publications

Article
Exploratory Bibliometrics: Using VOSviewer as a Preliminary
Research Tool
Andrew Kirby

Social and Behavioral Sciences, Arizona State University, Phoenix, AZ 85069-7100, USA; andrew.kirby@asu.edu

Abstract: This paper explores ways in which open access bibliometric software can be used to under-
take exploratory research and to generate new avenues of inquiry. It takes as its focus VOSviewer, a
freely available software package used to construct and display bibliometric relationships between a
variety of variables. Beginning with published examples, the paper proceeds to create an original
case study using bibliometrics to explore the extent to which the field of remote sensing is contribut-
ing to the implementation of sustainable development goals. This example uses Scopus data and
VOSviewer to examine and contrast co-occurrence data among publications in six journals, and it
demonstrates how such software can be successfully used to undertake preliminary studies and to
shape subsequent research which employs more formal approaches.

Keywords: bibliometrics; exploratory research; VOSviewer; Scopus; SDGs; remote sensing

1. Introduction
This paper has been written as a contribution to a Special Issue of Publications which is
designed to address the journal’s past and its potential. Although much of this paper deals
with a specific case study of sustainability, it was written more generally as a commentary
on some specific trends in scholarly publishing: these comments result in part from doing
numerous manuscript reviews during the past decade. During that time, Publications has
attracted a type of manuscript which focuses on an emerging subfield and uses bibliometrics
Citation: Kirby, A. Exploratory
to provide a tally of the key papers, prolific researchers and the geographic distribution of
Bibliometrics: Using VOSviewer as a
authors and collaborators.
Preliminary Research Tool.
This growth in what can be described as ‘literature reviews’ reflects the appearance
Publications 2023, 11, 10.
https://doi.org/10.3390/
of several accessible software packages over the past decade, which are designed to be
publications11010010
used with data repositories such as Web of Science and Scopus [1]. The smooth integration
of this software permits a user with an interest in a scientific subfield to easily create a
Academic Editors: Gemma Derrick ‘knowledge map’ which can identify significant publications based on citation counts.
and Bart Penders
While such manuscripts are certainly relevant to scholarly publishing in the most
Received: 24 August 2022 general way, it is my assertion that they often have little to offer the reader of this and
Revised: 29 October 2022 cognate journals. As evidence for this claim, the journal Library Philosophy and Practice
Accepted: 13 February 2023 announced in 2021 that it would “no longer consider bibliometric, scientometric or literature
Published: 20 February 2023 review articles except in areas of the Library and Information Sciences”. The reason for
this was that the journal was being “inundated with bibliometric manuscripts” which were
changing its scope [2].
As we will show in the subsequent sections and in the Appendices, there is great
Copyright: © 2023 by the author. potential in software such as VOSviewer. The emergent problem lies in its ease of use and
Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.
its flexibility, which significantly reduce the opportunity costs for new users. Researchers
This article is an open access article
in a subfield can easily undertake a search of publications and their related citations.
distributed under the terms and
The resulting growth of papers using software such as CiteSpace and VOSviewer cannot
conditions of the Creative Commons
be minimized. Since the introduction of the latter in 2010, its growth has been literally
Attribution (CC BY) license (https://
exponential. Of the 2045 published papers documented in Scopus which have referenced
creativecommons.org/licenses/by/
VOSviewer, fully 53% were published just in 2021 (Figure 1).
4.0/).

Publications 2023, 11, 10. https://doi.org/10.3390/publications11010010 https://www.mdpi.com/journal/publications

Publications 2023, 11, x FOR PEER REVIEW 2 of 15

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exponential. Of the 2045 published papers documented in Scopus which have referenced
VOSviewer, fully 53% were published just in 2021 (Figure 1).

Figure 1. Published papers identifying VOSviewer in the Abstract, title or keywords;

keywords; source Scopus,
data compiled
compiled March
March 2022:
2022: see Appendix
Appendix A.2
A.2 for
for details.
details.

The drawback for a journal such as this this (with

(with aa broad
broad focus
focus onon scholarly
scholarly publishing
publishing
rather
rather than scientometrics) is that the use of a software package encouragesa arote
than scientometrics) is that the use of a software package encourages rotepresenta-
presen-
tion
tationofofinformation
information (key
(keypapers,
papers,key
keyauthors,
authors, keykeycountries,
countries, key journals,
key journals, andand sosoon). AsAs
on). a
new
a new subfield
subfieldmay maywell be especially
well arcane,
be especially the scientific
arcane, content
the scientific may may
content therefore be of be
therefore little
of
interest to thetogeneral
little interest readerreader
the general [3]. [3].
It
It needs to be emphasized that
needs to be emphasized that not
not every
every bibliometric
bibliometric submission
submission to to this
this (or
(or related)
related)
journals
journals uses simple software. Some are technically complex [4]. This does not, at at
uses simple software. Some are technically complex [4]. This does not, least
least in
in the opinion of this author, increase its relevance to an audience
the opinion of this author, increase its relevance to an audience interested in scholarlyinterested in scholarly
publication,
publication, as asdistinct
distinctfrom
fromthethereadership
readershipinterested
interested in in
scientometrics,
scientometrics, which
which is served
is served by
technical journals. For example, neither of the examples mentioned
by technical journals. For example, neither of the examples mentioned here has been cited here has been cited by
any
by anyother Publications
other Publicationspaper, which
paper, undermines
which undermines thethe
significance
significanceof what
of whatcancanbe beclassed
classedas
‘within-journal citations’ [3–5].
as ‘within-journal citations’ [3–5].
In
In summary,
summary, this this paper’s
paper’s contribution
contribution to the Publications
to the Publications Special
Special Issue
Issue isis to
to assess
assess thethe
uses
uses of open access bibliometric software. It is suggested that the flood of papers using
of open access bibliometric software. It is suggested that the flood of papers using
such
such programs
programs to to describe
describe emerging
emerging subfields
subfields hashas the
the potential
potential to to distort
distort the
the goals
goals ofof this
this
and cognate journals. However, this is not intended as mere luddism, and the next section
and cognate journals. However, this is not intended as mere luddism, and the next section
discusses the evident potential of VOSviewer (and its peers) in the context of exploratory
discusses the evident potential of VOSviewer (and its peers) in the context of exploratory
research.
research.
2. Using Bibliometrics as a Tool
2.1. Introduction
Rapid computational methods and digital information have transformed the re-
searcher’s ability to quickly and cheaply collect data, subject it to different analyses, and
display the results. Nonetheless, because unsuccessful research usually remains unpub-
Publications 2023, 11, 10 3 of 14

