Bridging research and policy: How blockchain research contributes to global transport and logistics regulations

This paper examines the policy relevance of blockchain research in transportation and logistics through a combination of bibliometric analysis, policy-citation mapping, and topic modeling. From 4461 Scopus-indexed publications, only 138 (≈3%) were cited in policy documents, underscoring a gap between scholarly output and policy uptake. Sensitivity analysis shows that this proportion increases substantially when low-impact papers are excluded, indicating that policymakers tend to cite highly visible and influential works. Regression analysis further confirms that scholarly visibility (Scopus citations) is the strongest predictor of policy uptake, while open access is consistently associated with higher policy citations even after controlling for journal impact factor. Effect size tests reinforce this pattern, with policy-cited papers averaging 157 more Scopus citations than non-cited papers. Topic modeling revealed four dominant clusters among policy-cited research: sustainable supply chains, smart energy systems, digital identity in transport, and UAV/drone applications. These themes are closely aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals and the Industry 5.0 pillars of sustainability, resilience, and human-centric innovation.