Thirty years of entrepreneurship research published in top journals: analysis of citations, co-citations and themes

Ferreira, Manuel Portugal; Reis, Nuno; Miranda, Rui

http://hdl.handle.net/10400.8/3507

Use this identifier to reference this record.

Name:	Description:	Size:	Format:
Ferreira_Reis_Miranda_2015_JGER.pdf		1.69 MB	Adobe PDF	Download

Send Feedback

Authors

Ferreira, Manuel Portugal

Reis, Nuno

Miranda, Rui

Abstract(s)

Entrepreneurship research has increased markedly over the past three decades. In this paper we conduct a large scale survey of the literature beyond a subjective perspective on what entrepreneurship research has comprised. We investigate what have been the intellectual structure and the knowledge base underlying published entrepreneurship research. Moreover, we also conduct a longitudinal analysis of the main research themes that have caught scholars’ efforts. Using bibliometric techniques on a sample of 1,777 articles published in 17 top ranked journals, between 1981 and 2010, we conduct analyses of citations, co-citations and co-occurrences to examine the most central works, themes and how they intertwine. Results provide evidence of the increasing interest in entrepreneurship as a field of study, but also of its interdisciplinary nature, with infusions of concepts and theories from a wide array of management disciplines. This paper provides a brief but extensive rear view of the field useful for both doctoral students and newcomers to the discipline develop their own research agendas.