A tale of PLS Structural Equation Modelling: Episode I- A Bibliometrix Citation Analysis

The structure of knowledge about Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) based on the Partial Least Squares (PLS) estimator has been analysed by systematic and reproducible bibliometric citation analysis. This contribution aims to create a dynamic picture of the PLS-SEM research activity to support scholars with an enhanced understanding of the history, the present and the future directions of this fascinating modelling approach. Analysis was conducted using the Bibliometrix packageR with documents extracted (n = 3,854) from the Web of Science (WoS) database by Clarivate. Hence, we find seminal papers in the context of PLS-SEM as well as the diffusion and use in different research domains, suggesting new directions of applications. We also identify the collaboration networks involving authors and countries to highlight the new potential for cooperation from a co-authorship and international project standpoint. Furthermore, the dynamics of the sources indicate the interest of journals in this field in a dissemination role, which can assist authors in selecting a suitable publisher. Finally, the historiographic overview shows the dominant topics and the possible evolution in the citation analysis from the theoretical and application angles.