lished research (because of inconclusive results, for instance), there are advantages to being
able to undertake rapid exploratory studies. In some practical contexts, these are known
as quick-and-dirty methods, which can be followed by more sophisticated protocols if the
results are affirmative [6]. In other fields, the researcher can apply tools in unexpected
ways, to test ideas or to generate questions. Google Scholar can be used for preliminary
tests of word collocations in demonstrations of language use, for example [7]. There is
also a fairly extensive body of literature on the use of the open access software Wordle as a
precursor to the use of more powerful content analyses [8].

2.2. Testing a Hypothesis Measuring Research Outputs

The first example under discussion here was published in this journal [9]. As the title
indicates, the goal of the project was to compare the scientific productivity of Chinese,
EU, and US institutes and organizations and to answer the question, “does the future
belong to E-Technology companies?” Researchers Carta et al. used data published in the
SCImago repository to address the relative performance of public and private organizations
working in new technologies. Comparing published output, they conclude that their
study “describes a loss of leadership from 2010 to 2020 of European and (partly) American
universities, while in China, universities are growing in importance in scientific production,
and we are witnessing a growth of direct leadership in the research of private companies” [9]
(p. 11).
This study is illustrative both in terms of setting up a specific question and an ex-
ploratory methodology. It is also significant in the present context as it indicates how
scientific publication can be used as a robust indicator for research activity and perfor-
mance. As Debackere et al. argue, grant funding, subsequent publication, and scientometric
analysis can act as a feedback loop to shape priorities within nations’ science policies [10].
As this can lead in turn to the next rounds of funding and publication, we can see that
bibliometrics can itself be a significant component in the work of science.

2.3. Testing a Simple Hypothesis Using Citations as an Analog

Here, we switch from direct analysis of research output (as in the previous example) to
publications and citations which constitute surrogates for actual occurrences, policies, and
actors. The example is an assessment of whether ‘smart cities’ are inherently ‘sustainable
cities’, which has been claimed, although the literature shows only weak assessments [11].
Here, we can provide some support for a more robust evaluation, using VOSviewer to
analyze publications; details of the software, its inputs and outputs and the procedures
employed are provided in the Appendix A.1.
In Figure 2, we can see that smart cities exist in a different citation space than sustain-
able cities (significantly, we can also see a small but discrete category of ‘smart sustainable
cities’). This suggests that the pursuit of ‘smart’ policies may not be an automatic guarantee
of sustainability. Based on this initial finding, a broader study of the published research,
perhaps focused on specific national case studies, appears valid.
These two examples offer contrasting ways to use citation data, one as a measure
of research output, and the other using published research as a knowledge map and a
surrogate for actually occurring events. The next section shows an exploratory case study
in greater detail.
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Figure2. 2.Co-occurrences
Figure Co-occurrencesof keywords ‘smart’ and
of keywords ‘sustainable’
‘smart’ refined by ‘city’;
and ‘sustainable’ 1000 most
refined cited
by ‘city’; 1000 m
papers published in Web of Science 2015–2020; see Appendix A.2 for details.
papers published in Web of Science 2015–2020; see Appendix A.2 for details.
3. An Exploratory Case Study: Remote Sensing and Sustainable Development Goals
These two examples offer contrasting ways to use citation data, one
3.1. Overview as a me
research output,
This case study and the other
is focused on the using published
UN Sustainable research Goals
Development as a knowledge
(SDGs), whichmap an
define a path for nations seeking to contribute to a better planetary future
rogate for actually occurring events. The next section shows an exploratory [12]. However, case s
in practice, most of the goals are unlikely to be met by 2030, and it has been argued that
greater detail.
this is due in part to data problems facing remote sensing, a key approach to the analysis of
sustainability. Sustainability researcher Estoque concludes that while remote sensing “is an
3. An Exploratory
important environmental Case Study: Remote
monitoring Sensing
tool that can help filland
gapsSustainable
in environmental Development
data”, G
his
3.1.fear is that “more is being invested in the development of the SDG global indicator
Overview
framework, including its databases, than is being invested in actual projects that can deliver
This
desirable case study
outcomes is focused
and bring on the UN
about progress” [13].Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs
define a path for nations seeking to contribute
This case study builds upon and complements to a argument
Estoque’s better planetary future
by undertaking an [12]. H
exploratory bibliometric analysis of the convergence—or divergence—between
in practice, most of the goals are unlikely to be met by 2030, and it has been argu research on
remote sensing and the monitoring of the SDGs. The goal is to assess the extent to which
this is due in part to data problems facing remote sensing, a key approach to the
research on SDGs is central to the remote sensing field as a whole, and how that can be
of sustainability.
evaluated Sustainability
by a comparison researcher
of publications Estoque
in different concludes that
but complementary while
journals. Theremote
“is an important
exploratory hypothesisenvironmental
is that the remotemonitoring tool
sensing field is not that canonhelp
focused fill gaps
the SDGs, in environ
with the
inference that this lack of research may contribute to weak implementation
data”, his fear is that “more is being invested in the development of the SDG glob of SDGs.
catorThe paper consists of the following four parts. In Section 3.2, the methodology for
framework, including its databases, than is being invested in actual projects
evaluating the remote sensing field as used here is outlined, including the incorporation of
deliver
the Scopus desirable outcomes
database, and VOSviewer andsoftware.
bring about progress”
In Section [13].
3.3, research results are presented,
This case study builds upon and complements Estoque’s
including VOSviewer displays of content in the journal Remote Sensing since its argument
creation inby unde
an exploratory
2009, bibliometric
and the emergence analysis
of sustainable of theasconvergence—or
development a research subfield. In divergence—betw
Section 3.4,
these results are interpreted and contrasted with the way remote
search on remote sensing and the monitoring of the SDGs. The goal is to sensing is studied asassess
a th
subset of the sustainability field. The conclusions are presented in Section 4.
to which research on SDGs is central to the remote sensing field as a whole, and h
can be evaluated by a comparison of publications in different but complementa
nals. The exploratory hypothesis is that the remote sensing field is not focused
SDGs, with the inference that this lack of research may contribute to weak impleme
of SDGs.
The paper consists of the following four parts. In Section 3.2, the methodo
evaluating the remote sensing field as used here is outlined, including the incorp
Publications 2023, 11, 10 5 of 14

