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The Effect of E-commerce Expansion on Local Retail

E -commerce has dramatically altered retail in the last two decades, with online sales growing from 0.63 percent of total retail sales in 1999 to 13.3 percent in 2021. In Creative Destruction? Impact of E-commerce on the Retail Sector (NBER Working Paper 30077), Sudheer Chava , Alexander Oettl , Manpreet Singh , and Linghang Zeng study how the rise of online selling has affected brick-and-mortar retail establishments and their employees.

The researchers measure the presence of e-commerce in an area using the staggered rollout of a major e-commerce retailer’s fulfillment centers across the United States. This firm had only three such centers in 2000, but more than 90 by the end of 2016. Establishing a center reduces shipment delivery times in surrounding areas, which may encourage local consumers to shift towards e-commerce and away from traditional brick-and-mortar retailers. The researchers study the trends in retail outcomes before and after a fulfillment center is established in proximate counties, and compare them with the trends in a control group of counties near where centers would be built at a later date.

Establishment of an e-commerce fulfillment center reduces retail employment growth in the host county by an average of almost 1,000 jobs per quarter.

The researchers first use a detailed employer-employee payroll dataset covering 2.6 million retail workers to explore how e-commerce growth affects traditional retail workers. The establishment of a fulfillment center is associated with a drop of 2.5 percent on average in the income of hourly retail workers in the same county, or about $825 annually. The income drop is similar for retail workers in counties within 100 miles of the center, but is negligible beyond that distance. Hourly workers’ income losses arise primarily from a reduction in hours worked.

A new fulfillment center is not associated with lower income among salaried retail workers, and the impacts of e-commerce on hourly workers’ income vary substantially with worker characteristics. Income falls the most among the youngest and oldest workers, with income falling by 3.6 percent among workers over age 64. Workers with longer tenure at retail firms see smaller losses in income, and income losses are larger among part-time workers. Income losses are largest among workers in general-merchandise and home-improvement stores, two retail subsectors where customers may place less value on their in-store experience.

The researchers next use National Establishment Time Series data to examine the impact of e-commerce fulfillment centers on traditional retail stores. Sales in the average brick-and-mortar retail store fall by about 4 percent after a local fulfillment center opens. Stores react to these drops by reducing hours per worker and by cutting employee headcount by 2.1 percent on average, or about 36 workers per 100 stores. The opening of a fulfillment center coincides with a 3 percentage point increase in the annual likelihood that brick-and-mortar stores close. The largest impacts are found among smaller and newer stores. Likewise, new stores’ rate of entry falls by 8.1 percentage points within 100 miles of a new center.

Finally, the researchers use data from the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages to examine how e-commerce expansion affects retail employment and wage growth at the county level. Establishment of a fulfillment center is associated with reduced employment growth in retail of 2.9 percent within the same county, a loss of about 938 jobs per county per quarter, with smaller losses within a 100-mile radius. These retail losses are partially offset by increased local employment in transportation and warehousing, which gain about 256 jobs, and in restaurants, which gain about 143 jobs. Opening a new fulfillment center also coincides with increased wage growth in warehousing.

— Lucy E. Page

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New trends in e-commerce research: linking social commerce and sharing commerce: a systematic literature review.

1. Introduction

• What are the different issues/difficulties related to S-Commerce and sharing commerce?
• What are the various benefits of S-Commerce and sharing commerce?

2. Background

2.1. e-commerce, 2.2. s-commerce, 2.3. sharing commerce, 2.4. historical development/evolution of e-commerce, s-commerce, and sharing commerce, 3. methodology, 3.1. review protocol, 3.2. inclusion and exclusion criteria, 3.3. search strategy and study selection process, 3.4. quality assessment, 3.5. data extraction and synthesis, 3.5.1. publication sources overview, 3.5.2. temporal view of publication, 3.5.3. research methodologies, 3.5.4. theoretical foundations: classification of theories are based on the primary goals of each theory, 4. research questions (rqs) results, 4.1. what are the definitions of s-commerce and sharing commerce, 4.2. what are the various themes revealed by the systematic review, 4.3. what are the various factors to be understood in linking s-commerce and sharing commerce, 4.3.1. what are the challenges/issues associated with s-commerce and sharing commerce, 4.3.2. what are the various benefits/advantages of s-commerce and sharing commerce, 5. research propositions, 5.1. conceptual and theoretical development, 5.1.1. defining the key concepts and terms, 5.1.2. understanding, theorising, and measuring various integrating and influencing factors in online commerce and measuring impact, 5.2. design and interaction, 5.2.1. the role of socio-cultural factors in facilitating decision making, 5.2.2. the role of design and technological factors in facilitating decision making, 5.2.3. the role of behavioural factors in facilitating decision-making, 5.2.4. the role of various factors in linking s-commerce and sharing commerce, 5.3. implementation, 5.3.1. understanding critical success factors, 5.3.2. culture and adoption, 5.3.3. ethical and legal issues, 6. ideas for future research, 7. conclusions, supplementary materials, author contributions, acknowledgments, conflicts of interest.

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Attar, R.W.; Almusharraf, A.; Alfawaz, A.; Hajli, N. New Trends in E-Commerce Research: Linking Social Commerce and Sharing Commerce: A Systematic Literature Review. Sustainability 2022 , 14 , 16024. https://doi.org/10.3390/su142316024

Attar RW, Almusharraf A, Alfawaz A, Hajli N. New Trends in E-Commerce Research: Linking Social Commerce and Sharing Commerce: A Systematic Literature Review. Sustainability . 2022; 14(23):16024. https://doi.org/10.3390/su142316024

Attar, Razaz Waheeb, Ahlam Almusharraf, Areej Alfawaz, and Nick Hajli. 2022. "New Trends in E-Commerce Research: Linking Social Commerce and Sharing Commerce: A Systematic Literature Review" Sustainability 14, no. 23: 16024. https://doi.org/10.3390/su142316024

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100 Research Topics In Commerce Field

Commerce, as a field, encompasses a vast spectrum of disciplines that drive the global economy. Researchers in commerce delve into topics ranging from financial management and marketing to emerging trends like e-commerce and sustainable business practices. The significance of 100 research topics in commerce field cannot be overstated, as it contributes to the evolution of business practices, informs policy decisions, and shapes the future of industries.

Emerging Trends in Commerce Research

Table of Contents

• Online Retail Trends: Research could explore the latest trends in online retail, the impact of mobile shopping, and strategies for enhancing the online shopping experience.
• E-payment Systems: Investigating the security and efficiency of electronic payment systems, the adoption of cryptocurrencies, and the future of cashless transactions could be compelling research topics.
• Cybersecurity in E-commerce: Topics may include the vulnerabilities of e-commerce platforms, the role of blockchain in securing online transactions, and strategies for protecting consumer data.

Sustainable Business Practices

• Corporate Social Responsibility: Research could focus on the impact of CSR on brand reputation, the effectiveness of CSR initiatives, and the role of businesses in addressing social and environmental issues.
• Environmental Accounting: Investigating the integration of environmental considerations in financial reporting, the impact of green accounting practices, and strategies for sustainable resource management could be fascinating research areas.
• Green Supply Chain Management: Topics may include the development of sustainable supply chain practices, the role of technology in reducing environmental impact, and the challenges of implementing green supply chain initiatives.

