IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/trapol/v102y2021icp11-24.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Research topics and trends in the maritime transport: A structural topic model

Author

Listed:
  • Bai, Xiwen
  • Zhang, Xiunian
  • Li, Kevin X.
  • Zhou, Yaoming
  • Yuen, Kum Fai

Abstract

Maritime transport is considered as the lynchpin of global trade. In the past decades, a large number of academic articles in the maritime transport field have been published. This study aims to provide a comprehensive review of the development of maritime transport research. A structural topic model (STM) is adopted to analyze the research themes and trends in the maritime literature. STM is a text mining-based methodology to uncover main topics from large-scale unstructured textual data. In total, 3199 articles published between Jan 1991 and Aug 2020 were collected and analyzed. The results show that the major academic concerns of maritime transport are related to port management, container operations and liner shipping management. The overall research trends have shifted from regulations and policy management to efficient, integrated and sustainable maritime transport over the past few decades. The main research topics and emerging trends discovered from STM can facilitate researchers, funding groups and policymakers for identifying contemporary research issues and making more informed decisions.

Suggested Citation

  • Bai, Xiwen & Zhang, Xiunian & Li, Kevin X. & Zhou, Yaoming & Yuen, Kum Fai, 2021. "Research topics and trends in the maritime transport: A structural topic model," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 102(C), pages 11-24.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:trapol:v:102:y:2021:i:c:p:11-24
    DOI: 10.1016/j.tranpol.2020.12.013
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0967070X20309501
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.tranpol.2020.12.013?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Tibor Mandják & Alexandre Lavissière & Julian Hofmann & Yann Bouchery & Mary-Catherine Lavissière & Olivier Faury & Romain Sohier, 2019. "Port marketing from a multidisciplinary perspective: A systematic literature review and lexicometric analysis," Post-Print hal-02062145, HAL.
    2. Alexandridis, George & Kavussanos, Manolis G. & Kim, Chi Y. & Tsouknidis, Dimitris A. & Visvikis, Ilias D., 2018. "A survey of shipping finance research: Setting the future research agenda," Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review, Elsevier, vol. 115(C), pages 164-212.
    3. Mandják, Tibor & Lavissière, Alexandre & Hofmann, Julian & Bouchery, Yann & Lavissière, Mary Catherine & Faury, Olivier & Sohier, Romain, 2019. "Port marketing from a multidisciplinary perspective: A systematic literature review and lexicometric analysis," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 84(C), pages 50-72.
    4. Margaret E. Roberts & Brandon M. Stewart & Edoardo M. Airoldi, 2016. "A Model of Text for Experimentation in the Social Sciences," Journal of the American Statistical Association, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 111(515), pages 988-1003, July.
    5. Margaret Roberts & Brandon Stewart & Tingley, Dustin, 2014. "stm: R Package for Structural Topic Models," Working Paper 176291, Harvard University OpenScholar.
    6. Mark William Neff & Elizabeth A. Corley, 2009. "35 years and 160,000 articles: A bibliometric exploration of the evolution of ecology," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 80(3), pages 657-682, September.
    7. Woo, Su-Han & Pettit, Stephen J. & Kwak, Dong-Wook & Beresford, Anthony K.C., 2011. "Seaport research: A structured literature review on methodological issues since the 1980s," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 45(7), pages 667-685, August.
    8. Jiang, Hanchen & Qiang, Maoshan & Lin, Peng, 2016. "A topic modeling based bibliometric exploration of hydropower research," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 57(C), pages 226-237.
    9. Wenming Shi & Kevin X. Li, 2017. "Themes and tools of maritime transport research during 2000-2014," Maritime Policy & Management, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 44(2), pages 151-169, February.
    10. Cullinane, Kevin & Wang, Teng-Fei & Song, Dong-Wook & Ji, Ping, 2006. "The technical efficiency of container ports: Comparing data envelopment analysis and stochastic frontier analysis," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 40(4), pages 354-374, May.
    11. Liu, Miaojia & Kronbak, Jacob, 2010. "The potential economic viability of using the Northern Sea Route (NSR) as an alternative route between Asia and Europe," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 18(3), pages 434-444.
    12. Jun-Woo Jeon & Okan Duru & Gi-Tae Yeo, 2020. "Modelling cyclic container freight index using system dynamics," Maritime Policy & Management, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 47(3), pages 287-303, April.
