, and Spain have also contributed substantially to the literature with 15, 13, and 11 papers, respectively.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • May combine two claims.

    Findingown data

    From 2018 onward, there is a significant increase in the annual volume of articles, peaking in 2020 with 92 papers.

    “From 2018 onward, there is a significant increase in the annual volume of articles, peaking in 2020 with 92 papers.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing). May combine two claims.

    Findingown data

    The red cluster is the most significant, containing several keywords strongly related to blockchain's foundational components, the IoT, and a wide range of technologies that could be leveraged in the smart city.

    “Based on the size, the red cluster represents the most significant, containing several keywords that are strongly related to blockchain’s foundational components, the IoT, and a wide range of technologies that could be leveraged in the smart city.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • May combine two claims.

    Findingown data

    IEEE Internet of Things Journal and Future Generation Computer Systems published 10 and 6 articles, respectively.

    “IEEE Internet of Things Journal and Future Generation Computer Systems published 10 and 6 articles, respectively.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

    Findingown data

    The green cluster comprises terms such as ML, Smart Grids, Data Security, Privacy-Preserving, Reliability, Anomaly Detection, and Crowdsensing.

    “The second significant cluster is the green one, and it comprises terms such as “ML” (Machine Learning), “Smart Grids”, “Data Security”, “Privacy-Preserving”, “Reliability”, “Anomaly Detection”, “Crowdsensing”.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing). May combine two claims.

    Findingreasoning

    The thick arc connecting Khan and Salah (2018) and Hammi et al (2018) suggests that these articles have a strong co-citation relationship and share common ideas and/or related concepts.

    “For example, the thick arc connecting Khan and Salah (2018) and Hammi et al (2018) suggests that these articles have a strong co-citation relationship and share common ideas and/or related concepts.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • May combine two claims.

    Findingcitation

    The blue cluster revolves around the potentials of blockchain solutions for smart communities, energy trading, transportation, artificial intelligence, and construction.

    “Furthermore, the blue cluster revolves around the potentials of blockchain solutions for smart communities (Aggarwal et al. 2019), energy trading (Chaudhary et al. 2019; Jindal et al. 2019), transportation (Astarita et al. 2020; Mehta et al. 2020; Sharma and Park 2018), artificial intelligence (Singh et al. 2019, 2020a, b), and construction (Sun and Zhang 2020).”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 3 sources checked
    • cites Aggarwal et al. 2019 source

      Not checked in the free run.

    • cites Chaudhary et al. 2019 source

      Not checked in the free run.

    • cites Astarita et al. 2020 source

      Not checked in the free run.

  • May combine two claims.

    Findingcitation

    The thin arc between Hammi et al. (2018) and Mistry (2020) reflects a weak co-citation strength, and thus the lack of content similarities.

    “In contrast, the thin arc between Hammi et al. (2018) and Mistry (2020) reflects a weak co-citation strength, and thus the lack of content similarities (Mishra et al. 2017, 2018).”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites Mishra et al. 2017, 2018

      Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

    Findingown data

    Setting a threshold of at least two citations per article, only 58 nodes of the most co-cited articles are displayed in the co-citation network in Fig. 6.

    “Setting a threshold of at least two citations per article, only 58 nodes of the most co-cited articles are displayed in the co-citation network in Fig. 6.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

    Findingown data

    Four clusters were generated by VOSviewer.

    “Moreover, four clusters were generated by VOSviewer.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing), S4 (based).

    Findingnone given

    These application fields have received less attention, especially from the empirical point of view.

    “However, these application fields have received less attention, especially from the empirical point of view.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing), S4 (based).

    Findingnone given

    Our findings reveal that the concept of blockchain has rapidly evolved over recent years.

    “Our findings reveal that the concept of blockchain has rapidly evolved over recent years.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing). The quote only partly states this claim.

    Findingreasoning

    The number of articles considered was reduced to 150 after limiting the subject areas.

    “The number of articles considered was reduced to 150.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

    Findingown data

    The highly co-cited pair of articles are those connected with thick arcs.