Big Data and Analytics in Commerce

• Business Intelligence: Research could explore the role of business intelligence in decision-making, the integration of data analytics in business strategy, and the ethical considerations in data-driven decision-making.
• Predictive Analytics: Investigating the predictive power of analytics in forecasting market trends, consumer behavior, and financial performance could be compelling research topics.
• Data-driven Decision Making: Topics may include the impact of data-driven decision-making on organizational performance, the role of data literacy in business, and challenges in implementing a data-driven culture.
• The Impact of Cryptocurrency Adoption on Financial Markets
• Financial Inclusion Strategies for Unbanked Populations
• Corporate Governance and Firm Performance: A Global Perspective
• The Role of Artificial Intelligence in Personalized Marketing
• Cybersecurity Threats in E-commerce: Challenges and Solutions
• Green Accounting Practices and Environmental Performance
• Exploring the Potential of Blockchain Technology in Trade Finance
• Behavioral Finance: Understanding Investor Decision-Making
• The Effectiveness of Corporate Social Responsibility Initiatives
• Digital Transformation Strategies for Small and Medium Enterprises
• Implications of Brexit on International Business and Trade
• The Future of Retail: Augmented Reality in Shopping Experiences
• Challenges and Opportunities in Healthcare Management
• Impact of E-payment Systems on Traditional Banking Services
• Sustainability Reporting: A Comparative Analysis of Practices
• Globalization and Cultural Diversity in Cross-Border Mergers
• The Role of Big Data Analytics in Business Intelligence
• Corporate Fraud Detection: Advances in Forensic Accounting
• Cross-Cultural Management in Multinational Corporations
• The Rise of Sustainable Tourism: Case Studies in Eco-friendly Destinations
• Digital Marketing Strategies for Emerging Markets
• Health Information Exchange and Patient Data Security
• Mobile Banking Adoption: Factors Affecting Customer Behavior
• Impact of COVID-19 on Global Supply Chains
• Corporate Branding and Consumer Loyalty in the Digital Age
• Adoption and Impact of Fintech in Developing Economies
• Strategies for Managing Cross-Border Taxation Challenges
• Sustainable Business Models in Renewable Energy Industries
• Role of E-commerce in Rural Economic Development
• Corporate Risk Management in an Uncertain Business Environment
• Exploring the Link Between Employee Satisfaction and Customer Loyalty
• The Impact of Trade Wars on Global Business Operations
• Strategies for Effective Crisis Communication in Public Relations
• Integrating Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) Factors in Investment Decisions
• The Psychology of Pricing: Understanding Consumer Perceptions
• International Trade Agreements and Their Impact on Business Practices
• Innovative Financing Models for Social Entrepreneurship
• Exploring the Role of Gamification in Marketing Strategies
• Financial Literacy Programs and Their Influence on Investment Decisions
• The Future of Work: Remote Collaboration and Digital Nomadism
• Sustainable Packaging Solutions in the Fast-Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) Sector
• Influence of Cultural Intelligence on International Business Negotiations
• Social Media Influencer Marketing: Trends and Effectiveness
• Corporate Social Responsibility Reporting and Stakeholder Perceptions
• Challenges in Implementing Cloud Computing in Financial Institutions
• The Role of E-commerce Platforms in Rural Entrepreneurship
• Strategies for Managing Supply Chain Disruptions in a Globalized Economy
• The Impact of Economic Sanctions on Global Trade
• Adoption of Contactless Payment Systems: Consumer Perceptions and Behaviors
• The Influence of Cultural Factors on Consumer Ethical Decision-Making
• Role of Business Analytics in Optimizing Operational Efficiency
• Strategies for Mitigating the Financial Impact of Natural Disasters on Businesses
• The Effect of Inflation on Investment Portfolio Diversification Strategies
• Digital Transformation in Higher Education Institutions: Challenges and Opportunities
• The Role of E-commerce in Bridging the Urban-Rural Economic Divide
• Corporate Philanthropy and its Impact on Brand Image
• Innovations in Retail Technology: From Augmented Reality to Smart Mirrors
• The Impact of Employee Well-being Programs on Organizational Performance
• The Role of Gender Diversity in Corporate Leadership
• Strategies for Overcoming Cybersecurity Challenges in the Financial Industry
• Impact of Influencer Marketing on Fashion and Beauty Brands
• Assessing the Effectiveness of Corporate Training Programs on Employee Performance
• The Role of Business Incubators in Fostering Entrepreneurship
• Sustainable Practices in the Tourism Industry: Lessons from Leading Destinations
• The Impact of Social Media on Stock Market Volatility
• Strategies for Balancing Economic Growth and Environmental Conservation
• Role of Corporate Innovation in Navigating Technological Disruptions
• Evaluating the Effectiveness of Online Learning Platforms in Business Education
• The Role of Intellectual Property Rights in Fostering Innovation
• Impact of Climate Change on Business Operations and Risk Management
• Strategies for Enhancing Customer Trust in E-commerce Transactions
• The Influence of Cultural Values on Advertising Effectiveness
• Adoption and Impact of Robotic Process Automation in Business Processes
• Exploring the Potential of Augmented Reality in Real Estate Marketing
• The Effect of Corporate Social Responsibility on Employee Engagement
• Strategies for Sustainable Water Management in Agribusiness
• The Impact of Digital Transformation on Traditional Retail Businesses
• Corporate Governance and Corporate Social Responsibility: A Nexus Analysis
• Emerging Trends in Green Finance: Opportunities and Challenges
• The Role of Blockchain in Enhancing Supply Chain Transparency
• Influence of Social Media on Political Consumerism
• Strategies for Minimizing Food Waste in the Hospitality Industry
• The Impact of Employee Well-being on Organizational Productivity
• The Role of Data Ethics in Big Data Analytics
• Strategies for Navigating Cross-Border E-commerce Regulations
• The Effect of Cultural Dimensions on International Business Negotiations
• Evaluating the Role of Blockchain in Supply Chain Traceability
• Consumer Perception of Sustainability in Fast Fashion Brands
• The Impact of Industry 4.0 on Manufacturing Supply Chains
• Strategies for Implementing Circular Economy Practices in Businesses
• Assessing the Effectiveness of Influencer Marketing in B2B Industries
• Challenges and Opportunities in Implementing FinTech Solutions in Emerging Markets
• The Role of Corporate Culture in Innovation and Organizational Performance
• Impact of Social Media Influencers on Beauty and Cosmetic Brands
• Strategies for Promoting Diversity and Inclusion in Corporate Environments
• The Effect of Trade Tariffs on Global Value Chains
• The Role of Virtual Reality in Transforming Customer Engagement in Retail
• Exploring the Link Between Employee Satisfaction and Customer Service Quality
• Assessing the Impact of Cross-Border E-commerce on Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs)
• The Role of Emotional Branding in Consumer Decision-Making Processes

Research Topics in Specific Industries

Hospitality and tourism.

• Tourism Management: Research could explore destination management strategies, the impact of technology on travel experiences, and the role of sustainability in the tourism industry.
• Hotel Management: Topics may include hotel marketing strategies, the use of technology in hospitality services, and the impact of customer reviews on hotel performance.
• Sustainable Tourism: Investigating sustainable tourism practices, community engagement in tourism development, and the role of eco-friendly initiatives in the hospitality sector could be fascinating research areas.
• Healthcare Management: Research could focus on healthcare delivery models, the impact of technology on patient care, and strategies for healthcare resource optimization.
• Health Information Management: Topics may include the use of electronic health records, data security in healthcare information systems, and the role of health informatics in improving patient outcomes.
• Healthcare Marketing: Investigating healthcare branding, patient engagement strategies, and the impact of digital marketing on healthcare services could be compelling research topics.

Information Technology

• IT Project Management: Research could explore effective project management methodologies, the role of project managers in IT projects, and strategies for overcoming common challenges in IT project implementation.
• Cybersecurity in Business: Topics may include the latest trends in cybersecurity, the role of cybersecurity in protecting business assets, and strategies for building a resilient cybersecurity infrastructure.
• Digital Transformation: Investigating the impact of digital transformation on business processes, the role of leadership in driving digital initiatives, and the challenges of organizational change in the digital age could be fascinating research areas.

What Methodology Should You Follow in Commerce Research?

Quantitative research.

• Surveys and Questionnaires: Research could explore the design and implementation of effective surveys, the analysis of survey data, and strategies for minimizing biases in questionnaire-based research.
• Data Analysis Techniques: Topics may include statistical methods for data analysis, the use of data visualization in conveying research findings, and the interpretation of quantitative research results.

Qualitative Research

• Case Studies: Investigating the design and analysis of case studies, the role of case studies in theory development , and the ethical considerations in conducting qualitative research could be compelling research topics.
• In-depth Interviews: Research could focus on effective interview techniques, the role of interviews in exploring complex phenomena, and strategies for ensuring the reliability and validity of interview data.

Challenges and Opportunities in Commerce Research

• Ethical Considerations: Researchers may explore the ethical dilemmas in commerce research, the importance of research integrity, and strategies for ensuring ethical conduct in research.
• Funding and Resources: Topics may include challenges in securing research funding, the role of public and private funding sources, and strategies for optimizing research resources.
• Keeping Pace with Technological Advancements: Investigating the challenges of staying updated with rapidly evolving technologies, the impact of technology on research methodologies, and strategies for embracing technological advancements in commerce research could be fascinating research areas.

In conclusion, the field of commerce offers a rich tapestry of more than 100 research topics in commerce field. From traditional areas like finance and marketing to emerging trends in e-commerce, sustainability, and technology, researchers have an abundance of opportunities to contribute to the advancement of knowledge and practice in commerce. 

As the global business landscape continues to evolve, the importance of continuous research in commerce becomes increasingly evident, shaping the way businesses operate and interact with the world. 

Future researchers are encouraged to explore these diverse topics, unraveling new insights and contributing to the ever-growing body of knowledge in the dynamic field of commerce.

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Inference for Local Projections

Òscar Jordà

Atsushi Inoue

Guido M. Kuersteiner

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2024-29 | August 19, 2024

Inference for impulse responses estimated with local projections presents interesting challenges and opportunities. Analysts typically want to assess the precision of individual estimates, explore the dynamic evolution of the response over particular regions, and generally determine whether the impulse generates a response that is any different from the null of no effect. Each of these goals requires a different approach to inference. In this article, we provide an overview of results that have appeared in the literature in the past 20 years along with some new procedures that we introduce here.

Suggested citation:

Inoue, Atsushi, Òscar Jordà, and Guido M. Kuersteiner. 2024. “Inference for Local Projections.” Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco Working Paper 2024-29. https://doi.org/10.24148/wp2024-29

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New report: Lesotho’s Demographic Dividend

A new report by the United Nations Population Fund and the Development Policy Research Unit titled “ Lesotho’s Demographic Dividend in the Context of Health and Other Development Challenges ”, has just been published. 

