Bibliometric analysis and visualisation of heritage buildings preservation

Abstract

AbstractHeritage buildings are considered a source of pride for countries, and their preservation is an important pursuit. Different techniques have been adopted in this regard, and many review papers have addressed them either qualitatively or quantitatively through bibliometric analysis. Nevertheless, none of these review studies conducted a general dynamic quantitative analysis of the vast amount of scientific literature about heritage buildings preservation (HBP) research domain over time. Therefore, the current study performs a bibliometric analysis of the relevant literature considering a time of two decades (2002–2022). A total of 863 peer-reviewed journal articles were extracted from the Web of Science Core Collection database. A five-step methodology was followed employing VOSviewer, CiteSpace, and Biblioshiny as the bibliometric software tools. The main findings revealed the annual publication trends and the most prominent articles. It was also found that 60% of the literature publications were published in journals, and only 2.4% corresponded to review studies. The scientific collaboration networks showed the most prolific researchers and countries. Further, the citation analysis of journals identified the most reliable information sources for academic researchers. Finally, the conceptual and intellectual knowledge structures were visualised and studied via science mapping analysis to map the research domain evolution and determine its trending patterns and promising areas for future exploration. The conducted review provides fellow researchers with a systematic summarised database to be familiarized with the HBP literature and identify potential research opportunities to conduct state-of-the-art research with the top contributors in the field (researchers, journals, and countries). In addition, policymakers can utilize the results from this research to find expert authors and academic support to facilitate forming partnerships to plan and fund relevant research and address the practical implications of preserving valuable heritage buildings.