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Mapping the field: a bibliometric analysis of land use and carbon emissions (LUCE) research from 1987 to 2018

Chunhui Liu (College of Humanities and Social Development, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China) (Institute of Regional Agricultural Research, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China)
Kongqing Li (College of Humanities and Social Development, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China) (Institute of Regional Agricultural Research, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China)

Library Hi Tech

ISSN: 0737-8831

Article publication date: 5 June 2020

Issue publication date: 21 June 2021

447

Abstract

Purpose

One of the most critical and active research areas in the field of climate change in recent years has been the interaction between land use and carbon emissions (LUCE). As there is a lack of data to represent the knowledge structure and evolution of LUCE between 1987 and 2018, this paper turned to CiteSpace in order to identify and visualize the cited references and keyword networks, the distribution of categories and countries and highly cited references in connection to LUCE research. Two indicators, betweenness centrality (BC) and citation burst (CB) embedded in CiteSpace, were utilized to investigate the knowledge structures.

Design/methodology/approach

Two indicators, BC and CB embedded in CiteSpace, were introduced to investigate the knowledge structures.

Findings

Firstly, pre-2000 papers provide the main theoretical foundation for LUCE research, and the innovation of computer technology also provides new ideas and methods for related research. Secondly, greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture are attracting more attention. As agriculture also involves food security, the pressure on agriculture to reduce carbon is enormous, and more research and policy investment will be needed in the future. Thirdly, although the natural sciences ranked highly on BC detection, social and humanities sciences have contributed more to the LUCE research with an increasing emphasis on regional and global governance to combat climate change. Finally, keen interest in carbon emissions and sustainable development in developed countries, particularly in Europe, has led to a large number of LUCE studies. Research being done in developing countries that are most affected by climate change is also outstanding.

Originality/value

The results collected will assist scientific researchers to better understand the research status and frontier trends in this sector, thus permitting researchers to comprehend current research interests in the LUCE analysis field and providing useful information for further investigation and publication strategies.

Keywords

Acknowledgements

This research was supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 71704081 and No. 41901196), China Postdoctoral Science Special Foundation (No. 2019T120439), China Postdoctoral Science Foundation (No. 2017M621767), Jiangsu Postdoctoral Foundation (No. 2018K061B), the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (No. KJQN201850 and No. KJQN202067).

Citation

Liu, C. and Li, K. (2021), "Mapping the field: a bibliometric analysis of land use and carbon emissions (LUCE) research from 1987 to 2018", Library Hi Tech, Vol. 39 No. 2, pp. 396-411. https://doi.org/10.1108/LHT-12-2019-0252

Publisher

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Emerald Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2020, Emerald Publishing Limited

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