Authors Dr Morné Oosthuizen and Lisa Martin analyse the potential demographic dividend in Lesotho through the lens of National Transfer Accounts. These accounts measure resource flows across generations and allow us to study how different generations draw on different types of resources—labour income, transfers, and assets—to fund their consumption. The methodology also enables us to estimate and analyse the demographic dividend, to identify the period during which the dividend may be harnessed, and to explore the types of changes in the socioeconomic context that might boost or constrain the demographic dividend.

While Lesotho’s population is relatively young, it has already begun to age and will continue to do so for the rest of the century. In the process, Lesotho’s economy, societal priorities, and patterns of government spending will be impacted. At the same time, Lesotho is faced with challenges related to slow economic growth rates, high unemployment, and poverty, and has been particularly hard hit by HIV and AIDS, which together with the more recent effects of COVID-19, serves to erode the country’s human capital base.

These various challenges highlight the value of suitably harnessed demographic dividend in achieving improved socioeconomic outcomes in the country but may also act to constrain the attainment of the dividend.

Lesotho’s Demographic Dividend in the Context of Health and Other Development Challenges: Full Report

Lesotho’s Demographic Dividend Summary Report: July 2024

This work was commissioned by the United Nations Population Fund’s Lesotho Country Office and the East and Southern Africa Regional Office (ESARO), in collaboration with the Government of Lesotho.

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What ails Indian research papers? Poor quality or just bad grammar? Premium

India comes third after china and the u.s. in the number of research papers published, but the rejection rate of indian papers is also high, not so much due to poor research but more so due to weak language and grammar.

Updated - August 20, 2024 02:23 pm IST

Published - August 20, 2024 11:34 am IST

Image for representation

K.M. Ajith’s first research paper, co-authored with his supervisor in 2005, was about mathematical physics they had worked out in quantum field theory. The U.K. journal to which the paper was submitted had no hesitation in accepting the quality of the research work, yet the review was quite scathing.

“The reviewer pointed out grammatical errors, including for punctuation marks. And asked us to re-write from scratch,” says Mr. Ajith, who is now a professor at the National Institute of Technology, Karnataka.

The authors may have known quantum mechanics but not how to write succinctly. They asked for help from friends who were also pursuing research but whose English was better. Part of the difficulty was in rewriting the technical terms. Yet they managed to avoid jargon as much as possible to make it to the journal.

Mr. Ajith studied in a Malayalam medium school, and his exposure to English was minimal at that time. Twenty years into research and publishing, Mr. Ajith now speaks about why budding researchers should be good writers too.

India comes third after China and the U.S. in the number of research papers published, says a paper titled, Academic Writing in India: A Research Scholar’s View . But in the same paper, the authors also say the rejection rate of Indian papers is high, not so much due to poor research but more so due to weak language and grammar.

In a 2019 public notice, UGC said that writing programmes should be organised in research institutions to overcome this skill deficiency.

Somadatta Karak, head of science communication and public outreach at the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, says, despite the courses, Indian students struggle with writing. She is concerned about the intensity and reach of the writing workshops and frameworks.

“When I go to tier 2 cities and take workshops on science communication, students there have not even heard or thought about all of these,” says Ms. Karak.

According to Kanika Singh, who directs the writing program at Ashoka University, the higher education system in India has no separate emphasis on writing. “If writing is institutionalised as part of your curriculum and you write in different ways daily, then your science research thesis will become better,” says Ms. Singh.

Eldho Mathews, programme officer (Internationalisation of Higher Education), The Kerala State Higher Education Council, says even students who join top-tier research institutions are trained in a way that gives little importance to writing.

“At the level of screening [for admissions to research institutions], it is important to evaluate the level of language skills. By incorporating this factor into testing systems, the government and institutions can effectively motivate students to develop their writing skills early on,” he said.

Why writing should be taught as core skill

Asha Channakar, a researcher at the Institute for Stem Cell Science and Regenerative Medicine (InStem), Bengaluru, had a similar experience like Mr. Ajith with her first paper. “The first time I wrote, it took a lot of time to understand how to write.”

Ms. Channakar says that when she started to write, she read a lot of papers, and tried to connect the writing and presentation with what she wanted to convey. This was while she was a project assistant at the National Brain Research Centre in 2019. Later, she took research writing classes at the National Centre for Biological Sciences as part of her PhD at InStem.

“They taught how to write a scientific manuscript, and there was also an assignment to write for the non-scientific community,” says Ms. Channakar. She has now grown to become the first author of a paper published recently at InStem.

Ranjana Sarma, who has a PhD in Biochemistry from Montana State University, says, “Our researchers struggle with the flow of ideas more than the language.”

Unlike Mr. Ajith and Ms. Channakar, Ms. Sarma got the benefit of the U.S. research ecosystem. When she first wrote a review paper, the feedback was, “Ranjana doesn’t know English.”

“Coming from India, this was a huge ego-crusher,” says Ms. Sarma, who consistently scored high in English back home.

In 2004, she was put into a course offered by Penn State University to learn not only writing but also how to present and peer review. In the U.S., she learned that writing should be simple and easy to read with short sentences. The writing classes Ms. Sarma took influenced her not only to write but also to think and how to pay attention to what she reads.

“Language does look like a challenge for most researchers, as they write in a heavy, academic style. Despite English being the language of science in India, most researchers find it difficult to express themselves in plain, simple English,” says Subhra Priyadarshini, Chief Editor of Global Supported Projects, Nature Portfolio.

Can AI help?

Of late, students use software like Grammarly to correct language and grammar. Although Mr. Ajith appreciates such software, he also says that the tools will not help students to do the critical thinking while writing. “Grammarly is not writing a paper for you; all it does is to check the grammar of what you have already written,” says Anannya Dasgupta, Associate Professor of literature and arts at Krea University, Andhra Pradesh.

Ms. Dasgupta, who is now the director of the Centre for Writing and Pedagogy at Krea University, started her writing stint as a course coordinator while pursuing her PhD at Rutgers University, the U.S. According to Ms. Dasgupta, to improve the quality of writing, more people should be trained to teach writing.

Teaching writing also involves teaching how to think through the questions and how to build an argument, says Pooja Sagar, who teaches the Writing for Research and Analysis at the Indian Institute for Human Settlements (I.I.H.S.), Bengaluru.

Can AI help? Almost all the established researchers said it could help to an extent. But at the level of research papers, a lot of critical thinking is required that AI can’t deliver. They also cautioned about AI providing false information.

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Title: the ai scientist: towards fully automated open-ended scientific discovery.

Abstract: One of the grand challenges of artificial general intelligence is developing agents capable of conducting scientific research and discovering new knowledge. While frontier models have already been used as aides to human scientists, e.g. for brainstorming ideas, writing code, or prediction tasks, they still conduct only a small part of the scientific process. This paper presents the first comprehensive framework for fully automatic scientific discovery, enabling frontier large language models to perform research independently and communicate their findings. We introduce The AI Scientist, which generates novel research ideas, writes code, executes experiments, visualizes results, describes its findings by writing a full scientific paper, and then runs a simulated review process for evaluation. In principle, this process can be repeated to iteratively develop ideas in an open-ended fashion, acting like the human scientific community. We demonstrate its versatility by applying it to three distinct subfields of machine learning: diffusion modeling, transformer-based language modeling, and learning dynamics. Each idea is implemented and developed into a full paper at a cost of less than $15 per paper. To evaluate the generated papers, we design and validate an automated reviewer, which we show achieves near-human performance in evaluating paper scores. The AI Scientist can produce papers that exceed the acceptance threshold at a top machine learning conference as judged by our automated reviewer. This approach signifies the beginning of a new era in scientific discovery in machine learning: bringing the transformative benefits of AI agents to the entire research process of AI itself, and taking us closer to a world where endless affordable creativity and innovation can be unleashed on the world's most challenging problems. Our code is open-sourced at this https URL

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20 years of Electronic Commerce Research

• Published: 29 March 2021
• Volume 21 , pages 1–40, ( 2021 )

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• Satish Kumar   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0001-5200-1476 1 ,
• Weng Marc Lim 2 , 3 ,
• Nitesh Pandey 1 &
• J. Christopher Westland 4  

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2021 marks the 20th anniversary of the founding of Electronic Commerce Research ( ECR ). The journal has changed substantially over its life, reflecting the wider changes in the tools and commercial focus of electronic commerce. ECR ’s early focus was telecommunications and electronic commerce. After reorganization and new editorship in 2014, that focus expanded to embrace emerging tools, business models, and applications in electronic commerce, with an emphasis on the innovations and the vibrant growth of electronic commerce in Asia. Over this time, ECR ’s impact and volume of publications have grown rapidly, and ECR is considered one of the premier journals in its discipline. This invited research summarizes the evolution of ECR ’s research focus over its history.

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Editorial: Electronic Commerce Research in seven maps

Social commerce—state-of-the-art and future research directions, explore related subjects.

