Past Themes and Tracking Research Trends in Entrepreneurship: A Co-Word, Cites and Usage Count Analysis

Abstract

This paper examines the evolution of research in Entrepreneurship published in Web of Science, a reference database. A bibliometric content analysis has been carried out as part of this investigation, allowing for a longitudinal study of the main research topics dealt with over time, ranging from classic topics such as its conception to more recent realities that include Social and Sustainable Entrepreneurship. This paper locates research trends by studying the evolution of citations and by incorporating use metrics. The results point to the existence of seven cognitive fronts that have marked the field’s growth and conceptual evolution. Furthermore, evidence is presented that shows how innovation has historically been the thread that links all the core themes. The topics and trends detected contribute specially to advancing the current discussion on entrepreneurship and coordinating future research efforts.