A Methodology for Systematic Bibliometric Literature Reviews : General Approach and Application to Digital Finance and FinTech Literature

Due to the availability and easy usability of bibliometric computer tools, the number of bibliometric literature reviews has soared – especially in active and dynamic research fields like Digital Finance and FinTech. This leads to the paradox situation of a high number of bibliometric literature reviews with diverging quantitative results – which ultimately results in confusion instead of conformity and clarity. To counter this trend and in order make results comprehensible and reproducible, we propose a methodology for systematic bibliometric literature reviews to trigger a discussion in the academic community of how to conduct bibliometric literature reviews systematically. We apply this methodology to the literature on Digital Finance and FinTech, present our findings, and discuss existing research gaps. Thereby, we contribute both to the analysis of the evolution of Digital Finance and FinTech literature and to the methodological foundation of systematic bibliometric literature reviews