Tracing the research trends in the application of digital technology in cultural heritage: A bibliometric analysis integrating large language models

Numerous bibliometric studies have explored digital technologies in cultural heritage, yet key research concerns and contributors remain underexplored. It primarily concentrates on the utilisation of discrete digital technologies in the domain of cultural heritage research, and is devoid of an overarching perspective on the deployment of digital technologies in cultural heritage research. This study identifies research trends, contributors, and collaborations in digital technologies applied to cultural heritage through a bibliometric and topic modelling analysis of 1,153 articles from the Web of Science database. The analysis revealed that these documents commenced in the year 2000, which can be attributed to the influence of the advent of digital technologies. This study employs structural topic modelling, supported by large language models, to examine annual trends and topic relevance. The analysis also explores potential future directions in this domain. The study identifies future research directions and inter-topic connections using annual topic proportions and relevance. A comparison is made of the principal research questions published in this field in various high-producing countries. The analysis reveals that research predominantly originates from developed regions, identifies 15 key topics, and highlights five emerging areas with significant growth from 2000 to 2024. The findings provide actionable insights for advancing the application of digital technologies in cultural heritage research and identifying future priorities. These findings benefit researchers and readers interested in digital technology applications in cultural heritage, as they facilitate a comprehensive understanding of the current state of digital technology in cultural heritage research and inform the future direction.