3.2. Materials and Methods

The field of remote sensing is extremely large. For example, a search on the Scopus
database (‘remote’ AND ‘sensing’, for abstracts, titles, and keywords for all years) retrieves
over 285,000 entries (the figure was in excess of 19,000 solely for the most recent full year,
2021). This exploratory study therefore reduced the number of publications to be analyzed
by focusing solely on the journal Remote Sensing, an indexed journal with an Impact Factor
(IF) of 4.84. The high IF suggests that the journal is a frequently cited outlet and can be used
as a surrogate for the field in a preliminary study such as this. Since its inception in 2009,
7791 papers have been published, a total which facilitates exploratory analysis of the entire
output of the journal. There have also been several bibliometric studies of remote sensing
research [14–16], as well as more focused analyses of this specific journal’s content [17,18]
and these will be referred to in more detail below.
The publications were exported from Scopus as Excel files for each complete year,
2009–2021. Each exported entry includes complete information for each paper, includ-
ing title, authors, affiliations, keywords, and all citation information. The data were
then uploaded into VOSviewer software, the technical details of which are given in the
Appendix A.1.
It employs a local moving algorithm which identifies relations within networks of
publications, their citations, and keywords. Relationships can be displayed between
authors, journal articles, and/or entities such as countries hosting a researcher, between
research institutions, or between different scholarly journals. VOSviewer uses inputs from
Web of Science, Scopus and PubMed, all of which are highly regarded in the bibliometric
field [19]. As indicated in Figure 1, VOSviewer has been employed in literally hundreds of
studies, especially in analyses of the morphology of nascent fields [3].
It should be emphasized that VOSviewer is employed in this study because of its
simplicity of use, which is consistent with preliminary research which might explore
numerous data relationships, some of which will prove inconclusive. As open access
software, it is also freely available to scholars with limited resources. However, this does
not mean that the software is technically deficient. Indeed, comparative analyses with multi-
dimensional scaling techniques suggest that VOSviewer may possess some advantages [20].
Indeed, Eck et al. have suggested that “the VOS approach yields improved results mainly
in the case of medium and large datasets”. It is emphasized therefore that “it is one of the
best options for performing a science mapping analysis” [1].

3.3. Results
This section first presents the results of the analyses of the publication materials from
the journal Remote Sensing (henceforth RS).

3.3.1. Keywords
In this section, we can begin by providing a display of the most important terms used
in papers published in Remote Sensing between its inception in 2009 and 2021. Figure 3
shows the results of a VOSviewer co-occurrence analysis, which generates links between
key terms. On the VOSviewer displays below, lines connect the different terms, and the
strength of the links indicates the number of publications in which two terms occur together;
thicker lines indicate a stronger link. VOSviewer determines that items are closely related
when the software calculates association strengths between items that are similar, where
association strength “is a proportion of total co-occurrences between items to the expected
total co-occurrences between those items, assuming they are statistically independent” [1].
Technical details are also provided in the Appendix A.1.
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Figure
Figure 3. VOSviewer
3. VOSviewer output
output of keyword
of keyword co-occurrences;
co-occurrences; journalSensing
journal Remote Remote2009–2021.
Sensing 2009–2021.
See S
Appendix
Appendix A.2 A.2 for details.
for details.

