Exploring Scientific Outputs about Globalization: A Conceptual Framework Study
IntroductionBibliometric analysis is widely acknowledged as a robust and systematic approach for examining extensive scholarly literature. It serves as a vital tool for mapping the landscape of contemporary research across various academic fields. The increase in bibliometric studies over the past d...
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| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | fas |
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University of Isfahan
2025-09-01
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| Series: | جامعه شناسی کاربردی |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://jas.ui.ac.ir/article_29515_fc65d87635d35e68623032c5b57dd870.pdf |
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| Summary: | IntroductionBibliometric analysis is widely acknowledged as a robust and systematic approach for examining extensive scholarly literature. It serves as a vital tool for mapping the landscape of contemporary research across various academic fields. The increase in bibliometric studies over the past decade highlights their growing importance in evaluating the evolution and impact of scientific inquiry. Among these methods, co-word analysis emerges as a powerful technique for uncovering conceptual connections between ideas and themes within a discipline. By analyzing term co-occurrences, this approach revealed underlying thematic clusters, prevailing trends, and evolving patterns over time, providing a dynamic perspective for interpreting the intellectual structure of a research domain. Materials & MethodsThis study utilized bibliometric analysis to examine scholarly literature. Data were processed using VOSviewer, UCINet, and BibExcel software. The data were extracted from the Islamic World Science Citation Center (ISC) database using the keywords “globalization” or “globalisation”. Plain text files obtained from the ISC database were imported into BibExcel. Employing natural language processing techniques within this software, key terms (nouns or noun phrases) were extracted. A frequency threshold of 4 was established, meaning a term had to appear at least 4 times in the sample to be included in the bibliometric map. This threshold is recommended to effectively eliminate irrelevant terms. Following several processing steps, a symmetric matrix was created and converted into a correlation matrix. This matrix was then imported into VOSviewer, which assessed the strength of relationships between the remaining terms that met the threshold. The extracted data spanned 25 years (1999–2023) and included 1,281 documents containing 4,502 author keywords. After standardization, 2,169 unique keywords remained. By applying the threshold, a 162×162 matrix was generated with diagonal cell values set to zero. Cluster analysis was conducted using the K-means method in VOSviewer. Discussion of Results & ConclusionThe terms “globalization”, “Iran”, and “cultural globalization” ranked first to third with frequencies of 703, 54, and 45, respectively. The keyword “globalization” with 703 occurrences emerged as the central concept within the research domain.Cluster analysis in VOSviewer identified 11 clusters related to globalization concepts:Globalization and economyGeopolitics of globalizationGlocalizationGlobalization and anti-globalizationGlobalization and transnationalizationCultural globalizationGlobalization of educationGlobalization and national securityGlobalization and identityGlobalization and geocultureGlobalization and urban environmentUsing UCINet, centrality and density scores were calculated for each cluster, resulting in a strategic diagram. The origin of the diagram was set at the mean centrality (7.14) and density (0.541). Notably, Cluster 7 (globalization of education) exhibited the highest centrality (18.857) and density (1.451), indicating strong internal and external conceptual linkages. First Quadrant (High Density/Centrality): Clusters 6 (cultural globalization) and 7 (globalization of education) represented core themes characterized by high cohesion and centrality, demonstrating extensive interconnections with other aspects of globalization. Second Quadrant (High Density, Lower Centrality): Clusters 9 (globalization and identity) and 10 (globalization and geoculture) were specialized subfields that exhibited cohesion but had limited influence on broader research trends. Third Quadrant (Low Density/Centrality): Clusters 2 (geopolitics), 3 (glocalization), 4 (anti-globalization), 5 (transnationalization), 8 (national security), and 11 (urban environment) consisted of emerging or declining topics with underdeveloped connections. Fourth Quadrant (Low Density, High Potential): Cluster 1 (globalization and economy) showed low centrality but high potential for future growth, reflecting globalization impact on national and international economies through concepts like economic growth and the KOF Globalization Index.This study underscored globalization as an interdisciplinary topic that spans foundational concepts and specialized applications. Researchers are encouraged to investigate the emerging areas identified in the third quadrant: geopolitics of globalization, glocalization, anti-globalization, transnationalization, national security, and urban environment. Although currently underdeveloped, these themes hold significant potential for shaping future scholarly discourse. |
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| ISSN: | 2008-5745 2322-343X |