    “As shown, the highly co-cited pair of articles are those connected with thick arcs.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • May combine two claims.

    Findingown data

    The study of Khan and Salah (2018) has received the highest number of citations and gained a significant level of academic attention.

    “The study of Khan and Salah (2018) has received the highest number of citations and gained a significant level of academic attention.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

    Findingown data

    Two of the 150 articles were considered "false positives" for the search result.

    “Eventually, 148 journal articles were retrieved for the final review and analysis (two of the 150 articles were considered “false positives” for the search result).”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

    Findingown data

    The last cluster consists of the keywords 'Sustainability', 'Big Data', 'ICT', and 'Citizens'.

    “Finally, the last cluster consists of the following keywords: “Sustainability”, “Big Data”, “ICT”, “Citizens”.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

    Findingown data

    After the initial search step, the Scopus database returned 162 documents.

    “After this step, the Scopus database returned 162 documents.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing), S4 (based).

    Findingnone given

    The use cases of blockchain in the smart city have become a priority topic for investigation by scholars, practitioners, and governments worldwide.

    “The use cases of blockchain in the smart city have become a priority topic for investigation by scholars, practitioners, and governments worldwide.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S4 (based). May combine two claims.

    Findingreasoning

    Benefitting from the technical characteristics of blockchain, smart contracts can be applied in numerous trading applications due to their automation, which offers transparent and reliable data sharing among service providers and network participants.

    “Benefitting from the technical characteristics of blockchain, smart contracts can be applied in numerous trading applications due to their automation, which offers transparent and reliable data sharing among service providers and network participants.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • May combine two claims.

    Findingnone given

    Blockchain is found to empower smart communities and foster sustainability in smart cities.

    “Finally, blockchain is found to empower smart communities and foster sustainability in smart cities.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S4 (based).

    Findingnone given

    Blockchain provides privacy for the implementation of machine learning algorithms in the smart city.

    “Blockchain also provides privacy for the implementation of machine learning algorithms in the smart city.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing), S4 (based). May combine two claims.

    Findingnone given

    Machine learning can be utilized during data analysis to gain significant insights from IoT devices, and its outcomes can be maintained in blockchain for secure storage and sharing.

    “To gain significant insights from IoT devices, machine learning can be utilized during data analysis, and its outcomes can be maintained in blockchain for secure storage and sharing.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S4 (based). May combine two claims.

    Findingnone given

    The fusion of blockchain and IoT is shown to boost security in accessing data collected by sensors and preserving data integrity for IoT-enabled smart city systems.

    “For instance, the fusion of blockchain and IoT is shown to boost security in accessing the data collected by sensors and preserving data integrity for IoT-enabled smart city systems.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S4 (based). May combine two claims.

    Findingnone given

    To the authors' best knowledge, this is the first study attempting to conduct a bibliometric review on blockchain and the smart city, unravel the content of this research field, and classify co-cited works.

    “To our best knowledge, this is the first study attempting to conduct a bibliometric review on blockchain and the smart city, unravel the content of this research field, and classify co-cited works.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • Classified as probably not a substantial claim.

    Findingreasoning

    As per this review's findings, the nature of embedded security and trust stresses the importance of blockchain to enhance the integrity of smart city systems to overcome perceived security risks.

    “As per this review’s findings, the nature of embedded security and trust stresses the importance of blockchain to enhance the integrity of smart city systems to overcome perceived security risks.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim

  • Classified as probably not a substantial claim.

    Findingreasoning

    This study shows that blockchain can hasten moves towards a more sustainable smart city, in which the wise management of resources is aligned with social inclusion and urban liveability.

    “This study shows that blockchain can hasten moves towards a more sustainable smart city, in which the wise management of resources is aligned with social inclusion and urban liveability.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

    Interpretationown data

    The high co-occurrence of blockchain with IoT reflects the criticality of these technologies to change the way smart citizens interact, think, live, and manage information.

    “The high co-occurrence of blockchain with IoT, as shown by the thick edge connecting them in the network, reflects the criticality of these technologies to change the way smart citizens interact, think, live, and manage information.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing). May combine two claims.