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1 Introduction

The year 2021 marks the 20th anniversary of the founding of Electronic Commerce Research ( ECR ). The journal has changed substantially over its life, reflecting the wider changes in the tools and commercial focus of electronic commerce. ECR ’s early focus was on telecommunications and electronic commerce. After reorganization and new editorship in 2014, that focus expanded to embrace emerging tools, business models, and applications in electronic commerce, with an emphasis on emerging technologies and the vibrant growth of electronic commerce in Asia. Over these years, ECR has steadily improved its stature and impact, as evidenced through various quantitative (e.g., citations, impact factors) and qualitative (e.g., peer-informed journal ranks) measures. According to Clarivate Analytics, ECR ’s impact factor in 2019 was 2.507, Footnote 1 which means that articles published in ECR between 2017 and 2018 received an average of 2.507 citations from journals indexed in Web of Science in 2019. The five-year impact factor of ECR was 2.643, 1 which indicates that articles published in ECR between 2014 and 2018 received an average of 2.643 citations from Web of Science-indexed journals in 2019. According to Scopus, ECR ’s CiteScore was 4.3, Footnote 2 which implies that articles published in ECR between 2016 and 2019 received an average of 4.3 citations from journals indexed in Scopus in 2019. The source normalized impact per paper (SNIP) of ECR was 1.962, which suggests that the average citations received by articles in the journal is 1.962 times the average citations received by articles in the same subject area of Scopus-indexed journals in 2019. Apart from these quantitative measures, ECR has also been rated highly by peers in the field, as seen through journal quality lists. For example, ECR has been consistently ranked as an “A” journal by the Excellence in Research for Australia (ERA 2010) and the Australian Business Deans Council (ABDC 2013, 2016, 2019) journal ranking lists.

This research presents a 20-year retrospective bibliometric analysis of the evolution of context and focus of ECR ’s articles [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 ]. To curate a rich bibliometric overview of ECR ’s scientific achievements, this study explores seven research questions (RQ) which are commonly asked by both authors and our Editorial Board members:

RQ1. What is the trend of publication and citation in ECR ?

RQ2. Who are the most prolific contributors (authors, institutions, and countries) in ECR ?

RQ3. What are the most influential publications in ECR ?

RQ4. Where have ECR publications been cited the most?

RQ5. What is the trend of collaboration in ECR ?

RQ6. Who are the most important constituents of the collaboration network in ECR ?

RQ7. What are the major research themes in ECR ?

A bibliometric analysis can offer a broad, systematic overview of the literature to delineate the evolution of electronic commerce technologies, and point the direction to trending topics and methodologies [ 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 ]. Our research is organized as follows. Section  2 outlines our bibliometric methodology. Section  3 goes on to performance analysis to uncover contributor and journal performance trends (RQ1–RQ4), the co-authorship analysis performed to unpack collaboration and constituent characteristics (RQ5–RQ6), and the bibliometric coupling and keyword analyses used to reveal the major themes and trends within the ECR corpus (RQ7). Section  4 applies graph theoretic analysis. Section  5 applies cluster analysis. Section 6 applies thematic analysis. Finally, we conclude the study with key takeaways from this retrospective.

2 Methodology

Bibliometric methodologies apply graph theoretic and statistical tools for analysis of bibliographic data [ 15 ] and include performance analysis and science mapping [ 16 ]. To answer research question 1 to research question 4, this study uses performance analysis to measure the output of authors’ productivity and impact, with productivity measured using publications per year, and impact measured using citations per year. We begin by measuring the productivity and impact of ECR , and then the productivity and impact of authors, institutions, and countries using both publications and citations per year metrics on top of ancillary measures such as citations per publication and h -index. Finally, we measure the impact of ECR articles using citations and shed light on prominent publication outlets citing ECR articles.

To answer research question 5 to research question 7, this study uses co-authorship, bibliographic coupling, and keyword analyses. We begin by conducting a co-authorship analysis, which is a network-based analysis that scrutinizes the relationships among journal contributors [ 17 ]. Next, we perform bibliographic coupling to obtain the major themes within the ECR corpus. The assumption of bibliographic coupling connotes that two documents would be similar in content if they share similar references [ 18 , 19 ]. Using article references, a network was created, wherein shared references were assigned with edge weights and documents were denoted with nodes. The documents were divided into thematic clusters using the Newman and Girvan [ 20 ] algorithm. Finally, we track the development of themes throughout different time periods using a temporal keyword analysis. The assumption of this analysis suggest that keywords are representative of the author’s intent [ 21 ] and thus important for understanding the prominence of themes pursued by authors across different time periods. Indeed, we found that these bibliometric methods complement each other relatively well, as bibliographic coupling was useful to locate general themes while keywords were useful to understand specific topics.

To acquire bibliographic data of ECR articles for the bibliometric analyses mentioned above, this study uses the Scopus database, which is one of the largest academic database that is almost 60% larger than the Web of Science [ 21 ]. Past research has also indicated that the citations presented within the Scopus database correlate more with expert judgement as compared to Google Scholar and Web of Science [ 22 ]. We begin by conducting a source search for “ Electronic Commerce Research ,” which resulted in 927 articles, and after filtering out non- ECR articles, we obtain a list of 516 ECR articles (see Fig.  1 ). However, ECR only gained Scopus indexation in 2005, and thus, only 443 ECR articles (2005–2020) contained full bibliometric data, whereas the remaining 73 ECR articles (2001–2004) contained only partial bibliometric data (e.g., no affiliation, abstract, and keyword entry). All 516 ECR articles were fetched and included in the performance analysis as partial bibliometric data was sufficient, but only 443 ECR articles were included in science mapping (e.g., co-authorship, bibliographic coupling, and keyword analyses using VOSviewer [ 23 ] and Gephi [ 24 ]) as full bibliometric data was required. This collection of articles met the minimum sample size of 200 articles for bibliometric analysis recommended by Rogers, Szomszor, and Adams [ 25 ].

Research design. Note Bibliometric analysis was conducted for only 443 (primary) documents as 73 (secondary) documents lack full data (affiliation, abstract and keywords)

3 Performance analysis: productivity and impact

The publication and citation trends of ECR between 2001 and 2020 are presented in Fig.  2 (RQ1). In terms of publication, the number of articles published in ECR has grown from 20 articles per year in 2001 to 81 articles per year in 2020, with an average annual growth rate of 7.64%. In terms of citations, the number of citations that ECR articles received has grown from three citations in 2001 to 1219 citations in 2020, with an average annual growth rate of 37.19%. These statistics suggest that ECR ’s publications and citations have seen exponential growth since its inception, and that the journal’s citations have grown at a much faster rate than its publication, which is very positive.

Annual publication and citation structure of ECR

3.2 Authors

The most prolific authors in ECR between 2001 and 2020 are presented in Table 1 (RQ2). The most prolific author is Jian Mou, who has published six articles in ECR , which have garnered a total of 95 citations. This is followed by Yan-Ping Liu and Liyi Zhang, who have published three articles each in ECR , which have received a total of 46 and 42 citations, respectively. Among the top 20 contributors, the author with the highest citation average per publication is Katina Michael (TC/TP and TC/TCP = 59 citations), who is followed closely by Yue Guo (TC/TP and TC/TCP = 51 citations); they are the only two authors who have an average citation greater than 50 for their ECR articles.

3.3 Institutions

The most prolific institutions for ECR between 2001 and 2020 are presented in Table 2 (RQ2). IBM, with 14 articles and 371 citations, emerges as the highest contributing institution to ECR . It is surprising yet encouraging to see a high number of contributions coming from practice, which reflects the ECR ’s receptiveness to publish industry-relevant research. Nonetheless, it is worth mentioning that this contribution is derived from the collective effort of IBM’s research labs around the world (e.g., Delhi, Haifa, and New York)—a unique advantage that most higher education institutions do not enjoy unless they have full-fledged research-active international branch campuses around the world. The second and third most contributing institutions are Nanjing University and Xi’an Jiaotong University, with 11 and 10 articles that have been cited 116 and 29 times, respectively. This is yet another interesting observation, as the contributions by Chinese institutions suggest that ECR is a truly international journal despite its origins and operations stemming in the United States. Finally, the University of California (TC/TP and TC/TCP = 34.86 citations) emerges as the institution that averages the most citations per publication, followed by IBM (TC/TP and TC/TCP = 26.50 citations) and Texas Tech University (TC/TP and TC/TCP = 26.20 citations).

3.4 Countries

The most prolific countries in ECR between 2001 and 2020 are presented in Table 3 (RQ2). China emerges as the most prolific contributor, with 152 articles and 1066 citations. This is followed by the United States, which has contributed 143 articles and 2813 citations. No country other than China and the United States has contributed more than 50 articles to ECR . Nevertheless, it is important to note that ECR also receives contributions from many countries around the world, as the remaining ± 50% of contributions in the top 20 list comes from 18 different countries across Asia, Europe, and Oceania.

