Bibliometrix is a free, open-source R tool for quantitative research in scientometrics and bibliometrics. It supports descriptive analysis, co-citation, co-authorship, keyword co-occurrence, thematic mapping, and historiographic networks. It works with bibliographic files from Web of Science, Scopus, Dimensions, The Lens, PubMed, and the Cochrane Library; companion R packages add API support for Dimensions, NCBI PubMed, and Scopus. Biblioshiny offers a web interface for people without coding or R knowledge, while the underlying package can work with other statistical R packages. Biblioverse packages extend its scope from data collection to text and content analysis, and openalexR brings OpenAlex publication, author, institution, and concept metadata into bibliometrix structures. Installation requires R, with stable releases distributed through CRAN. A daily-updated GitHub beta may contain minor bugs. PubMed exports lack citation and reference-list metadata, preventing citation, bibliographic coupling, and co-citation links. Access to Web of Science and Scopus services requires a subscription.
Who it is for
Bibliometrix suits academics, PhD students, and research institutions conducting bibliometric or scientometric analyses. Biblioshiny may suit users who want a web interface without coding or R knowledge.
What is good
- Supports multiple bibliometric analysis types
- Accepts files from six listed bibliographic sources
- Biblioshiny offers a no-coding web interface
- Can integrate with other statistical R packages
What to know first
- Installation requires R
- Web of Science and Scopus service access requires subscriptions
- PubMed exports cannot support citation links
- GitHub beta may contain minor bugs
Verdict
Bibliometrix offers a wide set of bibliometric analyses, with both an R package and a browser interface. Check source-specific metadata and subscription requirements when planning a project.
Bibliometrix plans and pricing
All plansCompared on literature review software
- Free plan
- Yes
- Discovery tools
- search
- Full-text management
- Yes
- Systematic review tools
- Yes
- Evidence mapping
- Yes
