An Analysis of the Ecodesign Scientific Network 1994–2014

Abstract

Although the field of ecodesign has been described by many different types of scientific review, an extensive network analysis has not been provided in literature. The authors explore collaborative network study techniques that are able, based on an extensive database of scientific articles, to visualize how networks have emerged, highlighting coauthor relations. The paper answers questions related to what appear to be and have been the main collaboration networks in the past 20 years. It is found that a giant main cluster of coauthors exists, surrounded by several smaller clusters. By highlighting key authors at different time periods, it was also found that a core group of authors exists who contributed to the field from the start and are still active in the field.