Global data mining: An empirical study of current trends, future forecasts and technology diffusions

Using a bibliometric approach, this paper analyzes research trends and forecasts of data mining from 1989 to 2009 by locating heading “data mining” in topic in the SSCI database. The bibliometric analytical technique was used to examine the topic in SSCI journals from 1989 to 2009, we found 1181 articles with data mining. This paper implemented and classified data mining articles using the following eight categories—publication year, citation, country/territory, document type, institute name, language, source title and subject area—for different distribution status in order to explore the differences and how data mining technologies have developed in this period and to analyze technology tendencies and forecasts of data mining under the above results. Also, the paper performs the K-S test to check whether the analysis follows Lotka’s law. Besides, the analysis also reviews the historical literatures to come out technology diffusions of data mining. The paper provides a roadmap for future research, abstracts technology trends and forecasts, and facilitates knowledge accumulation so that data mining researchers can save some time since core knowledge will be concentrated in core categories. This implies that the phenomenon “success breeds success” is more common in higher quality publications.