    13. Margaret Roberts & Brandon Stewart & Tingley, Dustin & Edoardo Airoldi, 2013. "The structural topic model and applied social science," Working Paper 132666, Harvard University OpenScholar.
    14. Grajzl, Peter & Murrell, Peter, 2019. "Toward understanding 17th century English culture: A structural topic model of Francis Bacon's ideas," Journal of Comparative Economics, Elsevier, vol. 47(1), pages 111-135.
    15. Wayne K. Talley, 2013. "Maritime transportation research: topics and methodologies," Maritime Policy & Management, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 40(7), pages 709-725, December.
    16. Luan Thanh Le & Gunwoo Lee & Hwayoung Kim & Su-Han Woo, 2020. "Voyage-based statistical fuel consumption models of ocean-going container ships in Korea," Maritime Policy & Management, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 47(3), pages 304-331, April.
    17. Su-Han Woo & Stephen Pettit & Anthony Beresford & Dong-Wook Kwak, 2012. "Seaport Research: A Decadal Analysis of Trends and Themes Since the 1980s," Transport Reviews, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 32(3), pages 351-377, January.
    18. Theo E. Notteboom & Athanasios A. Pallis & Peter W. De Langen & Aimilia Papachristou, 2013. "Advances in port studies: the contribution of 40 years Maritime Policy & Management," Maritime Policy & Management, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 40(7), pages 636-653, December.
    19. Su-Han Woo & Dong-Joon Kang & Sally Martin, 2013. "Seaport Research: An Analysis of Research Collaboration using Social Network Analysis," Transport Reviews, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 33(4), pages 460-475, July.
    20. Sung-Ho Shin & Oh Kyoung Kwon & Xiao Ruan & Prem Chhetri & Paul Tae-Woo Lee & Shahrooz Shahparvari, 2018. "Analyzing Sustainability Literature in Maritime Studies with Text Mining," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(10), pages 1-19, September.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Li, Xue & Zhou, Yusheng & Yuen, Kum Fai, 2022. "A systematic review on seafarer health: Conditions, antecedents and interventions," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 122(C), pages 11-25.
    2. Tamakloe, Reuben & Park, Dongjoo, 2023. "Discovering latent topics and trends in autonomous vehicle-related research: A structural topic modelling approach," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 139(C), pages 1-20.
    3. Rose, Rodrigo L. & Puranik, Tejas G. & Mavris, Dimitri N. & Rao, Arjun H., 2022. "Application of structural topic modeling to aviation safety data," Reliability Engineering and System Safety, Elsevier, vol. 224(C).
    4. Li Tang & Jennifer Kuzma & Xi Zhang & Xinyu Song & Yin Li & Hongxu Liu & Guangyuan Hu, 2023. "Synthetic biology and governance research in China: a 40-year evolution," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 128(9), pages 5293-5310, September.
    5. Odiegwu, Chinwendu Laurentia & Enyioko, Newman Chintuwa (PhD), 2022. "Influence of Sustainable Shipping on Organizational Effectiveness of Shipping Companies in Port Harcourt, Nigeria," International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science, International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS), vol. 6(8), pages 74-92, August.
    6. Goodell, John W. & Kumar, Satish & Li, Xiao & Pattnaik, Debidutta & Sharma, Anuj, 2022. "Foundations and research clusters in investor attention: Evidence from bibliometric and topic modelling analysis," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 82(C), pages 511-529.
    7. Bi, Hui & Li, Aoyong & Zhu, He & Ye, Zhirui, 2023. "Bicycle safety outside the crosswalks: Investigating cyclists' risky street-crossing behavior and its relationship with built environment," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 108(C).
    8. Alexandra Fratila (Adam) & Ioana Andrada Gavril (Moldovan) & Sorin Cristian Nita & Andrei Hrebenciuc, 2021. "The Importance of Maritime Transport for Economic Growth in the European Union: A Panel Data Analysis," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(14), pages 1-23, July.
    9. Qichen Wang & Zhengmeng Hou & Yilin Guo & Liangchao Huang & Yanli Fang & Wei Sun & Yuhan Ge, 2023. "Enhancing Energy Transition through Sector Coupling: A Review of Technologies and Models," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(13), pages 1-31, July.
    10. Muhammet Enis Bulak, 2024. "A Frontier Approach to Eco-Efficiency Assessment in the World’s Busiest Sea Ports," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(3), pages 1-22, January.
    11. Baker, H. Kent & Kumar, Satish & Goyal, Kirti & Sharma, Anuj, 2021. "International review of financial analysis: A retrospective evaluation between 1992 and 2020," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 78(C).