    Interpretationown data

    Research on blockchain in the smart city context has received remarkable attention from the engineering and computer science communities and appeared in journals with a high impact factor.

    “Taking a closer look at the scope of all journals, we observed that research on blockchain in the smart city context has received remarkable attention from the engineering and computer science communities and appeared in journals with a high impact factor.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing). May combine two claims.

    Premisecitation

    Blockchain can contribute to the Internet of Energy by securing EV charging, optimizing allocation of energy resources, and satisfying EV's individual energy consumption preferences.

    “The smart community represents an essential element of the Internet of Energy (IoE), to which blockchain can contribute by securing EV charging, optimizing the allocation of energy resources, and satisfying EV's individual energy consumption preferences (Su et al. 2019).”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites Su et al. 2019

      Not checked in the free run.

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

    Premisecitation

    Blockchain can facilitate electricity trading between charging stations and electric vehicles.

    “Thus, the technology can facilitate electricity trading between charging stations and electric vehicles (Bhushan et al. 2020).”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites Bhushan et al. 2020 source

      Not checked in the free run.

  • Classified as probably not a substantial claim.

    Interpretationnone given

    Blockchain technology has advanced as a potential solution to complex or persistent challenges within the smart city by enhancing transparency and providing a trust and accountability layer through its transaction immutability.

    “Blockchain technology has advanced as a potential solution to complex or persistent challenges within the smart city by enhancing transparency and providing a trust and accountability layer through its transaction immutability.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim

  • Classified as probably not a substantial claim.

    Interpretationreasoning

    Smart cities can take advantage of blockchain to advance economic, environmental, and social sustainability.

    “In the bargain, smart cities can take advantage of blockchain to advance economic, environmental, and social sustainability.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S2 (checkable), S3 (load-bearing), S4 (based).

    Interpretationnone given

    The emergence of blockchain technology promises vast improvements for smart city applications.

    “The emergence of blockchain technology promises vast improvements for smart city applications.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing), S4 (based).

    Interpretationnone given

    The coupling of blockchain, IoT sensors and AI has the potential to assist in waste management processes, including waste collection, disposal, and recycling.

    “Related to waste, the coupling of blockchain, IoT sensors and AI has the potential to assist in waste management processes, including waste collection, disposal, and recycling.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S2 (checkable), S3 (load-bearing). May combine two claims.

    Interpretationreasoning

    Blockchain technology can transform smart city infrastructures, alter ecosystems for enhanced consumer services, and facilitate innovative applications.

    “Blockchain technology can transform smart city infrastructures, alter ecosystems for enhanced consumer services, and facilitate innovative applications.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S4 (based).

    Interpretationnone given

    Blockchain can function as a foundational technology with numerous applications in smart cities.

    “Blockchain can function as a foundational technology with numerous applications in smart cities.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing). May combine two claims.

    Interpretationnone given

    Blockchain encourages P2P transactions and ushers in new prosumer markets, where transactive energy systems are the predominant paradigm.

    “Furthermore, blockchain encourages P2P transactions and ushers in new prosumer markets, where transactive energy systems are the predominant paradigm.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing). May combine two claims.

    Premisecitation

    By utilizing blockchain in smart mobility, there is a chance for less vehicles and road traffic, helping to reduce air pollution and fossil fuel emissions.

    “By utilizing blockchain in smart mobility, there is a chance for less vehicles and road traffic, helping to reduce air pollution and fossil fuel emissions (Wong et al. 2020).”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites Wong et al. 2020 source

      Not checked in the free run.

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing). May combine two claims.

    Interpretationown data

    The red cluster provides a general overview of blockchain applications in the smart city and the role of the technology in optimizing efficiency and strengthening security and privacy of various smart city applications such as IoT, IoV, and big data.

    “This cluster provides a general overview of blockchain applications in the smart city (Rahman et al., 2019; E. Xie et al., 2006) and the role of the technology in optimizing the efficiency and strengthening the security and privacy of various smart city applications such as IoT (Gong et al. 2019; Shen et al. 2019; Viriyasitavat et al. 2019), IoV (Chen et al. 2020; Iqbal et al. 2020; Yin et al. 202”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 3 sources checked
    • cites Rahman et al., 2019 source

      Not checked in the free run.