Four significant
Four clusters
significant of key of
clusters terms
keyare created
terms areby the VOSviewer
created algorithm: each
by the VOSviewer of
algorithm: ea
which constitutes a grouping of research activity and subsequent publication. A simplified
of which constitutes a grouping of research activity and subsequent publication. A si
interpretation and label is suggested by the author for each cluster in Table 1.
plified interpretation and label is suggested by the author for each cluster in Table 1.
Table 1. Interpretation of co-occurrence clusters displayed in Figure 1.
Table 1. Interpretation of co-occurrence clusters displayed in Figure 1.
Cluster Color Label
Cluster Color Label
1 Red MODIS, radiometers, satellites
21 Red
Green MODIS, radiometers,
Vegetation, satellites
ecosystems, climate change
32 Blue
Green AI, decision trees
Vegetation, ecosystems, climate change
4 Sand Forestry, LiDAR
3 Blue AI, decision trees
4 Sand Forestry, LiDAR
This table differs somewhat from the material presented in Zhang et al.’s prior biblio-
metric study of the same journal (summarized in their Table 10) [18]. They identify five
This table differs somewhat from the material presented in Zhang et al.’s prior bib
clusters, which they label “Multi-spectral and hyperspectral remote sensing”; “LiDAR
ometric
scanning and study of the“MODIS
forestry”; same journal (summarized
and LAI in their“Remote
data applications”; Table 10) [18]. They
sensing identify fi
applica-
clusters,
tions”; which they
and “Synthetic label “Multi-spectral
Aperture Radar”. While someandprocedures
hyperspectral
used inremote sensing”;
that study were “LiDA
scanningdifferent
somewhat and forestry”; “MODIS
and do not includeand LAIpublished
papers data applications”; “Remote
2019–2021, both sensing
analyses do appli
tions”; and
emphasize the “Synthetic
breadth of theAperture Radar”.
different While
technical some procedures
components usedpublished
of the research in that study we
within RS.
somewhat different and do not include papers published 2019–2021, both analyses do e
phasize the breadth of the different technical components of the research published with
3.3.2. Sustainability and Sustainable Development
RS.
Terms typically associated with sustainability are not prominently display in Figure 3
and Table 1. Subsequent analysis drills down and identifies only RS papers which contain
3.3.2. Sustainability and Sustainable Development
the key terms “sustain” OR “sustainable” (see Appendix A.2). This produces a smaller
data set Terms
of 1436 typically associated
publications. with
These terms aresustainability
not prominentare not prominently
because they constitutedisplay
recent in Figu
3 andwithin
arrivals Tablethe1. Subsequent analysis
journal. As Figure drillskeywords
4 shows, down and identifies
“sustain” only RS papers
or “sustainable” onlywhich co
begin
tainto appear
the in the“sustain”
key terms journal inOR
2018 in significant
“sustainable” numbers
(see (119 A.2).
Appendix entries),
Thisincreasing
produces a smal
data set of 1436 publications. These terms are not prominent because they constitute rece
arrivals within the journal. As Figure 4 shows, keywords “sustain” or “sustainable” on
begin to appear in the journal in 2018 in significant numbers (119 entries), increasing
219 (in 2019), 394 (in 2020) and 459 (in 2021). While there has been a rising trend
Publications 2023, 11, x FOR PEER REVIEW 7 of 15

publication in all academic fields in the past decade (as shown for example by Einecker
Publications 2023,11,
Publications2023, 11,10
x FOR PEER REVIEW 7 of
of 14
and Kirby), this exponential increase between 2018–2020 far exceeds that7 background
15

trend [21].
to 219 (in 2019),
publication in all394 (in 2020)
academic and in
fields 459
the(inpast
2021). While
decade (as there
shownhas
forbeen a rising
example by trend in
Einecker
publication in all academic fields in the past decade (as shown for example by
and Kirby), this exponential increase between 2018–2020 far exceeds that background Einecker and
Kirby), this exponential increase between 2018–2020 far exceeds that background trend [21].
trend [21].

Figure 4. The use of key terms “sustain” OR “sustainable” in the journal Remote Sensing, 2009–2021
see Appendix A.2 for details.
Figure4.4. The
Figure The use
use of
of key
key terms
terms “sustain”
“sustain” OR
OR “sustainable”
“sustainable” in
in the
the journal
journal Remote
Remote Sensing,
Sensing, 2009–2021,
2009–2021,
seeAppendix
see Appendix
Based on A.2this
A.2 fordetails.
for details.
smaller subset of 1436 publications, Figure 5 shows the co-occurrence
of key terms in the journal for first, the years 2009–2018 (that is, papers containing the key
Basedononthis
thissmaller
terms Based
‘sustain’ or smaller subsetofof1436
subset
‘sustainable 1436publications,
publications,
development’: Figure
thisFigure 5 shows
5 shows
constitutes thethe
a set co-occurrence
co-occurrence
of 364 of Second
papers).
of key
key terms terms in the
in the journal
journal forfor first,
first, thethe years2009–2018
years 2009–2018(that
(thatis,is,papers
paperscontaining
containingthethekey
key
this is contrasted with the most recent full year, 2021 in Figure 6, based on 459 papers. An
terms‘sustain’
terms ‘sustain’or
or‘sustainable
‘sustainabledevelopment’:
development’: this this constitutes
constitutes aa setset of
of 364
364 papers).
papers). Second,
Second,
exploratory
this study
thisisiscontrasted
contrasted with
withsuch
the as this
themost
most is seeking
recent
recent full year,to
fullyear, confirm
2021
2021 that6,6,sustainability
inFigure
in Figure basedon
based on459 has increased
459papers.
papers. An
An in
importance
exploratory
exploratory studyover such
study time,
such as and
as thisso
this displays
isis seeking tofor
seeking to 2019 that
confirm
confirm and 2020 are omitted
that sustainability
sustainability has (but arein
has increased
increased available
in
from the
importance author
over on
time, request).
and so displays for 2019 and 2020 are omitted
importance over time, and so displays for 2019 and 2020 are omitted (but are available (but are available from
the author
from on request).
the author on request).

Figure 5. VOSviewer results of co-occurrences in papers published in Remote Sensing 2009–2018 with
Figure
Figure 5.5.VOSviewer
key terms VOSviewer results
“sustain” or of co-occurrences
results in papers
of co-occurrences
“sustainable development”: insee published
papers in Remote
published
Appendix A.2 forin Sensing Sensing
Remote
details. 2009–2018 with
2009–2018 with
key
keyterms
terms“sustain” or or
“sustain” “sustainable development”:
“sustainable see Appendix
development”: A.2 forA.2
see Appendix details.
for details.
 Publications 2023, 11, x FOR PEER REVIEW

Publications 2023, 11, 10 8 of 14

Figure 6. VOSviewer results

Figure 6. of co-occurrences
VOSviewer in papers
results published in Remote
of co-occurrences Sensing
in papers in 2021 with
published in Remote Sen
key terms “sustain”key
or “sustainable development”:
terms “sustain” see Appendix
or “sustainable A.2 for details.
development”: see Appendix A.2 for details.