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Ducruet, César & Panahi, Roozbeh & Ng, Adolf K.Y. & Jiang, Changmin & Afenyo, Mawuli, 2019. "Between geography and transport: A scientometric analysis of port studies in Journal of Transport Geography," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 81(C).
    2. Wenming Shi & Kevin X. Li, 2017. "Themes and tools of maritime transport research during 2000-2014," Maritime Policy & Management, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 44(2), pages 151-169, February.
    3. Shi, Xin & Jiang, Haizhou & Li, Huan & Xu, Dong, 2020. "Maritime cluster research: Evolutionary classification and future development," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 133(C), pages 237-254.
    4. Mohamed M. Mostafa, 2023. "A one-hundred-year structural topic modeling analysis of the knowledge structure of international management research," Quality & Quantity: International Journal of Methodology, Springer, vol. 57(4), pages 3905-3935, August.
    5. Güner, Samet, 2015. "Investigating infrastructure, superstructure, operating and financial efficiency in the management of Turkish seaports using data envelopment analysis," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 40(C), pages 36-48.
    6. Marco Ferretti & Ugo Fiore & Francesca Perla & Marcello Risitano & Salvatore Scognamiglio, 2022. "Deep Learning Forecasting for Supporting Terminal Operators in Port Business Development," Future Internet, MDPI, vol. 14(8), pages 1-19, July.
    7. Xieling Chen & Juan Chen & Gary Cheng & Tao Gong, 2020. "Topics and trends in artificial intelligence assisted human brain research," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 15(4), pages 1-27, April.
    8. Yui-yip Lau & César Ducruet & Adolf K. Y. Ng & Xiaowen Fu, 2017. "Across the waves: a bibliometric analysis of container shipping research since the 1960s," Maritime Policy & Management, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 44(6), pages 667-684, August.
    9. Lavissière, Alexandre & Sohier, Romain & Lavissière, Mary C., 2020. "Transportation systems in the Arctic: A systematic literature review using textometry," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 141(C), pages 130-146.
    10. Mariana Reis Maria & Rosangela Ballini & Roney Fraga Souza, 2023. "Evolution of Green Finance: A Bibliometric Analysis through Complex Networks and Machine Learning," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(2), pages 1-23, January.
    11. Alexandridis, George & Kavussanos, Manolis G. & Kim, Chi Y. & Tsouknidis, Dimitris A. & Visvikis, Ilias D., 2018. "A survey of shipping finance research: Setting the future research agenda," Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review, Elsevier, vol. 115(C), pages 164-212.
    12. Nuccio Ludovico & Marc Esteve Del Valle & Franco Ruzzenenti, 2020. "Mapping the Dutch Energy Transition Hyperlink Network," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(18), pages 1-24, September.
    13. Nuccio Ludovico & Federica Dessi & Marino Bonaiuto, 2020. "Stakeholders Mapping for Sustainable Biofuels: An Innovative Procedure Based on Computational Text Analysis and Social Network Analysis," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(24), pages 1-22, December.
    14. S. Veldman & L. Garcia-Alonso & M. Liu, 2016. "Testing port choice models using physical and monetary data: a comparative case study for the Spanish container trades," Maritime Policy & Management, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 43(4), pages 495-508, May.
    15. Jiang, Hanchen & Qiang, Maoshan & Fan, Qixiang & Zhang, Mengqing, 2018. "Scientific research driven by large-scale infrastructure projects: A case study of the Three Gorges Project in China," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 134(C), pages 61-71.
    16. Li Tang & Jennifer Kuzma & Xi Zhang & Xinyu Song & Yin Li & Hongxu Liu & Guangyuan Hu, 2023. "Synthetic biology and governance research in China: a 40-year evolution," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 128(9), pages 5293-5310, September.
    17. de Oliveira, Renan Peres & Lohmann, Gui & Oliveira, Alessandro V.M., 2022. "A systematic review of the literature on air transport networks (1973-2021)," Journal of Air Transport Management, Elsevier, vol. 103(C).
    18. Andreas Rehs, 2020. "A structural topic model approach to scientific reorientation of economics and chemistry after German reunification," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 125(2), pages 1229-1251, November.
    19. Branislav Dragović & Ernestos Tzannatos & Nam Kuy Park, 2017. "Simulation modelling in ports and container terminals: literature overview and analysis by research field, application area and tool," Flexible Services and Manufacturing Journal, Springer, vol. 29(1), pages 4-34, March.
    20. Sun, Qinghe & Chen, Li & Meng, Qiang, 2022. "Evaluating port efficiency dynamics: A risk-based approach," Transportation Research Part B: Methodological, Elsevier, vol. 166(C), pages 333-347.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:trapol:v:102:y:2021:i:c:p:11-24. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/journaldescription.cws_home/30473/description#description .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.