3.5 Articles

The most cited articles in ECR between 2001 and 2020 are presented in Table 4 (RQ3). The most cited article published in ECR during this period is Füller et al.’s [ 26 ] article on the role of virtual communities in new product development (TC = 270). This is followed by Sotiriadis and van Zyl’s [ 27 ] article on electronic word of mouth and its effects on the tourism industry (TC = 188), Nonnecke et al.’s [ 28 ] article on the phenomena of ‘lurking’ in online communities (TC = 185), Lehdonvirta’s [ 29 ] article on the factors that drive virtual product purchases (TC = 170), and Bae and Lee’s [ 30 ] article on the effect of gender on consumer perception of online reviews (TC = 125). The diversity of topics in the most cited articles indicate that electronic commerce is indeed a multi-faceted subject, which we will explore in detail in the later sections.

3.6 Publication outlets

The publication outlets that have cited ECR articles the most between 2001 and 2020 are presented in Table 5 (RQ4). The list includes many prestigious journals such as International Journal of Information Management (ABDC = A*, IF = 8.210), Information and Management (ABDC = A*, IF = 5.155), and Decision Support Systems (ABDC = A*, IF = 4.721), among others. The presence of such reputed journals reflects ECR ’s own reputation of high standing among its peers. Apart from ECR , the publication outlets that have highly cited ECR include Lecture Notes in Computer Science including subseries Lecture Notes in Artificial Intelligence and Lecture Notes in Bioinformatics (TC = 218), Computers in Human Behavior (TC = 95), and ACM International Conference Proceeding Series (TC = 88), which reflect the diversity in publication outlets that ECR is making an impact (e.g., book, conference, journal).

4 Co-authorship analysis: scientific network

4.1 co-authorship.

The co-authorships in ECR between 2005 and 2020 are presented in Table 6 (RQ5). On the one hand, the co-authorship analysis shows that the share of articles written by a single author has gone down over the years from 10.94% (2005–2008) to 8.61% (2017–2020). The small and decreasing share of single-authored articles do not come as a surprise given the importance and proliferation of collaboration to address increasing thematic and methodological complexity in research [ 31 ]. On the other hand, the co-authorship analysis shows that multi-authored articles have increased their share in ECR , especially articles with three authors or more. In particular, the share of articles with three and five or more authors have increased from 31.25% and 4.69% between 2005 and 2008 to 34.45% and 14.35% between 2017 and 2020, respectively. These statistics suggests that collaboration is growing in prominence, which is consistent with recent observations reported by other premier journals in business [ 32 , 33 , 34 ], and that ECR is a good home for collaborative research.

4.2 Network centrality

The most important authors, institutions, and countries across different measures of centrality are presented in Table 7 (RQ6). In this study, we employ four measures of centrality: degree of centrality, betweenness centrality, closeness centrality, and eigen centrality.

In essence, degree of centrality refers to the number of relational ties a node has in a network. In contrast, betweenness centrality refers to a node’s ability to connect otherwise unconnected groups of nodes, wherein nodes act as a gateway for the flow of information. Whereas, closeness centrality refers to a node’s closeness to every other node in the network, whereby nodes that reflect a greater number of shortest paths than others in a network indicates the ability of those nodes to transmit information and knowledge across the network with relative ease. Finally, eigen centrality refers to a node’s relative importance in a network, whereby nodes that are connected to other highly connected nodes are crucial to information transfer.

In terms of authors, Jian Mou emerged as the most important author for degree of centrality and betweenness centrality, whereas Xin Luo and Jian-xin Wang were flagged as the most important authors for closeness centrality and eigen centrality, respectively. In terms of institutions, Renmin University emerged as the most important institution for degree centrality and betweenness centrality, whereas the University of Ottawa was rated as the most important institution for closeness centrality and eigen centrality. In terms of countries, China emerged as the most important country for betweenness centrality, whereas the United States emerged as the most important country for the other three measures of centrality. Collectively, these findings indicate the most important constituents for degree of centrality, betweenness centrality, closeness centrality, and eigen centrality in terms of authors, institutions, and countries.

4.3 Collaboration network

The author collaboration network in Fig.  3 indicates that authors groups in ECR are fairly separated from each other, especially among highly connected authors (more than five links in the network). This suggests that most authors in ECR chose to work in a single team rather than across multiple teams. The institution collaboration network in Fig.  4 reaffirms our earlier finding that Renmin University is indeed the most important constituent of the network, especially among highly connected institutions (more than five links in the network). The institution collaboration network also appears to be more complex than the author collaboration network, wherein institutions appear to be far more connected to each other, indicating a good degree of collaboration across institutional lines. The country network in Fig.  5 presents a similar network scenario, where countries appear to be fairly well connected, with the United States being at the center of the country-level collaboration network. These findings suggest that ECR authors collaborate more actively across institutions and countries than teams.

Author co-authorship network. Note Threshold for inclusion is five or more links in the network

Institution co-authorship network. Note Threshold for inclusion is five or more links in the network

Country co-authorship network. Note Threshold for inclusion is five or more links in the network

5 Bibliographic coupling: thematic clusters

Bibliographic coupling is applied to unpack the major clusters (themes) within the ECR corpus. The method is predicated on the assumption that documents that share the same references are similar in content [ 18 , 35 ]. The application of bibliographic coupling on 443 ECR articles resulted in the formation of 30 clusters, wherein 11 major clusters were identified. The 11 major clusters, which contained 401 (or 90.5%) ECR articles, were ordered based on number of publications and average publication years, with more recent clusters ordered before older clusters in the case of clusters sharing the same number of publications. The summary of the 11 major clusters, which take center stage in this study, is presented in Table 8 .

5.1 Cluster #1: online privacy and security

Cluster #1 contains 74 articles that have been cited 963 times with an average publication year of 2013.09. The most cited article in this cluster is Zarmpou et al.’s [ 36 ] article on the adoption of mobile services. This is followed by Chaudhry et al.’s [ 37 ] article on user encryption schemes for e-payment systems, and Antoniou and Batten’s [ 38 ] article on purchaser’s privacy and trust in online transactions. Other articles in this cluster have considered topics such as e-commerce trust models [ 39 ], consumer privacy [ 40 ], cybercrime and cybersecurity issues [ 41 ], gender differences [ 42 ], and the development and implementation of various authentication systems [ 43 , 44 ]. Thus, ECR articles in this cluster appear to be centered on online privacy and security issues , including equivalent solutions for improved authentication and encryption to improve trust in electronic commerce.

5.2 Cluster #2: online channels and optimization

Cluster #2 contains 49 articles that have been cited 415 times with an average publication year of 2016.67. The most cited article in this cluster is Jeffrey and Hodge’s [ 45 ] article on impulse purchases in online shopping. This is followed by Biller et al.’s [ 46 ] article on dynamic pricing for online retailing in the automotive industry, and Yan’s [ 47 ] article on profit sharing and firm performance in manufacturer-retailer dual-channel supply chains. Other articles in this cluster have examined online channels such as peer-to-peer networks and social commerce [ 48 , 49 ] and optimal supply chain configuration [ 50 , 51 ]. Thus, ECR articles in this cluster appear to be concentrated on online channels and optimization , particularly in terms of the channel characteristics and price and supply chain optimization in electronic commerce.

5.3 Cluster #3: online engagement and preferences

Cluster #3 contains 49 articles that have been cited 982 times with an average publication year of 2013.98. The most cited article in this cluster is Nonnecke et al.’s [ 28 ] article on online community participation. This is followed by Sila’s [ 52 ] article on business-to-business electronic commerce technologies, and Ozok and Wei’s [ 53 ] article on consumer preferences of using mobile and stationary devices. Other articles in this cluster have explored topics such as online community participation and social impact across countries [ 54 ], online opinions across regions and its impact on consumer preferences [ 55 , 56 ], content and context factors [ 57 ], data mining techniques [ 58 ], and recommender systems and their application in online environments [ 59 , 60 ]. Thus, ECR articles in this cluster appear to be focused on online engagement and preferences , including the adoption and usage of technology (e.g., data mining, recommender systems) to curate engagement and shape preferences among target customers in electronic commerce.

5.4 Cluster #4: online market sentiments and analyses

Cluster #4 contains 41 articles that have been cited 198 times. This cluster has the highest average publication year among the 11 major clusters (2018.56), which indicates that most articles in this cluster are fairly recent. The most cited article in this cluster is Zhou’s [ 61 ] article on multi-layer affective modeling of emotions in the online environment. This is followed by Suki’s [ 62 ] article on online consumer shopping insights, and Chen et al.’s [ 63 ] article on information markets. Other articles in this cluster have investigated topics such as Internet queries and marketplace prediction [ 64 ], cross-border electronic commerce using the information systems success model [ 65 ], and electronic [ 66 ] and social [ 67 ] commerce using big data. Thus, ECR articles in this cluster appear to be centered on online market sentiments and analyses , with the use of advanced modeling techniques to unpack fresh insights on electronic commerce being relatively prominent.