Comparison of Figures 5 and 6 shows that the co-occurrences among the key term
Comparison of Figures 5 and 6 shows that the co-occurrences amo
clusters are shifting over time. The clusters identified within VOSviewer for 2021 have
been interpreted byclusters are shifting
the author, over shown
and the labels time. The clusters
in Table 2. identified within VOSviewe
been interpreted by the author, and the labels shown in Table 2.
Table 2. Interpretation of co-occurrence clusters displayed in Figure 6.
Table 2. Interpretation of co-occurrence clusters displayed in Figure 6.
Cluster Color Label
1 Cluster Color
Red Label land-use, climate change, urban growth
Sustainable development,
2 1
Blue Red
Forestry Sustainable development, land-use, climate change
3 Purple
2 Crops,
Blue antennasForestry
4 Sand Vegetation
5 3
Green Purple
Deep learning Crops, antennas
4 Sand Vegetation
5 6 are significant
Figures 4 and Green in thatDeep learning
they show that the emergence of “sustainable
development” as a key term within this remote sensing publication is occurring as part of
Figures 4 andthis
a discrete cluster of co-occurrences; 6 are significant
cluster containsin that such
terms theyas show thatchange’,
‘climate the emergence
‘land-use’, ‘urban development”
growth’, and ‘ecosystem services’. This indicates that this is an emerging
as a key term within this remote sensing publication is occ
and discrete subfield, not subsumed
a discrete cluster within other discrete this
of co-occurrences; clusters suchcontains
cluster as forestry, or AI.such as ‘
terms
This interpretation is much clearer with an enlargement of the co-occurrence
‘land-use’, ‘urban growth’, and ‘ecosystem services’. This indicates that t display
for ‘sustainable development’, first for all years (Figure 7a) and second for 2021 alone
ing and discrete subfield, not subsumed within other discrete clusters suc
(Figure 7b). In Figure 7a, ‘sustainable development’ is a minor and unconnected keyword;
by 2021, it is nowAI.connected with terms such as ‘land-use’, ‘ecosystems’, and ‘decision-
making’. These displays Thisallow
interpretation
us to identifyis much clearer with
a preliminary an enlargement
inference, namely, thatofthe the co-occ
forhas
remote sensing field ‘sustainable development’,
paid little attention first for all
to sustainability years (Figure
concepts 7a) and
until climate second for
change
ure 7b). In
has increased in visibility. AsFigure 7a, ‘sustainable
this is based development’
on the publications within aissingle
a minor and we
journal, unconnect
can broaden the inquiry by introducing additional journals. This could involve
2021, it is now connected with terms such as ‘land-use’, ‘ecosystems’, and additional
samples from theing’.roster of remote
These sensing
displays allow journals, but here,
us to identify we have sought
a preliminary contrastnamely,
inference,
by turning to thesensing
four indexed journals which have ‘sustainable development’
field has paid little attention to sustainability concepts in theiruntil clim
titles; the search process is then inverted, as we search there for ‘remote sensing’ (see
increased in visibility. As this is based on the publications within a single
Appendix A.2).
broaden the inquiry by introducing additional journals. This could inv
samples from the roster of remote sensing journals, but here, we have sou
turning to the four indexed journals which have ‘sustainable developmen
the search process is then inverted, as we search there for ‘remote sensing
A.2).
 Publications 2023, 11, x FOR PEER REVIEW 9 of 15
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(a) (b)
Figure 7. (a) VOSviewer results of co-occurrences in papers published in Remote Sensing 2009–2021
Figure 7. (a) VOSviewer results of co-occurrences in papers published in Remote Sensing 2009–2021
with key terms “sustain” or “sustainable development”; display shows enlarged output solely for
with key terms “sustain” or “sustainable development”; display shows enlarged output solely for
term ‘sustainable development’; (b) VOSviewer results of co-occurrences in papers published in
term ‘sustainable development’;
Remote Sensing solely (b)terms
in 2021 with key VOSviewer
“sustain”results of co-occurrences
or “sustainable in papers
development”; displaypublished
shows in
Remote
enlargedSensing
outputsolely
solelyin
for2021 with keydevelopment”:
“sustainable terms “sustain”
seeorAppendix
“sustainable development”;
A.2 for details. display shows
enlarged output solely for “sustainable development”: see Appendix A.2 for details.
3.4. Comparative Analysis of Other Journals
3.4. Comparative Analysis of Other Journals
This discussion of sustainable development as an emerging focus within the remote
sensingThisfield
discussion
has thusof farsustainable
been limited development as an emerging
to a single journal, albeit one focus within
with high the remote
visibility
sensing field has thus
(as demonstrated by itsfar beenfactor
impact limited to a single
of 4.84). In thisjournal,
section, albeit one with
we undertake high visibility (as
a comparative
demonstrated by itsonimpact
analysis by focusing the fourfactor of indexed
journals 4.84). Inwithin
this section, we undertake
Scopus which a comparative
contain ‘sustainable
development’
analysis in theiron
by focusing title,
thenamely, Sustainable
four journals Development,
indexed International
within Scopus Journal of
which contain Sus-
‘sustainable
tainable Development
development’ and title,
in their Worldnamely,
Ecology, International Journal of Sustainable
Sustainable Development, Development
International andof Sus-
Journal
Energy for
tainable Sustainable Development.
Development and World Ecology, This yielded 1586 publications
International for the yearsDevelopment
Journal of Sustainable 2009–2021 and
(i.e., limited
Energy to the same
for Sustainable time period This
Development. as before, so that
yielded 1586this additional for
publications analysis is directly
the years 2009–2021
comparable
(i.e., limitedtotothat
thealready
same time completed).
period as before, so that this additional analysis is directly
Two things
comparable canalready
to that be seen completed).
in Figure 8. First, across the time period 2009–2021, remote
sensing constitutes only a small
Two things can be seen in Figure presence8. with
First,limited co-occurrences
across the time periodwith other key
2009–2021, remote
terms in these journals dedicated to sustainable development. Second, this interpretation
sensing constitutes only a small presence with limited co-occurrences with other key terms
changes somewhat if we search explicitly for publications in the same four journals that
in these journals dedicated to sustainable development. Second, this interpretation changes
also contain the keywords ‘remote AND sensing’. In Figure 8b, we can see that ‘remote
somewhat if we search explicitly for publications in the same four journals that also contain
sensing’ and ‘sustainable development goals’ are both present, but the co-occurrences are
the keywords ‘remote AND sensing’. In Figure 8b, we can see that ‘remote sensing’ and
with other terms. The former is linked to Geographic Information Systems and urbaniza-
‘sustainable
tion, the latterdevelopment goals’ are both
to economic development andpresent, but the co-occurrences are with other
urban planning.
terms. The former is linked to Geographic Information Systems and urbanization, the latter
to economic development and urban planning.
The implications of these preliminary findings are explored in detail in the next section,
but it can be seen that these visual displays permit a rapid yet detailed exploration of co-
occurrences within publications dealing with remote sensing and sustainable development,
sufficient to make some initial inferences and then to consider more detailed research
directions.
Publications2023,
Publications 2023,11,
11,10
x FOR PEER REVIEW 10
10 of 14
15

