A bibliometric analysis of statistical methods used for river water quality assessment & monitoring during the last three decades (1992–2023)

Abstract

In the present study, the bibliometric study was performed to assess the river water quality using statistical techniques. There were 681 articles pertinent to river water quality assessment using statistical methods published by the Scopus database from 1992 to 2023. A bibliometric analysis pinpoints the most notable and productive journals, scholars, publications and nations in the subject of study. Keyword analysis also found that river water quality assessment using statistical methods such as machine learning, water quality indexing and health risk assessment are hot topics. The analysis revealed four distinct, interconnected themes that effectively characterize the current state of research on river water quality assessment using statistical methods. These four thematic clusters represent the major areas of focus and methodological approaches currently employed in this field. Based on these identified clusters, highlight promising avenues for future research, suggesting how these established themes can be further developed and expanded upon to advance the field. Subsequently, a research framework was introduced, outlining potential future research directions. This bibliometric analysis provides a comprehensive overview of existing research on river water quality assessment. This study synthesizes prior research to map trends, key contributions and gaps, providing an overview of the field's development. © 2025 CIWEM.