Knowledge mapping of platform research: a visual analysis using VOSviewer and CiteSpace

This study offers a systematic review of academic research on platforms in management, business and economics. By using two visualization tools named VOSviewer and CiteSpace, we analyzed 619 articles on platform research with associated 23,093 references from the Web of Science database. We have discerned the most impact publications, authors, journals, institutions and countries in the platform research. In addition, we have explored the structures of the cited references, cited authors and cited journals to further understand the theoretical basis of the platform research. Moreover, by evolution analysis through CiteSpace and co-occurrence analysis through VOSViewer, we explored the evolution process of platform research and predicted the future development trends. The results conjunctively achieved by VOSviewer and CiteSpace will enhance understanding of platform research and enable future developments for both theorists and practitioners.