(a) (b)
Figure 8.
Figure 8. (a)
(a)VOSviewer
VOSviewerresults
resultsofof
co-occurrences in papers
co-occurrences published
in papers in four
published journals
in four dealing
journals with
dealing
sustainable development 2009–2021 indexed in Scopus (see text for details): display detail shows
with sustainable development 2009–2021 indexed in Scopus (see text for details): display detail
enlarged output for term ‘remote sensing’’; (b) VOSviewer results of co-occurrences in papers pub-
shows enlarged output for term ‘remote sensing”; (b) VOSviewer results of co-occurrences in papers
lished in same four journals containing the key term ‘remote sensing’ for 2009–2021: display shows
published in same
enlarged output forfour journals containing
‘sustainable developmentthegoals’
key term
and‘remote
‘remotesensing’
sensing’:for
see2009–2021:
Appendix display
A.2 for
shows enlarged
details. output for ‘sustainable development goals’ and ‘remote sensing’: see Appendix A.2
for details.
The implications of these preliminary findings are explored in detail in the next sec-
4. Discussion
tion, but it can be seen that these visual displays permit a rapid yet detailed exploration
4.1. Remote Sensing and the Production of Knowledge
of co-occurrences within publications dealing with remote sensing and sustainable devel-
The exploratory
opment, sufficient tobibliometric
make somepresentation offered
initial inferences and here shows
then that while
to consider some
more subfields
detailed re-
cluster (in terms
search directions. of their reliance on a shared pool of citations), others are barely connected.
The strength of the links between research on SDGs and RS appears weak throughout our
displays (Figures 2 and 5–8). This is consistent with (and provides preliminary empirical
4. Discussion
support for) current scholarship on the SDGs. For example, Kavvada et al. argue that “the
4.1. Remote Sensing and the Production of Knowledge
uptake of EO {earth observation, a synonym for remote sensing) in support of the global
The exploratory
development agenda hasbibliometric
been slowpresentation
and unevenly offered
adopted herebyshows that while
countries” some
[22]. In sub-
practice,
fields cluster (in terms of their reliance on a shared pool of citations),
they indicate that remote sensing specialists should be complemented by others developing others are barely
connected.
new research The strength of the links between research on SDGs and RS appears weak
directions.
throughout our displays (Figures 2 and 5–8). This is consistent with (and provides prelim-
4.2.
inaryInterdisciplinarity
empirical support for) current scholarship on the SDGs. For example, Kavvada et al.
argue thatdiscussion
This “the uptakeofofthe EOintegration
{earth observation, a synonym
of subfields in the for remote
context of sensing)
the SDGs inappears
support
of the global
critical. The last development
preliminaryagendaanalysishas been slow
presented hereandagainunevenly
focuses adopted by countries”
on a specific journal in
[22]. In
order topractice, theyissue.
explore this indicate that remote
It focuses on thesensing
broadlyspecialists should be
interdisciplinary complemented
journal by
Sustainability,
othersthe
using developing
same methodsnew research
as before. directions.
The journal Sustainability is comparable with Remote Sensing in terms of common
4.2. Interdisciplinarity
elements—both have achieved relatively high IFs (3.25 and 4.8, respectively), and both are
open This discussion ofSustainability
access, although the integration presents itself explicitly
of subfields as ‘cross-disciplinary’.
in the context of the SDGs appears Figure 9
crit-
displays co-occurrences for papers published there between 2009–2021
ical. The last preliminary analysis presented here again focuses on a specific journal in containing the key
terms
order to‘remote
exploreAND sensing’
this issue. (see Appendix
It focuses A.2).interdisciplinary
on the broadly This VOSviewer display
journal presents a
Sustainability,
clear
usingpattern
the same of methods
co-occurrences
as before.between remote sensing (in the upper left quadrant) and
sustainable development (in the
The journal Sustainability is comparablecenter). Thewith termRemote
‘sustainable
Sensingdevelopment goal’ also
in terms of common el-
appears (bottom right quadrant). This mapping of a citation space
ements—both have achieved relatively high IFs (3.25 and 4.8, respectively), and both in a different journal
are
offers contrasting
open access, insights
although into the links
Sustainability between
presents sustainable
itself explicitly development, climate change,
as ‘cross-disciplinary’. Figure
stakeholders, and policy (red cluster) and remote sensing and
9 displays co-occurrences for papers published there between 2009–2021 containing Geographic Information the
Systems
key terms (GIS) (green
‘remote ANDcluster). Urbanization
sensing’ (blue)A.2).
(see Appendix and agriculture (purple)
This VOSviewer are distinct,
display presents buta
all are linked through publications on sustainable development (Table 3).
clear pattern of co-occurrences between remote sensing (in the upper left quadrant) and
 sustainable development (in the center). The term ‘sustainable development goal’ also ap-
pears (bottom right quadrant). This mapping of a citation space in a different journal offers
contrasting insights into the links between sustainable development, climate change,
stakeholders, and policy (red cluster) and remote sensing and Geographic Information
Systems (GIS) (green cluster). Urbanization (blue) and agriculture (purple) are distinct,
Publications 2023, 11, 10 11 of 14
but all are linked through publications on sustainable development (Table 3).

