Mapping the intellectual structure of short food supply chains research: a bibliometric analysis

Abstract

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to identify major research topics and propose future research directions for the short food supply chains (SFSCs) by conducting a comprehensive bibliometric analysis.Design/methodology/approachA step-by-step literature review was performed. A total of 684 scientific papers were retrieved from Scopus, dated between 2000 and 2020. Then, content analysis was conducted based on 162 articles selected from the co-citation analysis. Bibexcel and Gephi software were employed to analyse, integrate and visualize the data.FindingsThe results of the descriptive analysis provided insights into publication trends, prominent countries, institutions and journal sources, which had not been fully captured or evaluated by previous reviews. In the citation analysis, the authors determined the highly cited papers based on the global citation. Additionally, in the co-citation analysis, the authors derived six research clusters, identified research gaps in each of six clusters and then suggested possible future research directions.Originality/valueAlthough several reviews have focused on certain aspects of SFSCs, a comprehensive review has been lacking. This study is among the first to comprehensively examine the knowledge structure of SFSCs research by using rigorous bibliometric analysis. More importantly, the future lines presented here offer potential insights for SFSCs researchers and policymakers.