5.5 Cluster #5: online reviews and ratings

Cluster #5 contains 40 articles that have been cited 611 times with an average publication year of 2017.28. The most cited article in this cluster is Bae and Lee’s [ 30 ] article on online consumer reviews across gender. This is followed by Flanagin et al.’s [ 68 ] article on user-generated online ratings, and Fairlie’s [ 69 ] on the digital divide in online access, which speaks to the technological infrastructure required to post and respond to online reviews and ratings. Other articles in this cluster have examined quantitative and qualitative feedback in online environments [ 70 ], electronic word of mouth platforms and persuasiveness [ 71 ], online reviews and product innovation [ 72 ] , recommender systems and product ranking [ 73 ], and online rating determinants [ 74 ]. Thus, ECR articles in this cluster appear to be concentrated on online reviews and ratings , including its potential differences among consumers coming from different demographic backgrounds.

5.6 Cluster #6: online exchanges and transactions

Cluster #6 contains 34 articles that have been cited 320 times with an average publication year of 2011.29. The most cited article in this cluster is Narayanasamy et al.’s [ 75 ] article on the adoption and concerns of e-finance. This is followed by Dumas et al.’s [ 76 ] article on bidding agents in e-auction, and Marinč’s [ 77 ] article on the impact of information technology on the banking industry. Other articles in this cluster have explored topics such as game theoretic aspects of search auctions [ 78 ], auction mechanism for ad space among advertisers [ 79 ], trust analysis in online procurement [ 80 ], efficiency of reverse auctions [ 81 ], and effect of hedonic and utilitarian behaviors on the e-auction behavior [ 82 ]. Thus, ECR articles in this cluster appear to be focused on online exchanges and transactions , particularly in terms of auction mechanisms and banking-related services.

5.7 Cluster #7: online media and platforms

Cluster #7 contains 30 articles that have been cited 668 times with an average publication year of 2016.23. The most cited article in this cluster is Sotiriadis and van Zyl’s [ 27 ] article on social media in the form of Twitter. This is followed by Huang and Liao’s [ 83 ] article on augmented reality interactive technology, and Hsieh et al.’s [ 84 ] article on online video persuasion in electronic commerce. Other articles in this cluster have investigated topics such as the role of social media in disseminating product information [ 85 ], the effect of video formats on person-to-person streaming [ 86 ], interpersonal relationship building using social media [ 87 ], and microblog usage [ 88 ]. Thus, ECR articles in this cluster appear to be centered on online media and platforms , particularly in terms of its variation, use, and impact in shaping consumer behavior in electronic commerce.

5.8 Cluster #8: online technology acceptance and continuance

Cluster #8 contains 26 articles that have been cited 244 times with an average publication year of 2016.37. The most cited article in this cluster is Zhou’s [ 89 ] article on the adoption of location-based services. This is followed by Chen et al.’s [ 90 ] article on the adoption of electronic customer relationship management, and Royo and Yetano’s [ 91 ] article on crowdsourcing usage in local governments. Other articles in this cluster have examined topics such as gender discrimination in online peer-to-peer lending [ 92 ], continued usage of e-auction services [ 93 ], and investor trust in peer-to-peer lending platforms [ 94 ]. Thus, ECR articles in this cluster appear to be concentrated on online technology acceptance and continuance , including determinants and discriminants that explain online technology-mediated behavior across different forms of electronic commerce such as e-auction, e-lending, e-government, and e-customer relationship management.

5.9 Cluster #9: online communities and commercialization in the virtual world

Cluster #9 contains 22 articles that have been cited 771 times with an average publication year of 2012.23. The most cited article in this cluster is Füller et al.’s [ 26 ] article on the role of virtual communities in new product development. This is followed by Lehdonvirta’s [ 29 ] article on the revenue model of virtual products, and Guo and Barnes’s [ 95 ] article on the purchase behavior of virtual products. Other articles in this cluster have investigated topics such as metaverse retailing [ 96 ], issues faced by developers of virtual worlds [ 97 ], the impact of virtual world on e-business models [ 98 ], e-commerce transactions in virtual environments [ 99 ], and customer value co-creation in virtual environments [ 26 ]. Thus, ECR articles in this cluster appear to be focused on the online communities and commercialization in the virtual world , particularly in virtual environments such as online gaming.

5.10 Cluster #10: online customer expectations, satisfaction, and loyalty

Cluster #10 contains 18 articles that have been cited 291 times with an average publication year of 2016.11. The most cited article in this cluster is Hanafizadeh and Khedmatgozar’s [ 100 ] article on consumer expectations of risk in online banking. This is followed by Valvi and Fragkos’s [ 101 ] article on purchase-centered e-loyalty, and Aloudat and Michael’s [ 102 ] article on regulatory expectations of ubiquitous mobile government. Other articles in this cluster have examined topics such as continued usage of e-services [ 103 ], determinants of e-loyalty [ 104 ] , risk expectations of e-services [ 105 ], and e-service quality implications for customer satisfaction and loyalty [ 106 ]. Thus, ECR articles in this cluster appear to be centered on online customer expectations, satisfaction, and loyalty , particularly in e-service settings such as online banking.

5.11 Cluster #11: online purchase intention

Cluster #11 contains 18 articles that have been cited 671 times with an average publication year of 2014.00. The most cited article in this cluster is Kim’s [ 107 ] article on online purchase intention using trust theory and technology acceptance model. This is followed by Gregg and Walczak’s [ 108 ] article on the effects of website quality on online purchase intention, and Taylor et al.’s [ 109 ] article on the effects of privacy concerns on online purchase intention. Other articles in this cluster have explored topics that either reaffirm the findings of the highly cited articles in this cluster, such as privacy concerns and personalization [ 109 , 110 ], or that extend the breadth of cluster coverage, such as store image [ 111 ], risk, and trust [ 112 ] as determinants of online purchase intention. Thus, ECR articles in this cluster appear to be concentrated on online purchase intentions , particularly in terms of its multi-faceted determinants that avail or transpire in electronic commerce.

6 Temporal keyword analysis: thematic evolution

Building on the thematic clusters uncovered using bibliographic coupling (see Fig.  6 ), this study performs a temporal keyword analysis to unpack the development of themes and its evolutionary trajectory in ECR over time.

Period wise publication trend in major clusters. Note Cluster #1 = online privacy and security. Cluster #2 = online channels and optimization. Cluster #3 = online engagement and preferences. Cluster #4 = online market sentiments and analyses. Cluster #5 = online reviews and ratings. Cluster #6 = online exchanges and transactions. Cluster #7 = online media and platforms. Cluster #8 = online technology acceptance and continuance. Cluster #9 = online communities and commercialization in the virtual world. Cluster #10 = online customer expectations, satisfaction, and loyalty. Cluster #11 = online purchase intention

6.1 Thematic development from 2005 to 2008

Most ECR articles between 2005 and 2008 appear in Clusters #1, #3, and #6 (see Fig.  6 ), which indicate research concentration on online privacy and security, online engagement and preferences, and online exchanges and transactions. The keyword network in Fig.  7 confirms this observation. Apart from general keywords such as “e-commerce,” keywords such as “cryptography,” “privacy,” and “security” relate directly to the theme of Cluster #1, which is about online privacy and security. The prominence of the word “cryptography” indicates the popularity and importance of the topic during this period. Other keywords such as “auctions,” “online auctions,” and “bidding strategies” relate to the theme of Cluster #6, which is about online exchanges and transactions, with particular focus on online auction and banking. Other keywords such as “collaborative filtering,” “online communities,” and “mobile commerce” relate to the theme of Cluster #3, which is about online engagement and preferences. The bigger and bolder keywords observed in Clusters #1 and #3 suggest that the direct benefits and costs of electronic commerce were most pertinent in the early stages of ECR , with the augmented aspects of electronic commerce in Cluster #6 emerging closely behind the two leading clusters in this period.

Keyword network between 2005 and 2008. Note Threshold for inclusion is a minimum of two occurrences

6.2 Thematic development from 2009 to 2012

Most ECR articles between 2009 and 2012 are located in Cluster #1 (see Fig.  6 ), which reveal the continued pertinence of research concentrating on online privacy and security during this period. Nonetheless, ECR experienced a substantial growth in research focusing on online media and platforms, online communities and commercialization in the virtual world, online customer expectations, satisfaction, and loyalty, and online purchase intention, as seen through ECR articles in Clusters #7, #9, #10, and #11 during this period. The keyword network in Fig.  8 adds to this observation. In particular, keywords such as “security,” “payment protocol,” and “trust management” relate to the theme of Cluster #1 on online privacy and security, whereas keywords such as “metaverses,” “second life,” “virtual reality,” and “virtual world” speak to the emergence of online communities and commercialization in the virtual world characterizing Cluster #9. Similarly, keywords such as “reputation” and “trust” are important to online customer expectations, satisfaction, and loyalty (Cluster #10) and their online purchase intention (Cluster #11). Interestingly, though Cluster #7 emerged during this period, we did not observe any unique or specific keywords relating to this cluster, which may be attributed to online media and platform research early focus on its “adoption,” a keyword that we felt resonates more with Cluster #8.