Figure 9. VOSviewer results of co-occurrences in papers published in Sustainability 2009–2021 with

key termsFigure
“remote AND sensing”:
9. VOSviewer seeof
results Appendix A.2 forin
co-occurrences details.
papers published in Sustainability 2009–2021 with
key terms “remote AND sensing”: see Appendix A.2 for details.
Table 3. Interpretation of co-occurrence clusters displayed in Figure 9.
Table 3. Interpretation of co-occurrence clusters displayed in Figure 9.
Cluster Color Label
Cluster Color Label
1 Red Sustainable development, climate change, policy
2 1 Red Blue Sustainable development,
Urbanization, climate
China change, policy
3 2 Blue Purple Urbanization,Land-use
China
4 3 Purple Sand Land-use Ecosystem services, spatial analysis
5 4 Sand Green Ecosystem services, Remotespatial
Sensing, GIS, Unites States
analysis
5 Green Remote Sensing, GIS, Unites States
If we situate these findings within the preceding discussion, we can see the journal
SustainabilityIfasweansituate
example these
of afindings within thejournal
cross-disciplinary preceding discussion,
(to use we can
its own term) see the
which is journal
publishing papers which
Sustainability as anjuxtapose
exampleanalytical methods (such
of a cross-disciplinary as GIS(toand
journal useremote
its ownsensing)
term) which is
with policy connected
publishing to sustainable
papers development
which juxtapose and methods
analytical climate change.
(such as More
GIS details of thesensing)
and remote
journal’swith
output canconnected
policy be found toin sustainable
a bibliometric study by Tang
development et al., although
and climate change. it doesdetails
More not of the
limit its journal’s
focus to remote
outputsensing [23]. in a bibliometric study by Tang et al., although it does not
can be found
limit its focus to remote sensing [23].
4.3. Summary
This4.3.
exploratory
Summary study demonstrates a successful test of a proposition, namely, that
the field of remote sensing appears
This exploratory studymore focused upon
demonstrates technical
a successful inputs
test than upon social
of a proposition, namely, that
outcomes. This is underlined if we compare citations in that field with the
the field of remote sensing appears more focused upon technical inputs than technical material
upon social
published within sustainability,
outcomes. whichifshow
This is underlined much greater
we compare concern
citations in thatfor thewith
field SDGs.
the technical mate-
Thisrial
is an exploratory
published project,
within using bibliometrics
sustainability, which showin a much
demonstrative way. Itsfor
greater concern strengths
the SDGs.
—notably its relatively rapid completion—can also be seen to be its limitation, as only a
handful of journals were used as being representative of two large fields (remote sensing
and sustainability). Nonetheless, the results suggest that the initial concerns raised by
Estoque—that sustainable development goals are being undermined by poor technical
performance with regard to data collection and analysis—are testable, and the criticism is
feasible [13]. From here, it would be appropriate to develop a full-scale investigation, using
a full database of relevant publications, an analysis of research funding, a content analysis
of research reports, and/or a qualitative study of funding agencies.
Publications 2023, 11, 10 12 of 14

This approach to preliminary research can be applied in many fields. The author
has used this software to explore the proposition that researchers who publish in the
field of climate change mitigation operate in a citation space that is distinct from climate
change adaptation, to the detriment of public policy development [21]. A current project
is examining published research dealing with the US Department of Homeland Security,
to explore whether the latter’s remit to combat terrorism appears to be at the expense of a
focus on climate change.

5. Conclusions
This paper has sought to present two ideas. The first is that the ready availability of
bibliometric software can have potentially negative implications for journals which focus
broadly on scholarly publication, due to the rapid growth of descriptive literature reviews.
These are not technically innovative, and their content may be arcane. In an ideal academic
marketplace, such papers would be directed back towards the emerging fields that they
describe.
The second intention has been to suggest that open access bibliometric software can,
though, be used in other ways, notably by scholars who are not scientometric researchers.
Products such as VOSviewer possess the distinction of being both technically robust and
relatively simple to use. The examples used here show that publication data from com-
prehensive databases can be analyzed to investigate the relations between concepts in any
research field. This approach can be applied to an exploration of simple hypotheses, as are
commonly developed in preliminary studies and mixed-methods approaches, where the
complexity of the reality under investigation encourages simple step-by-step analysis. To
be clear, these findings are illustrative and not definitive. However, the relative simplicity
of the approach shows these and similar examples to be useful starting points in many
research contexts.

Funding: This research received no external funding. As an exploratory study, it is important to

emphasize that open access software was employed throughout.
Data Availability Statement: The data employed in this preliminary study were downloaded from
Scopus and are readily available there, using the search terms indicated in Appendix A.2.
Acknowledgments: The author thanks Robert Varady and one of the reviewers for helpful comments.
Conflicts of Interest: The author declares no conflict of interest.

Appendix A
Appendix A.1. VOSviewer
VOSviewer is a creation of researchers working in scientometrics (Eck and Waltman,
2010). The software is based upon a local moving algorithm which identifies relations
within networks of publications and their citations and keywords. VOSviewer uses inputs
from Web of Science, Scopus and PubMed, and its outputs are maps which represent networks
of keywords, scientific publications and journals, researchers and research organizations
and their countries of origin. Items in these networks can be connected by co-authorship,
co-occurrence, citation, bibliographic coupling, or co-citation links.
VOSviewer considers nodes within a two-dimensional space, where one scholarly
publication constitutes a node which is joined by a number of edges to a finite number
of other nodes through a pattern of citations. The algorithm also assigns the nodes in
any network (publications, journals, and so forth) to clusters, each constituting a group of
closely related nodes. As each node is assigned to only one cluster, this permits the creation
of a meaningful visual display.
VOS minimizes the function

