Purpose

The enormous amount of waste generated and the scarcity of natural resources worldwide have encouraged societies and industries to adopt the Circular Supply Chain (CSC) concept. With a focus on zero-waste generation, Circular Economy (CE) mimics the ecosystem cycle as an alternative to the traditional linear economic model. This paper aims to investigate the evolution of research themes in this research area, hence, trace the trajectory of development in the field of CSC.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors conduct scientometric analysis using Pajek and VOSviewer software to identify key themes in the Circular Supply Chain Management (CSCM) field. The Citation Path Analysis (CPA), including Main Path and Local Path analysis, has been followed by a critical review of the papers. This paper includes highlighting the interrelationships between the information flows in the topic of study as well as an analysis of keywords co-occurrence.

Findings

The analysis of keywords co-occurrence revealed that the earlier years of research in CSC were more inclined toward value chain, stakeholders and green supply chains, whereas, in recent years, topics like logistics, Industry 4.0 and food supply chain have been more focused upon. Further, the Main Path Analysis (MPA) revealed an evolving trajectory that examines challenges and opportunities in CSC, the economic aspects of implementing CSC, the impact on the firm's revenue growth and collaboration between multiple echelons of a supply chain and Industry 4.0.

Research limitations/implications

The adoption of scientometrics analysis unveils the hidden flow of information, various themes of research and their interconnections. The development of research trajectories and progressive attention paid to certain topics is also discovered. The research findings could be used by researchers for further theoretical and research development.

Originality/value

This paper traces the path of development in the field of CSC and its emerging trends and provides a thorough understanding of the same. It enables research scholars to conduct an in-depth study in the CSC domain, adding to the body of literature.

中文翻译：

---

循环供应链领域的演化轨迹：引用路径分析

目的

全球产生的大量废物和自然资源的稀缺鼓励社会和行业采用循环供应链（CSC）概念。循环经济（CE）以零废物产生为重点，模仿生态系统循环，作为传统线性经济模式的替代方案。本文旨在调查该研究领域研究主题的演变，从而追踪CSC领域的发展轨迹。

设计/方法论/途径

作者使用 Pajek 和 VOSviewer 软件进行科学计量分析，以确定循环供应链管理 (CSCM) 领域的关键主题。引文路径分析（CPA），包括主路径和局部路径分析，随后对论文进行了严格审查。本文包括强调研究主题中信息流之间的相互关系以及关键词共现的分析。

发现

关键词共现分析显示，CSC早年的研究更倾向于价值链、利益相关者和绿色供应链，而近年来则更关注物流、工业4.0和食品供应链等话题。 。此外，主路径分析 (MPA) 揭示了一条不断发展的轨迹，该轨迹检查了 CSC 的挑战和机遇、实施 CSC 的经济方面、对公司收入增长的影响以及供应链和工业 4.0 多个梯队之间的协作。

研究局限性/影响

科学计量学分析的采用揭示了隐藏的信息流、各种研究主题及其相互联系。还发现了研究轨迹的发展和对某些主题的逐渐关注。研究人员可以将研究结果用于进一步的理论和研究发展。

原创性/价值

本文追溯了 CSC 领域的发展路径及其新兴趋势，并提供了对其的透彻理解。它使研究学者能够在 CSC 领域进行深入研究，丰富文献体系。