    • cites E. Xie et al., 2006 source

      Not checked in the free run.

    • cites Gong et al. 2019 source

      Not checked in the free run.

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing). May combine two claims.

    Premisecitation

    Hyperledger Fabric-based blockchains are more efficient and able to maintain stable time consumption during smart city transactions compared to Ethereum blockchains.

    “Compared to Ethereum blockchains, Hyperledger Fabric-based blockchains are more efficient and able to maintain stable time consumption during smart city transactions (Chiu and Meng 2021).”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites Chiu and Meng 2021 source

      Not checked in the free run.

  • Classified as probably not a substantial claim. May combine two claims.

    Premisecitation

    Keyword co-occurrence analysis helps to reveal the interaction between different research directions and partition the field of knowledge.

    “This analysis helps to reveal the interaction between the different research directions and partition the field of knowledge (Ding et al. 2001).”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites Ding et al. 2001 source

      Not checked in the free run.

  • May combine two claims.

    Study design and conductcitation

    The selection of journal articles helps to ensure the reliability and academic nature of the analysis because these resources provide a representative sample of international scientific activity.

    “The selection of journal articles helps to ensure the reliability and academic nature of the analysis (Ramos-Rodríguez and Ruíz-Navarro 2004) because these resources provide a representative sample of international scientific activity.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites Ramos-Rodríguez and Ruíz-Navarro 2004 source

      Not checked in the free run.

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S2 (checkable), S3 (load-bearing). May combine two claims.

    Interpretationreasoning

    The low output from management, business, urban sciences, and social science journals may be explained by either few submissions or high rejections if not aligned with the charter of the journal.

    “As a result, this suggests that the low output from these journals may be explained by either few submissions or high rejections if not aligned with the charter of the journal.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing). May combine two claims.

    Interpretationnone given

    Blockchain is considered a new engine of growth and prosperity in the smart city as it enhances efficiencies, secures the communication of sensitive data, and increases the interoperability of smart city platforms.

    “Blockchain is considered a new engine of growth and prosperity in the smart city as it enhances efficiencies, secures the communication of sensitive data, and increases the interoperability of smart city platforms.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S2 (checkable), S3 (load-bearing). May combine two claims.

    Study design and conductcitation

    The use of bibliometric reviews ensures objectivity and offers unique insights into the literature.

    “Similarly, the use of bibliometric reviews ensures objectivity and offers unique insights into the literature (Koseoglu, 2016).”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites Koseoglu, 2016 source

      Not checked in the free run.

  • May combine two claims.

    Interpretationreasoning

    Blockchain's distributed ledger, encryption, and immutability features can provide a foundation layer for various citizen and business interaction applications with increased efficiency, improved security, and enhanced privacy.

    “To mitigate cyber threats and ensure safe data capture, data storage and data access in smart cities, blockchain’s distributed ledger, encryption, and immutability features can provide a foundation layer for various citizen and business interaction applications with increased efficiency, improved security, and enhanced privacy.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

    Interpretationreasoning

    Terms in this cluster reveal the role of blockchain to incorporate sustainability in the infrastructure of smart cities.

    “Terms shown in this cluster reveal the role of blockchain to incorporate sustainability in the infrastructure of smart cities.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • May combine two claims.

    Premisenone given

    A bibliometric approach synthesizing research on blockchain applications in smart cities is still lacking, making this study the first attempt to analyze this topical area using quantitative tools.

    “However, a bibliometric approach synthesizing research on blockchain applications in smart cities is still lacking, making this study the first attempt to analyze this topical area using quantitative tools.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing). May combine two claims.

    Premisecitation

    Scopus is one of the most highly regarded academic databases globally, indexing approximately 70% more sources than the Web of Science.

    “Apart from this, Scopus is one of the most highly regarded academic databases globally, indexing approximately 70% more sources than the Web of Science (Brzezinski 2015).”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites Brzezinski 2015 source

      Not checked in the free run.

