Systematic and Bibliographic Review of Social Network Analysis Applied in Rural Community Research : Comparison between China and Other Nations

Social network theory and methods have become an important starting point for exploring complex interdisciplinary issues in rural communities. However, it is necessary to systematically sort out the application characteristics and trends of social network analysis methods in rural community research. In this research, A hot trend analysis of the subject’s context and the knowledge evolution of relevant papers at home and abroad. To do so, combined traditional reading and Citespace bibliometric analysis to objectively examine the application status and evolution trends of social network analysis methods in rural community research. The main research findings were: (1) Chinese scholars mainly focused on the "three rural" issues and social support for vulnerable rural groups. Rural revitalization, tourism, and governance, as well as social trust and multi-dimensional poverty, to become hot topics. In the future, the application of social network theory and methods in rural community research can be optimized from the perspectives of content expansion, long-term tracking, and model innovation; (2) International scholars tended to direct their studies toward physical and mental health, as well as socio-economic issues. Although their research involved the analysis of typical cases in many countries, the relative comprehensive, systematic, and long-term research results on rural community development in a specific region have not been specified. In addition, residents’ health issues are expected to continue to receive long-term and sustained attention from academia abroad