Dancing with the algorithm: introducing a multi-phased bibliometric approach for advancing Arctic Social Science research

Abstract

This study explores a multi-phased bibliometric analysis (BA) approachas a methodological contribution to Arctic Social Science research. It proposes BA as a structured tool for conducting literature reviews inhighly interdisciplinary fields, where boundaries between disciplines and knowledge domains are fluid. By applying this approach to Arctic research – an area marked by epistemic diversity and complex thematic intersections – the study demonstrates how BA can map conceptual trajectories, reveal emerging patterns, and support cumulative understanding. Rather than treating BA as a purely technical procedure, the article frames it as a reflexive practice embedded in relational processes of knowledge co-production. Grounded in a new materialist perspective, it emphasises the entanglement of human and technological agency in shaping research. The approach integrates principles such as cultural sensitivity and collaborative validation. Ultimately, thiswork positions Arctic research not as the object of analysis, but asa dynamic context to illustrate how BA can navigate interdisciplinary complexity in the social sciences.