V ( x1 . . . xn ) = ∑i< j sij || xi − x j ||2

subject to the constraint n(n2−1) ∑i< j || xi − x j || = 1
Publications 2023, 11, 10 13 of 14

where n represents the nodes in a network, xi represents the location of node i in two-
dimensional space and ||xi − xj || represents the Euclidean distance between nodes i
and j.
These mathematical functions underpinning VOSviewer can be explored in detail in
the Appendix to van Eck and Waltman [24].
The number of clusters can be determined by a resolution parameter, and the user has
numerous options in terms of generating clusters and exploring their placement within the
two-dimensional space. For consistency, the displays used in this presentation employed
default values for minimum cluster size and numbers of iterations.
VOSviewer has been employed in literally hundreds of published studies, as indicated
in Figure 1. Many are analyses of the morphology of nascent fields. As noted by Moral-
Muñoz et al. “it is one of the best options for performing a science mapping analysis” [1]
(p. 175).

Appendix A.2. Technical Content

This paper contains a series of bibliometric analyses which are indicative of the use
of the VOSviewer software. For consistency, the program’s default parameters for layout
and clustering were used but these can be altered by the user to generate different displays.
The search parameters used in each display are presented below.

Table A1. Search parameters employed to generate VOSviewer displays Figures 1–9.

Figure Parameters Used in the Analysis

Data generated by Scopus, accessed 29 May 2022. Search for “VOSviewer” in Title, Abstract and Keywords, 2010 (software first
Figure 1
published)-2021 (last full year); TI = (“VOSviewer”) OR AB = (“VOSviewer”) OR AK = (“VOSviewer”). Graph created in Excel.
Data generated by Web of Science, accessed 3 March 2021. Search for keywords “smart” and “sustainable”, refined by ‘city’;
Figure 2 (TITLE-ABS-KEY (“smart” AND “sustainable”) AND PUBYEAR > 2014 AND PUBYEAR < 2021) AND (“city”); results limited to
1000 most cited papers published in WoS 2015–2020; VOSviewer display of co-occurrences limited to keyword threshold 10.
Data generated by Scopus, accessed 1 March 2022; all publications in the journal Remote Sensing for full years from inception
Figure 3 2009–2021; TITLE-ABS-KEY (“remote sensing”) AND PUBYEAR > 2008 AND PUBYEAR < 2022 AND (LIMIT-TO
(EXACTSRCTITLE, “Remote Sensing”)); VOSviewer display of co-occurrences limited to keyword threshold 150.
The use of key terms “sustain” OR “sustainable” in the journal Remote Sensing, 2009–2021; (TITLE-ABS-KEY (“remote sensing”)
Figure 4 AND PUBYEAR > 2008 AND PUBYEAR < 2022) AND (“sustain” OR “sustainable”) AND (LIMIT-TO (EXACTSRCTITLE, “Remote
Sensing”)); graph created in Excel.
VOSviewer results of co-occurrences in papers published in Remote Sensing 2009–2018 with key terms “sustain” OR “sustainable
development”; (TITLE-ABS-KEY (“remote sensing”) AND PUBYEAR > 2008 AND PUBYEAR < 2019) AND (“sustain” OR
Figure 5
“sustainable”) AND (LIMIT-TO (EXACTSRCTITLE, “Remote Sensing”)); VOSviewer display of co-occurrences limited to keyword
threshold 10.
VOSviewer results of co-occurrences in papers published in Remote Sensing in 2021 with key terms “sustain” or “sustainable
development”; (TITLE-ABS-KEY (“remote sensing”) AND PUBYEAR > 2008 AND PUBYEAR < 2022) AND (“sustain” OR
Figure 6
“sustainable”) AND (LIMIT-TO (EXACTSRCTITLE, “Remote Sensing”)) AND (LIMIT-TO (PUBYEAR, 2021)); VOSviewer display of
co-occurrences limited to keyword threshold 10.
Figure 7. (a) VOSviewer results of co-occurrences among papers published in Remote Sensing 2009–2021 with key terms “sustain” OR
“sustainable development”; display shows enlarged output solely for ‘sustainable development’; (b) VOSviewer results of
Figure 7
co-occurrences in papers published in Remote Sensing solely in 2021 with key terms “sustain” or “sustainable development”; display
shows enlarged output solely for “sustainable development”; data as in Figures 5 and 6.
Figure 8. (a) VOSviewer results of co-occurrences in papers published in four journals dealing with sustainable development
2009–2021 indexed in Scopus (see text for details): TITLE-ABS-KEY (“sustainable” AND “development”) AND PUBYEAR > 2008
AND PUBYEAR < 2022 AND (LIMIT-TO (SUBJAREA, “ENVI”) OR LIMIT-TO (SUBJAREA, “SOCI”)) AND (LIMIT-TO
(EXACTSRCTITLE, “Sustainable Development”) OR LIMIT-TO (EXACTSRCTITLE, “International Journal Of Sustainable
Figure 8
Development And World Ecology”) OR LIMIT-TO (EXACTSRCTITLE, “Energy For Sustainable Development”) OR LIMIT-TO
(EXACTSRCTITLE, “International Journal Of Sustainable Development”)); display detail shows enlarged output for term ‘remote
sensing”; (b) VOSviewer results of co-occurrences in papers published in same four journals containing the key term ‘remote sensing’
for 2009–2021.: display shows enlarged output for ‘sustainable development goals’ and ‘remote sensing’.
Data generated by Scopus accessed 23 March 2022; search TITLE-ABS-KEY (remote AND sensing) AND PUBYEAR > 2008 AND
Figure 9 PUBYEAR < 2022 AND (LIMIT-TO (EXACTSRCTITLE, “Sustainability Switzerland”)); VOSviewer results of co-occurrences in
papers published in journal Sustainability 2009–2021 with key terms “remote AND sensing”; display limited to keyword threshold 10.
Publications 2023, 11, 10 14 of 14

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