  • Classified as probably not a substantial claim.

    Study design and conductreasoning

    The authors did not cover all potential applications of blockchain, as they were concerned only with their impact on the smart city sectors.

    “We did not cover all the potential applications of blockchain, as we were concerned only with their impact on the smart city sectors.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S2 (checkable), S3 (load-bearing).

    Study design and conductreasoning

    Non-journal articles may offer interesting insights that are not covered in the reviewed literature.

    “non-journal articles may offer interesting insights that are not covered in our reviewed literature.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • Classified as probably not a substantial claim.

    Premisenone given

    There is a lack of knowledge regarding the investigation of blockchain applications in the smart city using bibliometrics.

    “Even though these tools have been applied in other fields, there is a lack of knowledge regarding the investigation of blockchain applications in the smart city using bibliometrics.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S2 (checkable), S4 (based). May combine two claims.

    Interpretationreasoning

    The use of blockchain to better manage the risks related to system security may increase citizens' acceptance and usage of information technology-enabled services and maximize the effectiveness of the smart city initiative.

    “As a result, the use of blockchain to better manage the risks related to system security may increase citizens’ acceptance and usage of information technology-enabled services and maximize the effectiveness of the smart city initiative.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • May combine two claims.

    Study design and conductnone given

    The review results are based on a short publication period (2016-2020) and are restricted to specific subject areas.

    “The review results are based on a short period of the publications involved (2016–2020) and are restricted to specific subject areas.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • May combine two claims.

    Interpretationreasoning

    By integrating blockchains, cities are expected to become able to realize sustainable targets because the technology can support several smart city sectors such as healthcare, transportation, logistics and supply chain management, and public administration.

    “By integrating blockchains, cities are expected to become able to realize sustainable targets because the technology can support several smart city sectors such as healthcare, transportation, logistics and supply chain management, and public administration.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

    Premisecitation

    The low scalability of blockchain is essentially caused by data redundancies and increasing computational and communication overheads.

    “Ismail and Materwala (2019) argue that the low scalability of blockchain is essentially caused by data redundancies and increasing computational and communication overheads.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites Ismail and Materwala 2019 source

      Not checked in the free run.

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

    Study design and conductnone given

    Only journal articles were selected, ignoring other vital sources of knowledge such as conference proceedings, books, and book chapters.

    “We have only selected journal articles, ignoring other vital sources of knowledge such as conference proceedings, books, and book chapters.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • May combine two claims.

    Premisecitation

    To advance IoT-enabled smart cities, blockchain can play a critical role in improving IoT networks, achieving fault tolerance, optimizing resource consumption, and enhancing data processing performance.

    “To advance IoT-enabled smart cities, blockchain can play a critical role in improving IoT networks, achieving fault tolerance, optimizing resource consumption, and enhancing data processing performance (Liu et al. 2020).”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites Liu et al. 2020 source

      Not checked in the free run.

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing). May combine two claims.

    Study design and conductnone given

    Only article co-citation analysis was conducted, not other co-citation methods such as bibliographic coupling, author co-citation analysis, and co-authorship analysis.

    “We only conducted one method of co-citation analysis, namely, article co-citation analysis. Many different methods exist to perform co-citation analyses, such as bibliographic coupling, author co-citation analysis, and co-authorship analysis.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim
    • Rests on an assumption: Many different methods exist to perform co-citation analyses, such as bibliographic coupling, author co-citation analysis, and co-authorship analysis.

  • Classified as probably not a substantial claim. May combine two claims.

    Interpretationcitation

    Blockchain implementation enables system designers to create a sustainable smart city, which is the engine of economic efficiency, growth, and social inclusiveness.

    “Consequently, blockchain implementation enables system designers to create a sustainable smart city, which is the engine of economic efficiency, growth, and social inclusiveness (Berglund et al. 2020).”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites Berglund et al. 2020 source

      Not checked in the free run.

  • May combine two claims.

    Premisecitation

    Weak citizen involvement, poor governance, and threats of system failure are the main concerns hampering the development of sustainable smart cities.

