A scientometric analysis of public transport research

Abstract

Public transport research involves a lot of disciplinary and interdisciplinary research applying methods, techniques, and technologies to investigate, regulate, and advance public transport. The importance of research in this area has led to a huge amount of publications in recent years. In this study, we conducted a comprehensive scientometric analysis of related literature published in 2009–2013 to empirically explore the consistence, focus areas, and key contributors of public transport research from a meta-perspective, providing novel insights into publication patterns, major topics, research impact, and productivity by focusing on short-term developments. As such, the results of this study provide a novel perspective on public transport research and may help achieving an overview on important characteristics.