Analysis of Evolutionary Trends in Global Entrepreneurship Research using Scientometric Techniques

In the present study, two new bibliometric techniques named RPYS and RPYS-CO have been used to identify evolutionary and historical trends of research in entrepreneurship. Furthermore, the influential works and scientists in the evolution of this field have been analyzed from the perspective of bibliographic data. This research is applied in terms of goal, and is descriptive in terms of data gathering. The statistical population of this paper includes 13723 articles published in the field of entrepreneurship. Data were gathered from Web of Science. After retrieving and extracting all references in the articles, they were analyzed using CRExplorer software. Results showed that in the period from 1700 to 2016, there are 18 historical peaks in the field of entrepreneurship. Based on the findings, the most influential works in the periods under review are “An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations” by Adam Smith (1776), Marshall's “Principles of Economics” (1890), and “The Theory of Economic Development” by Schumpeter in 1934. The results showed that the process of information exchange in the course of evolution in the field of Entrepreneurship is mainly done through the book channel.