    “While weak citizen involvement, poor governance, and threats of system failure are the main concerns hampering the development of sustainable smart cities (Aghimien et al. 2020)”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites Aghimien et al. 2020 source

      Not checked in the free run.

  • May combine two claims.

    Premisecitation

    VOSviewer can only read data from one database and cannot merge data from multiple databases.

    “the bibliometric software (i.e., VOSviewer) is only able to read data from one database and cannot merge data from multiple databases (Yeung et al. 2019).”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites Yeung et al. 2019 source

      Not checked in the free run.

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S2 (checkable).

    Interpretationreasoning

    By integrating sustainability with blockchain technology, the smart city can drive sustainable development and growth from an economic, social, and environmental perspective.

    “By integrating sustainability with blockchain technology, the smart city can drive sustainable development and growth from an economic, social, and environmental perspective.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing), S4 (based). May combine two claims.

    Interpretationreasoning

    The application of blockchain technology for the smart city can create reliable storage of big data, resulting in better smart city services.

    “The application of blockchain technology for the smart city can create reliable storage of big data, resulting in better smart city services.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S2 (checkable), S3 (load-bearing), S4 (based). May combine two claims.

    Interpretationreasoning

    Blockchain technology is expected to penetrate the foundations layers of smart cities and pave the way for more innovative, secure, and smarter applications.

    “Blockchain technology is expected to penetrate the foundations layers of smart cities and pave the way for more innovative, secure, and smarter applications.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S2 (checkable), S3 (load-bearing), S4 (based).

    Interpretationreasoning

    The use of blockchain is not without challenges, given the embryonic nature of the technology and its technical limitations.

    “The use of blockchain is not without its challenges, given the embryonic nature of the technology and its technical limitations.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

    Study design and conductnone given

    The results of the review were determined by the keywords used for the search and collection of studies.

    “The results of the review were determined by the keywords used for the search and collection of studies.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • May combine two claims.

    Interpretationreasoning

    Without standards and regulations, the smart city's systems would not be able to interoperate, making it impossible to share information across platforms.

    “Without standards and regulations, the smart city’s systems would not be able to interoperate, making it impossible to share information across platforms.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing). May combine two claims.

    Study design and conductnone given

    The list of studies is comprehensive and covers leading academic journals with highly cited and co-cited articles.

    “Although the list is comprehensive and covers leading academic journals with highly cited and co-cited articles, the collection of studies is not exhaustive.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S2 (checkable), S3 (load-bearing), S4 (based).

    Interpretationnone given

    The integration of blockchain technology can transform every sector of the smart city.

    “The integration of blockchain technology can transform every sector of the smart city.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S4 (based).

    Interpretationreasoning

    With the emergence of blockchain, security and privacy threats to smart cities can be effectively overcome thanks to intrinsic properties of the technology, including immutability, transparency, auditability, and decentralization.

    “With the emergence of the blockchain, these proliferating issues can be effectively overcome thanks to the intrinsic properties of the technology, including immutability, transparency, auditability, and decentralization.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim
    • Rests on an assumption: Smart cities are endangered by a wide array of security and privacy threats.
76 of 76

  • The paper relies on this without support.

    No previous study has reviewed blockchain and smart city research using bibliometric tools such as keyword co-occurrence network and article co-citation analyses.

    “Previous studies have attempted to review the existing applications of blockchain in the context of smart cities (Bernabe et al. 2019; Li et al. 2019), but to the best of our knowledge, no previous study has reviewed blockchain and smart city research using bibliometric tools such as keyword co-occurrence network and article co-citation analyses.”

  • The paper relies on this without support.

    Current database technologies do not effectively manage and securely store voluminous data.

    “However, current database technologies do not effectively manage and securely store voluminous data.”

  • The paper relies on this without support.

    Bitcoin blockchain is widely used for cryptocurrency and not appropriate for general purpose applications.

    “This blockchain is widely used for cryptocurrency and not appropriate for general purpose applications.”

  • The paper relies on this without support.

    Bitcoin provides a safe and strong payment system that outperforms any other blockchains.

