Foundations and trends in the darknet-related criminals in the last 10 years: a systematic literature review and bibliometric analysis

Abstract

After the Silk Road closure, many studies started focusing on the trend and patterns of darknet-related crimes in the 2010s. This first study combined a systematic literature review and bibliometric analysis in the field. This study clarifies 49 articles in criminology and penology among 1150 publications relating to the darknet on the Web of Science database to review and analyze the research evolutions of this topic in the last decade. The main findings point out (1) almost all leading authors with their most influential papers came from the Global South with predominant contributions; (2) unbalancing publications between regional scholars and their institutions and countries although the darknet-related criminals occurred and operated without border; and (3) some specialized themes have identified to call further extensive research such as policing interventions in the darknet and flows of the cryptocurrency in cryptomarkets, among others.