Bridging research and policy: How blockchain research contributes to global transport and logistics regulations

• Bridges the science–policy interface by combining bibliometric analysis, policy citation mapping, and topic modeling to assess how blockchain research in transportation and logistics (T&L) informs public policy. • Identifies four major policy-relevant themes from 138 policy-cited publications using TF-IDF, KMeans clustering, and PCA: 1. Sustainable Supply Chain and Logistics 2. Smart Energy Systems 3. Digital Identity in Transport 4. UAV and Drone Applications • Demonstrates alignment with Industry 5.0 scope, particularly sustainability, resilience, and human-centric innovation, indicating a shift from pure efficiency (Industry 4.0) toward ethical and inclusive technological development. • Offers practical implications for: 1. Policymakers to shape blockchain-regulatory agendas 2. T&L firms to align tech strategies with policy priorities 3. Investors to target SDG-aligned, policy-relevant innovations . This paper examines the policy relevance of blockchain research in transportation and logistics through a combination of bibliometric analysis, policy-citation mapping, and topic modeling. From 4,461 Scopus-indexed publications, only 138 (≈3%) were cited in policy documents, underscoring a gap between scholarly output and policy uptake. Sensitivity analysis shows that this proportion increases substantially when low-impact papers are excluded, indicating that policymakers tend to cite highly visible and influential works. Regression analysis further confirms that scholarly visibility (Scopus citations) is the strongest predictor of policy uptake, while open access is consistently associated with higher policy citations even after controlling for journal impact factor. Effect size tests reinforce this pattern, with policy-cited papers averaging 157 more Scopus citations than non-cited papers. Topic modeling revealed four dominant clusters among policy-cited research: sustainable supply chains, smart energy systems, digital identity in transport, and UAV/drone applications. These themes are closely aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals and the Industry 5.0 pillars of sustainability, resilience, and human-centric innovation.