Diffusion of Bibliometrics in Global Scientific Publishing

Abstract

Bibliometric analysis has evolved from a specialized scientometric technique into a widely used methodological approach across disciplines. The goal of this article was to investigate the diffusion of bibliometric analysis within the broader scientific system. Drawing on diffusion theory — widely applied in the social sciences, as e.g. economics — this study investigates its historical development, as well as empirical spread of bibliometric research between 1980 and 2025. Using publication data from Scopus and Web of Science, the annual share of studies using bibliometric techniques relative to total scientific output is estimated and interpreted as a methodological diffusion process. The results show that such studies in Scopus increased from 30 in 1980 to 15,082 in 2025, while their share rose from 0.005% to 0.422%. Over the same period, total scientific output grew approximately sixfold, whereas the spread of bibliometric methods expanded more than 500-fold. Both databases display closely aligned proportional trajectories. The time series indicates three main transition phases associated with digital databases, large indexing platforms, and software-enabled workflows. Exploratory logistic and Gompertz models suggest further growth but do not yet indicate clear saturation. The findings show that bibliometric analysis has entered a stage of mass methodological diffusion, highlighting its increasing role as a general research instrument and raising questions about methodological proliferation within science.