Scrutinizing challenges to adopting digital technologies in the mining industry: A systematic review through PRISMA and bibliometric analysis

Javad Pakdel and Ismail Erol

Resources Policy, 2025, vol. 109, issue C

Abstract: While the existing literature acknowledges the transformative potential of digitalization in the Mining Industry (MI), it remains highly fragmented and lacks a unified analytical synthesis. This systematic review aims to consolidate and evaluate existing knowledge by identifying the key challenges to digital transformation within the MI. Following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines, studies were systematically retrieved from Web of Science and Scopus, using a search strategy refined through exclusion of irrelevant domains and restricted to peer-reviewed English-language articles published between 2011 and 2024. A total of 41 studies met the eligibility criteria, based on inclusion of substantive discussion on digital implementation in the MI. Risk of bias was not formally assessed due to the scoping nature and methodological heterogeneity of the studies reviewed. In addition, bibliometric analysis was employed to examine publication trends, co-authorship patterns, and thematic keyword clusters. The findings reveal sixteen core challenges—ranging from high initial investment costs, legacy system constraints, and workforce resistance to regulatory ambiguities and infrastructural limitations in remote sites. Emerging technological concerns, particularly in cybersecurity and interoperability, also appear to impede large-scale digital commitment. Bibliometric insights further demonstrate the prevalence of automation- and sustainability-focused research, with recent scholarly momentum observed around blockchain-enabled traceability and AI-integrated monitoring. Although this synthesis provides insights, the evidence base is limited by uneven regional representation, conceptual dispersion, and the lack of comparative frameworks. No funding was received for this study, and it was not registered in a formal systematic review registry.

Keywords: The mining industry; Digital technologies; Challenges; Systematic review; PRISMA; Bibliometric review (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:jrpoli:v:109:y:2025:i:c:s0301420725002557

DOI: 10.1016/j.resourpol.2025.105713

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