Mapping Conflict Research: A Bibliometric Study of Contemporary Scientific Discourses

This paper employs bibliometric methods to map the structure of conflict research. Citation information is restructured by means of cluster and network analyses for the purpose of identifying the different discourses and fields contributing to conflict research. The data are derived from more than 1,300 articles published in 40 high-quality journals between 2000 and 2006. Four main discourses are identified within the field, and it is concluded that Democratic Peace Theory constitutes a powerful discursive core of contemporary conflict research, affecting most other discourses as well. It is suggested that instead of systemic foci, contemporary conflict research is dominated by the investigation of dyadic forms of interaction and that, somewhat surprisingly, the substantive focus of the most frequently cited research has remained on interstate war. The study intends to help researchers to be sensitive to gaps and focal points in contemporary research, and promote further discussion about the current state of the field. Applied approach provides academics, students, and practitioners with a usable and transparent procedure for structuring discourses and communicating about them further.