A comprehensive scientometric study of research trends in cybersecurity from 2000 to 2024 using Biblioshiny and VOSviewer

Abstract

This paper analyzes global research trends in cybersecurity from 2000 to 2024 using scientometric laws. In today’s digital era, cybersecurity extends beyond national boundaries, impacting global networks and systems. This scientometric study provides valuable insights for researchers, policymakers, the financial sector, and social media platforms to understand current research trends in cybersecurity and to formulate effective policies in the interest of their nations. The information from Scopus database was meticulously extracted using exclusion and inclusion criteria using PRISMA approach. The collected data were subsequently analyzed using advanced, open-source bibliometric tools - VOSviewer, MS Excel and Biblioshiny. Also, the study has tested Bradford’s Law, Lotka’s Law and Zipf’s Law which are foundational theory in scientometric laws. The analysis revealed that year 2021 has the maximum of 24,456 citations whereas year 2023 has maximum no. of 1852 publications. Key areas of research included Cybersecurity, Cyber Attacks, Cyber Risks, Cyber Threats, IT Security, malware, phishing, ransomware, and overall IT protection. China has the maximum research network globally with USA, India, and the UK.