Exploring the Rule of Law in Academic Discourse: Bibliometric Description and Thematic Analysis with the Web of Science Data

The rule of law is a foundational concept of state governance, admired for its ideals but also subject to significant controversy, particularly concerning its precise definition. Given the complexity of this evolving field, both in theory and practice, our article analyzes the existing academic literature on the rule of law. First and foremost, it aims to tackle the research question of what the thematic focus is within the rule of law literature. To accomplish this, the article extracts data from the Web of Science (WoS) and employs a bibliometric analysis that includes topic modeling and network analysis techniques. The article likewise presents a rich description of the field by elucidating its intellectual structure and identifying, among other aspects, key sources, references, and influential authors. This article serves as an invaluable resource for those who are new to the field of the rule of law, providing a concise and comprehensive overview of its complex landscape.