Current Perspectives on Responsible Digitalization: A Bibliometric Review of the Concept

Triana Arias Abelaira, Carlos Diaz Caro (), Ángel Sabino Mirón Sanguino and Lázaro Rodriguez Ariza
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Triana Arias Abelaira: Department of Finance and Accounting, Faculty of Business, Finance and Tourism, University of Extremadura, Avda. de la Universidad, 10071 Cáceres, Spain
Carlos Diaz Caro: Department of Finance and Accounting, Faculty of Business, Finance and Tourism, University of Extremadura, Avda. de la Universidad, 10071 Cáceres, Spain
Ángel Sabino Mirón Sanguino: Department of Finance and Accounting, Faculty of Business, Finance and Tourism, University of Extremadura, Avda. de la Universidad, 10071 Cáceres, Spain
Lázaro Rodriguez Ariza: Department of Finance and Accounting, Faculty of Economic and Business Sciences, University of Granada, P.º de Cartuja, 7, Beiro, 18011 Granada, Spain

Sustainability, 2025, vol. 17, issue 5, 1-17

Abstract: Digitalization, digitalization, or digital transformation is a phenomenon without which it would be difficult to understand the reality of our time. Although it is often associated with the incorporation of technology into business, the economy, or our own lives, it goes further by involving a transformation process that can significantly improve sustainable corporate development. The work, from the perspective of bibliometric analysis, maps the state of the art in the area of study of digitization, digitization, digital transformation, and sustainability from 72 articles obtained from the Web of Science database, dating from the beginning of time to the year 2024, without limiting our search to a particular type of document or discriminating by year of publication. The software used to carry out this bibliometric analysis was SciMAT. The results allow us to establish digitalization as an area of research that is in full development and a link between different areas of research, with the areas of “Environmental Sciences” and "Green Sustainable Science Technology" being the most often addressed by academics. In addition, this study identifies digitalization and the blockchain as driving themes, leaving other topics such as challenges, artificial intelligence, information technology, or digital transformation with less importance. This allows researchers to expand existing knowledge in the field, position themselves in areas of high relevance and potential impact, and be a starting point for future research.

Keywords: digitization; digitization; digital transformation; sustainability; bibliometrics (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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