Chinese international process safety research: Collaborations, research trends, and intellectual basis. (January 2022)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Li, Jie; Goerlandt, Floris; Reniers, Genserik; Feng, Changgen; Liu, Yi
• Is Part Of: Journal of loss prevention in the process industries. Volume 74(2021)
• Publication Date: 2022-01
• Subjects: Scientometrics -- Chinese process safety research -- Bibliometrics -- Bibliometric mapping -- Process safety -- Scientific collaboration; Chemical industries -- Safety measures -- Periodicals; 660.2804
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jlp.2021.104657
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0950-4230

Abstract

Abstract: This article presents a bibliometric analysis and mapping of the Chinese process safety research, focusing on the contributions made in core process safety journals and on the influences of international collaborations and knowledge sources on the developments of this research domain. Collaboration networks, term co-occurrence networks, and co-citation network were analyzed to identify trends, patterns, and the knowledge distribution of the Chinese research on process safety. Work to data has been clustered mainly on safety of chemical processes, fire and explosion, and risk management and accidents. Chinese research contributions are concentrated in only few journals, while the corresponding intellectual base draws on the wider literature focused on understanding and modeling phenomena, and on the broader risk research literature, although to a lesser extent. While various foreign authors are highly cited by Chinese authors, only very few direct collaborations with international scholars are identified. The results are used as a basis for a discussion on future research directions and developments for the community. Increased focus on uncertainty treatment and handling of black swan events, risk evaluation and economic aspects of safety decisions, interorganizational risk management, road and maritime transport of hazardous substances, risk perception and communication, and integrated safety and security assessment, are highlighted as fruitful directions for future scholarship. It is hoped that the insights obtained from this work can facilitate new and consolidated collaborations, as well as further invigorate the Chinese process safety domain, ultimately contributing to improved safety performance of process industries in China and elsewhere. Highlights: Bibliometric analysis of Chinese international process safety research is presented. Collaboration networks, focus research areas and trends in topics addressed, and the domain's important knowledge sources are identified. Focus is on how international collaboration influences Chinese process safety research. Several directions for future research are discussed.