The purpose of this study is to analyse the scientific trajectory of the Journal of Modelling in Management (JM2) from 2006 to 2025, assessing its performance, intellectual structure, collaboration patterns and thematic evolution, to understand its role in the development and consolidation of modelling-based management research in the international academic landscape.
This study adopts a quantitative, descriptive and retrospective bibliometric approach. Data were collected exclusively from the Scopus database, covering all documents published in JM2 between 2006 and 2025. A total of 826 records were analysed using PyBibX for performance indicators and VOSviewer and Bibliometrix for science mapping techniques, including co-authorship, co-citation, bibliographic coupling and keyword co-occurrence analyses. In addition, latent topic modelling based on Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA) was applied to examine the thematic structure and temporal evolution of the journal’s research agenda.
The results indicate a sustained growth in JM2’s scientific output, citation impact and international collaboration, with contributions from 74 countries and 914 institutions and an average collaboration index of 2.72. The journal exhibits a hybrid and interdisciplinary intellectual structure, combining classical decision science foundations with strategic management, organisational theory and advanced quantitative methods. The thematic analysis reveals an evolution from an initial focus on modelling, simulation and supply chain management towards a diversified research agenda that increasingly incorporates sustainability, fintech, digital innovation, risk and resilience, healthcare management and advanced decision support systems, reflecting the journal’s responsiveness to emerging managerial challenges.
This study provides the most comprehensive and up-to-date bibliometric overview of the JM2, covering nearly two decades of publication. By integrating performance analysis, science mapping and latent topic modelling, the paper offers original insights into the journal’s intellectual development, thematic diversification and global positioning. The findings contribute to a deeper understanding of how JM2 has shaped and reflected the evolution of modelling methodologies in management research, offering valuable guidance for authors, editors, reviewers and policymakers.