Keyword network between 2009 and 2012. Note Threshold for inclusion is a minimum of two occurrences

6.3 Thematic development from 2013 to 2016

Most ECR articles between 2013 and 2016 continue to be situated in Cluster #1 (see Fig.  6 ), which suggest the continued pertinence of research concentrating on online privacy and security during this period. Nonetheless, there are a number of clusters that saw noteworthy growth, such as Clusters #2, #5, #7, #8, and #10, which indicate that research attention has also been invested in topics related to online channels and optimization, online reviews and ratings, online media and platforms, online technology acceptance and continuance, and online customer expectations, satisfaction, and loyalty. The keyword network in Fig.  9 supports this observation. More specifically, keywords such as “personal information” and “privacy” indicate continued research in Cluster #1, though it appears that the focus has shifted from authentication and security mechanisms to privacy matters, which may be attributed to the rise of personalized and targeted online marketing activities (e.g., tracking of user activity for personalized advertisements). Whereas, keywords such as “B2C e-commerce” and “e-government” denote emerging interest in online channels and optimization (Cluster #2), “electronic word of mouth” indicates growing interest in online reviews and ratings (Cluster #5), “cloud computing,” “IPTV,” and “social media” reveal increasing interest in online media and platforms (Cluster #7), “information technology,” “technology adoption,” and “technology acceptance model” speak to research on online technology acceptance and continuance (Cluster #8), and “product type,” “quality of service,” and “user satisfaction” resonate with research on online customer expectations, satisfaction, and loyalty (Cluster #10).

Keyword network between 2013 and 2016. Note Threshold for inclusion is a minimum of two occurrences

6.4 Thematic development from 2017 to 2020

Most ECR articles between 2017 and 2020 are located in Cluster #4 (see Fig.  6 ), which reflect the noteworthy emergence and shift of research concentration from online privacy and security to online market sentiments and analyses. Other thematic clusters such as Clusters #2, #3, and #5 have also witnessed a massive increase in publications during this period. This implies that ECR has become relatively diverse in the research that it publishes, which also explains the rise in the number of papers that the journal publishes during this period. The keyword network in Fig.  10 sheds further light on this observation. In particular, many keywords in the network illustrate a strong research concentration on online market sentiments and analyses, such as “big data,” “data mining,” machine learning,” “sentiment analysis,” and “social network analysis” (Cluster #4). Similarly, keywords such as “dual channel supply chain,” “supply chain coordination,” and “social commerce” indicate the type of research focusing on online channels and optimization (Cluster #2), “social influence,” “social media,” and “social media marketing” reflect research in the area of online engagement and preferences (Cluster #3), and “consumer reviews,” “online reviews,” “reputation,” and “word of mouth” speak to research on online reviews and ratings (Cluster #5).

Keyword network between 2017 and 2020. Note Threshold for inclusion is a minimum of two occurrences

7 Conclusion

This study presents a 20-year retrospective of ECR since its inception in 2001. Several research questions were proposed and pursued using a bibliometric methodology consisting of performance analysis and science mapping (e.g., co-authorship analysis, bibliographic coupling, and temporal keyword analysis).

Our first four research questions—i.e., research question 1 to research question 4—concentrated on the publication and citation trends of ECR . Through performance analysis, we found that ECR has grown exponentially in terms of its publications and citations. Most contributors of ECR come from China and the United States, which reflect (1) China’s standing as the world’s largest e-commerce market with 50 percent of the world’s online transactions occurring in this country, and (2) the United States’ standing as the world’s pioneer of e-commerce (e.g., Amazon) and her expectation for e-commerce to reach 50% of total retail sales in the country in 10 years [ 113 ]. Interestingly, IBM, a non-academic institution, emerged as the highest contributing institution to the journal, which is unsurprising given that IBM is the largest industrial research organization in the world with 12 research labs across six continents [ 114 ]. More importantly, ECR was found to be well received among its peers, with many of its citations coming from prestigious journals in the field of information systems and management. Nevertheless, we observed that ECR receives very little contribution from Africa and several parts of Asia, particularly South Asia and South East Asia. Though electronic commerce may not have been very prominent in these regions in the past, we believe that the coronavirus pandemic that has taken the world by storm in 2020 has accelerated the proliferation and adoption of electronic commerce in these regions, and thus, we would encourage authors from these regions to submit their best papers to ECR in the near future. Thus, we raise two future research questions (FRQs) for exploration:

FRQ1: What are the e-commerce innovations that avail in underexplored regions (e.g., Africa, South Asia, and South East Asia) and how do such innovations fare in terms of similarities and differences in manifestations and impact against their more richly explored counterparts (e.g., China, United States)?

FRQ2: How can global pandemics such as COVID-19 change or impact e-commerce around the world (e.g., can the pandemic accelerate e-commerce adoption across all layers of society; can the pandemic lead to new innovations; can e-commerce contribute to positive and/or negative economic and social impact during the pandemic—and if yes, what and how, and if no, why)?

Our next two research questions—i.e., research question 5 and research question 6—focused on the collaboration trends in and the important constituents of ECR in the co-authorship network. Using co-authorship analysis, we found that the collaboration culture in ECR has grown with the passage of time, as evidenced through the decreasing share of single-authored articles and the increasing share of multi-authored publications, especially in the five or more authors category. We also observed that the share of multi-authored articles has always been dominant in the journal, with such publications forming nearly 90% of the corpus at any given point in time. Indeed, these observations reflect the increasing emphasis that universities place on multi-author and inter-/multi-/trans-disciplinary collaborations in promotion and tenure practices and policies [ 115 ]. In terms of important constituents in the co-authorship network, Jian Mou emerged as the most important author across two measures of centrality, whereas Renmin University and University of Ottawa emerged as the most important institutions at the institution level, and the United States emerged as the most important constituent at the country level. Nonetheless, we noted that authors who collaborate in ECR do not work much across diverse teams, but they do, however, work a lot across institutions and countries. Future scholars could rely on the centrality networks that we have curated herein this study for potential collaboration with authors from varying institutions and countries who have a good publication record and a research interest to publish with ECR .

Our final research question—i.e., research question 7—was dedicated to unpacking the major themes in ECR . Through bibliographic coupling, our study found 11 major clusters that reflected the major themes underpinning research published in ECR : (1) online privacy and security, (2) online channels and optimization, (3) online engagement and preferences, (4) online market sentiments and analyses, (5) online reviews and ratings, (6) online exchanges and transactions, (7) online media and platforms, (8) online technology acceptance and continuance, (9) online communities and commercialization in the virtual world, (10) online customer expectations, satisfaction, and loyalty, and (11) online purchase intention. Through temporal keyword analysis, our study observed that the topics published in ECR has become more diverse over time, with a noteworthy shift from an early concentration on online privacy and security to a contemporary focus on newer, industry-informed topics, such as online market sentiments and analyses, which we reckon coincides with the emergence of the unique peculiarities of the fourth industrial revolution (IR 4.0), such as big data and machine learning, in recent years [ 116 , 117 ]. Thus, to extend the line of research that concentrates on unpacking the contemporary realities of e-commerce, we propose another two future research questions (FRQs) for exploration:

FRQ3: How can emergent technologies (e.g., artificial intelligence, big data analytics, blockchain, machine learning) be applied to improve forecasting (e.g., cybercrime, social network), optimize functions (e.g., advertising, sales), and protect stakeholders (e.g., privacy, security) in e-commerce?

FRQ4: How can e-commerce operators leverage on emergent technologies to acquire competitive advantages (e.g., how to build trust and good relationships with customers [e.g., digital natives, digital migrants], and how to respond to changes in customer demands and marketplace trends with agility), and whether these competitive advantages that they acquired are sustainable or transient (and if transient, then what can they do to curate, maintain, or replenish their competitive advantages in the long run)?

Though thorough in its approach, this study does suffer from certain limitations. First, this study relies on the Scopus for bibliometric data. Though the database has its merits, as laid out in the methodology section, the bibliographic data is not created for the purpose of bibliometric analysis. This may lead to errors in the data source. Through data cleaning, we have attempted to minimize errors, but any remaining error in the source data, which we might have missed, could have an impact on the final analysis, though we believe that the margin for such errors would be relatively small, if not, negligible. Second, ECR has been around for 20 years, but the dataset available on Scopus, which we used, is only complete for 16 years (2005–2020). Due to this limitation, the science mapping part of the study—i.e., co-authorship, bibliographic coupling, and temporal keyword analysis—had to be restricted to this period only. We do not discount the possibility that the complete set of earlier data (2001–2004) may become available on Scopus in the future, and thus, we would encourage future research aiming to conduct a bibliometric review for ECR , perhaps in the next milestone (e.g., 30, 40, or 50 years), to check on such data availability, and if available, to take advantage and conduct a full-fledged science mapping for the journal. Finally, the scientific insights that could be uncovered through a bibliometric methodology, though rich, remain limited. In particular, bibliometric reviews such as ours do not delve into expert information, such as the theories, contexts, and methods employed to create new knowledge on electronic commerce in the ECR corpus. This, in turn, makes it difficult for bibliometric reviews to put forth a comprehensive set of data-informed proposals for future research. Nonetheless, we opine that bibliometric reviews do provide a good starting point of data-informed insights that future research can rely on to understand the trajectory of the extant discussion of electronic commerce in the journal. In particular, we believe that such insights would be useful, not only for future empirical research (e.g., potential collaboration networks, research themes of interest), but also for future reviews on thematic domains in ECR (e.g., systematic reviews on online market sentiments), which can be done in a number of ways, such a critical review [ 118 , 119 , 120 ], a thematic review [ 121 , 122 ], a theory-driven review [ 123 ], a method-driven review [ 124 , 125 ], or a framework-based review [ 126 ].