    “Nevertheless, being the initial and largest public blockchain, Bitcoin provides a safe and strong payment system that outperforms any other blockchains.”

  • The paper relies on this without support.

    The technology's infancy does not constitute a problematic issue since blockchain applications are expected to mature with time.

    “However, the technology's infancy does not constitute a problematic issue since blockchain applications are expected to mature with time.”

  • The paper relies on this without support.

    Smart cities are endangered by a wide array of security and privacy threats.

    “Nevertheless, smart cities are still endangered by a wide array of security and privacy threats.”

  • The paper relies on this without support.

    Many different methods exist to perform co-citation analyses, such as bibliographic coupling, author co-citation analysis, and co-authorship analysis.

    “Many different methods exist to perform co-citation analyses, such as bibliographic coupling, author co-citation analysis, and co-authorship analysis.”
7 of 7

Claims other papers make about this one

Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?

  • To ensure data integrity, provide authentication/authorization, and enable cryptocurrency transactions, the key features of blockchains are authorization and authentication, data integrity, distributed storage, and smart contracts.

    “To ensure data integrity, provide authentication/authorization, and enable cryptocurrency transactions [55], the key features of blockchains are:”

    From A Survey of Video Surveillance Systems in Smart City (2023) · cites this paper as [55]

Self-check

Percentages, sums and reported differences re-computed from the paper’s own numbers.

Each contradiction between two passages listed here was confirmed by an independent check.

  • EVs is given conflicting expansions

    Minor

    The cluster discussion defines EVs as "Electronic Vehicles," whereas the note to Table 1 defines EV as "Electrical Vehicles."

  • ITS is given two different expansions

    Minor

    The discussion expands ITS as "Intelligent Transport System," while the note to Table 1 expands it as "Information Transportation System."

2 of 2

Cites

Flagged first, then by citations

3 of the 128 references couldn’t be matched to a known paper.

Research works printed but not linked: 2

  1. Rejeb, A., Sűle, E., Keogh, J.G.: Exploring new technologies in procurement. Transp. Logis. Int. J. 18(45), 76–86 (2018)
  2. Szabo, N.: Smart contracts: building blocks for digital free markets. Extropy J. Trans. Thought 16, 1–10 (1996)

Cited by

Sorted by citations

Related

Authors
Rejeb, A., Rejeb, K., Simske, S. J., & Keogh, J. G.
Affiliations
  • Széchenyi István University (HU)
  • Tunis El Manar University (TN)
  • Colorado State University (US)
  • University of Reading (GB)
Corresponding author
  • Rejeb, Abderahman
  • Rejeb, Karim
  • Simske, Steven J.
  • Keogh, John G.
ORCID
Venue
Quality & Quantity
Publisher
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Published
2021-10-06
Volume
56
Issue
5
Pages
2875-2906
ISSN
  • 0033-5177 (ISSN-L)
  • 1573-7845
DOI
10.1007/s11135-021-01251-2
PMC
PMC8493053
OpenAlex
W3204566152
Semantic Scholar
975e28806752336fa57ec5a3e7c6376de8549187
Cited by
104
References
128
Citations by year
2026: 13 · 2025: 25 · 2024: 28 · 2023: 25 · 2022: 11 · 2021: 1 · 2018: 1
FWCI
14.68
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • Quality & Quantity (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • RePEc: Research Papers in Economics (submittedVersion)
  • Greater South Information System
Funders
Széchenyi István University
Topics
  • Physical Sciences › Computer Science › Information Systems › Blockchain Technology Applications and Security
  • Physical Sciences › Engineering › Media Technology › Smart Cities and Technologies
  • Physical Sciences › Computer Science › Information Systems › Blockchain Technology in Education and Learning
Keywords
blockchain, smart cities, blockchain applications, research trends, research directions, keyword co-occurrence network, co-citation analysis

About these checks

Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.

Claims read by deepseek-v4.1-flash under definition version 3 (extract-v3) on 2026-10-09.

Classified by jev-1.13-20260917 (gold-guideline-v0.2) on 2026-10-09.

Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.

Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.

What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›

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