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Across the waves: a bibliometric analysis of container shipping research since the 1960s

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  • Yui-yip Lau
  • César Ducruet
  • Adolf K. Y. Ng
  • Xiaowen Fu

Abstract

The paper investigates collaborative and semantic patterns that emerged between 1967 and 2013 about the theme of container shipping based on a corpus of 294 articles published in scholarly journals within the fields of transportation, supply chain, economics, geography, regional planning and development, and operations research. An analysis based on the co-occurrence of title words allows identifying dominant sub-themes and their evolution. Main results point to the gradual diversification of container shipping research, from the dominance of economics towards a more trans-disciplinary set of approaches which integrate port-related activities and multimodal networks. Yet, disciplinary specialization remains strong up to nowadays so that container shipping research remains rather fragmented. While co-authorships have increased over time, they remain polarized by few, weakly connected research battalions. Our study suggests that research on container shipping would benefit from more frequent contacts between such communities to foster in-depth cross-disciplinary studies and fundamental cooperation.

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  • 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.
    • Handle: RePEc:taf:marpmg:v:44:y:2017:i:6:p:667-684
    DOI: 10.1080/03088839.2017.1311425
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    Cited by:

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    5. Panahi, Roozbeh & Ng, Adolf K.Y. & Pang, Jiayi, 2020. "Climate change adaptation in the port industry: A complex of lingering research gaps and uncertainties," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 95(C), pages 10-29.
    6. Zheng, Shiyuan & Ge, Ying-En & Fu, Xiaowen & (Marco) Nie, Yu & Xie, Chi, 2020. "Demand information sharing in port concession arrangements," Transportation Research Part B: Methodological, Elsevier, vol. 138(C), pages 118-143.
    7. Zhu, Shengda & Fu, Xiaowen & Bell, Michael G.H., 2021. "Container shipping line port choice patterns in East Asia the effects of port affiliation and spatial dependence," Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review, Elsevier, vol. 156(C).
    8. 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).
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    10. Kevin Tierney & Jan Fabian Ehmke & Ann Melissa Campbell & Daniel Müller, 2019. "Liner shipping single service design problem with arrival time service levels," Flexible Services and Manufacturing Journal, Springer, vol. 31(3), pages 620-652, September.
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    12. Liehui Wang & Yuanbo Zheng & César Ducruet & Fan Zhang, 2019. "Investment Strategy of Chinese Terminal Operators along the “21st-Century Maritime Silk Road”," Post-Print halshs-02092097, HAL.
    13. Panahi, Roozbeh & Ng, Adolf K.Y. & Afenyo, Mawuli & Lau, Yui-yip, 2021. "Reflecting on forty years contextual evolution of arctic port research: The past and now," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 144(C), pages 189-203.
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