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Satish Kumar & Nitesh Pandey

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Kumar, S., Lim, W.M., Pandey, N. et al. 20 years of Electronic Commerce Research . Electron Commer Res 21 , 1–40 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10660-021-09464-1

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Deserted: The U.S. Military's Sexual Assault Crisis as a Cost of War

Over the past decade, the U.S. military has implemented policies to promote gender equality, notably lifting the ban on women in combat roles in 2013 and opening all military jobs to women by 2016. Yet, even as U.S. military policy reforms during the “War on Terror” appear to reflect greater equality, violent patterns of abuse and misogyny continued within military workplaces.

This author of this report found that sexual assault prevalence in the military is likely two to four times higher than official government estimations. Based on a comparison of available data collected by the U.S. Department of Defense to independent data, the research estimates there were 75,569 cases of sexual assault in 2021 and 73,695 cases in 2023. On average, over the course of the war in Afghanistan, 24 percent of active-duty women and 1.9 percent of active-duty men experienced sexual assault. The report highlights how experiences of gender inequality are most pronounced for women of color, who experience intersecting forms of racism and sexism and are one of the fastest-growing populations within the military. Independent data also confirm queer and trans service members’ disproportionately greater risk for sexual assault.

The report notes that during the post-9/11 wars, the prioritization of force readiness above all else allowed the problem of sexual assault to fester, papering over internal violence and gender inequalities within military institutions.

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Volume 30, Number 9—September 2024

Research Letter

Thelazia callipaeda eyeworms in american black bear, pennsylvania, usa, 2023.

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We identified a Thelazia callipaeda eyeworm in an American black bear in Pennsylvania, USA, on the basis of its morphological features and molecular analysis. Our finding highlights emergence of a T. callipaeda worm sylvatic transmission cycle in the United States.

Thelaziosis is an emerging zoonotic disease caused by nematodes of the genus Thelazia (Spirurida, Thelazioidea). In the United States, 3 zoonotic species have been identified: Thelazia gulosa ( 1 ), T. californiensis ( 2 ), and most recently T. callipaeda ( 3 ). In Asia and Europe, T. callipaeda is considered the main agent of thelaziosis in humans, domestic animals, and wild animals ( 4 ). Over the past decade, the geographic distribution and prevalence of T. callipaeda infection has increased worldwide in scale and intensity ( 4 ). The first autochthonous case in the United States was reported in 2018 in a domestic dog ( Canis lupus familiaris ) from New York with a history of unilateral epiphora and blepharospasm. Since then, additional cases in domestic dogs and cats have been reported, predominately from the northeastern United States ( 3 , 5 ).

T. callipaeda eyeworms are found in the conjunctival sac and lacrimal duct of the definitive host. They are transmitted when a male zoophilic secretophagous Phortica variegata fly ingests first-stage larvae from the host’s lachrymal secretions. In the vector, the first-stage larvae develop to the infective third-stage larvae in the testes, migrate to the mouthparts, and are transferred to another host during subsequent feeding on lachrymal secretions ( 4 ).

The role of wildlife in the epidemiology and emergence of T. callipaeda eyeworms is not completely known. In Europe, cases of T. callipaeda eyeworm infection have been detected in a wide range of hosts, including wild carnivores, omnivores, and lagomorphs ( 6 , 7 ). Wild canids, particularly red foxes ( Vulpes vulpes ), seem to play a large role in maintaining the sylvatic cycle in thelaziosis-endemic areas of Europe ( 7 ). However, knowledge of the sylvatic transmission cycle of T. callipaeda eyeworms, along with their environmental and anthropogenic factors, remains limited. Considering the emergence of those zoonotic nematodes in non–thelaziosis-endemic areas and the need for more information about their ecology and epidemiology in the United States, we report a case of T. callipaeda eyeworm infection in an American black bear ( Ursus americanus ) and identify a new geographic location of transmission.

In November 2023, an adult, female American black bear was legally harvested in Coolbaugh Township, Monroe County, Pennsylvania. During processing of the bear for taxidermy preparation, multiple linear nematodes were observed behind the third eyelid. Nematodes were extracted and submitted for identification. Two additional harvested bears from Monroe and Pike Counties, Pennsylvania, were also reported to have similar ocular nematode infections, but specimens from those bears were not collected.

• Figure 1 . Morphologic features of adult female Thelazia callipaeda eyeworm isolated from an American black bear in Coolbaugh Township, Monroe County, Pennsylvania, USA, 2023. A) Anterior end showing the large, deep,...

We identified 9 female and 4 male adult nematodes from the bear as T. callipaeda on the basis of morphologic and morphometric features ( 8 ). The nematodes were characterized by the presence of a cup-shaped buccal capsule and cuticular transverse striations, as well as the location of the vulvar opening anterior to the esophageal-intestinal junction on the female worms ( Figure 1 ). Female nematodes were 1.16–1.46 cm long and 0.36–0.42 mm wide; male worms were 0.82–1.06 cm long and 0.31–0.42 mm wide. The number of transverse cuticular striations ranged from 160 to 400/mm in the cephalic, midbody, and caudal regions.

Figure 2 . Phylogenetic relationship of Thelazia callipaeda isolate from an American black bear in Coolbaugh Township, Monroe County, Pennsylvania, USA, 2023 (GenBank accession no. PP739308), and other species of ...

We extracted genomic DNA from a midbody fragment of a female adult worm and amplified, sequenced, and analyzed the partial cytochrome oxidase c subunit I ( cox 1) gene, as previously described ( 2 ). We generated a 623-bp cox 1 sequence (GenBank accession no. PP739308), which showed 99%–100% maximum identity with T . callipaeda sequences available in GenBank. Phylogenetic analysis was performed by using the maximum-likelihood method and confirmed the taxonomic identification of T . callipaeda . The isolate clustered with all previous isolates from domestic animals in North America and with some isolates from Europe ( Figure 2 ), indicating circulation of the newly introduced pathogen in wildlife habitats and transmission from domestic animals to wildlife.

The presence of adult T. callipaeda eyeworms in an American black bear suggests the establishment of a sylvatic transmission cycle in the United States and expansion of the number of definitive host species used by the zoonotic nematode. In the past decade, wild carnivores have been identified as primary definitive hosts associated with the sylvatic cycle in thelaziosis- endemic and non–thelaziosis-endemic areas of Europe and Asia ( 7 ). American black bears are the most widely distributed species of bear in North America, inhabiting diverse regions throughout Mexico, Canada, and the United States ( 9 ). Given the bears’ extensive geographic distribution and frequent and close interaction with humans and pets ( 10 ), thelaziosis in the black bear population raises concerns about the rapidly increasing incidence and geographic range of T. callipaeda eyeworms in the United States. Although further research into the extent to which black bears play a role in the maintenance of the sylvatic cycle and transmission of T. callipaeda eyeworms is needed, the presence of the zoonotic nematode in such a wide range of hosts implicates exposure and risk for transmission to threatened and endangered species and direct or indirect risk for transmission to humans and domestic animals.

Dr. Sobotyk is an assistant professor of clinical parasitology and director of the Clinical Parasitology Laboratory at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA. Her research focuses on zoonotic helminth infections in domestic and wild animals and improvement and development of diagnostic techniques for detecting parasitic infections of veterinary and public health relevance.

Acknowledgment

We thank the Pennsylvania Game Commission and Dillon Gruver for their continued support. We also acknowledge Shawn Lamparter’s Wildlife Design for recognition and prompting submission of the specimens.

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• Figure 2 . Phylogenetic relationship of Thelazia callipaeda isolate from an American black bear in Coolbaugh Township, Monroe County, Pennsylvania, USA, 2023 (GenBank accession no. PP739308), and other species of Thelazia available...

Suggested citation for this article : Sobotyk C, Dietrich J, Verocai GG, Maxwell L, Niedringhaus K. Thelazia callipaeda eyeworms in American black bear, Pennsylvania, USA, 2023. Emerg Infect Dis. 2024 Sep [date cited]. https://doi.org/10.3201/eid3009.240679

DOI: 10.3201/eid3009.240679

Original Publication Date: August 14, 2024

Table of Contents – Volume 30, Number 9—September 2024

Please use the form below to submit correspondence to the authors or contact them at the following address:

Caroline. Sobotyk, University of Pennsylvania, School of Veterinary Medicine, Matthew J. Ryan Veterinary Hospital, Rm 4034, 3900 Delancey St, Philadelphia, PA 19104-6051, USA

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