Bibliometric visualisation: an application in tourism crisis and disaster management research

Abstract

A limited number of studies have applied bibliometric visualisation to explore the network structure of scholarly tourism knowledge. This study uses CiteSpace to analyse and visualise the intellectual structure of the tourism crisis and disaster management (TCDM) field. The use of new bibliometric visualisation techniques makes a methodological contribution to the mapping and presentation of bibliometric data in tourism research. Potentials for using these methods to provide new insights into research patterns and gaps are illustrated with an analysis of the TCDM literature. The study demonstrates how bibliometric visualisation can provide new insights into an area of literature by better communicating key findings, facilitating the exploration of data, and providing rich information to readers. Findings indicate that TCDM research has moved from broader topics to more specific issues, with a more recent focus on resilience and economic crises. The visualisation of co-authorship networks reveals that major collaborative networks are based on geographic and institutional proximity, dominated by scholars in the United States, United Kingdom, and Australia. Seven major research clusters are identified from the visualisation of a co-citation network. The identification of structural holes and bridging papers draws attention to research gaps and future research opportunities in the TCDM field.