Bibliometric analysis of research design characteristics in engineering management research

While some research suggests that engineering management has been developing both as an area of academic research and as a profession, there are few empirical investigations presented in the literature to support this assertion. To evaluate the development of this area, the published literature was analyzed using bibliometric analyses. The Engineering Management Journal was chosen as a representative journal for this research area and the last ten years of publications, consisting of 227 papers, were included in the study to gain a clear understanding of how the field has developed in recent years. This paper presents the results of the portion of the analysis that is focused on the research design characteristics including the methodologies and approaches used in the studies. The analysis provides insight into how the field has developed as well as opportunities for further advancement of engineering management research.