Networks and innovation: enhancing the knowledge through a bibliometric network analysis

The relationship between networks and innovation has become a prominent research area due to the high popularity of network theories and methods to determine the drivers of innovation. However, little consensus on the understanding of networks and sources of innovation has been achieved. To evaluate the current state of the research, we perform a bibliometric analysis of the scientific production of networks and innovation published in journals listed in Scopus. First, we show the characteristics of scientific production: the main disciplines working in the field, the evolution over time, the contributing countries, the international collaborations, and the most cited and referenced publications. Second, through keyword co-occurrence, co-citation, and bibliographic coupling analyses, we pinpoint whether this apparently heterogeneous research area is based on a common or different schools of thought. This is the first comprehensive study offering a general overview of the leading trends in the scientific production of networks and innovation.