A Systematic Mapping Review and analysis of cognitive science in Opportunity Identification Literature: 1994-2018

The purpose of this systematic mapping review is to map out and categorize existing literature of the entrepreneurial opportunity recognition, and to identify the research gap in this field. Since the research questions seek to provide an overview of the opportunity identification process (OIP) literature at a higher level of granularity, the Systematic Mapping Review has been selected as the research method. 71 articles published during 1994-2018 in 19 academic journals were selected, analyzed, and classified concerning research focus (two main sections of antecedents and mechanisms), research type (conceptual-qualitative, conceptual-quantitative, empirical-quantitative, and empirical-qualitative), research method and data source. The results show that despite the growing popularity of opportunity literature in recent years, the fragmented nature of OIP publications among all journals is worrying. Also, analysis of articles revealed an increased propensity for antecedents-focus researches, while mechanisms-focus studies predominantly affect the OIP literature. Given the heterogeneous nature of how opportunities are identified, a need to integrate and test multiple theories arise. Moreover, from the methodological view, the young discipline of OIP research has a substantial scientific gap and suffers from a lack of empirical and exploratory studies. This study addresses the recent patterns, developments, and gaps by proposes a research agenda around topics and methods, intending to help entrepreneurs and researchers develop more effective practices.