A Study on the Research Clusters in the Humanitarian Supply Chain Literature: A Systematic Review

<i>Background:</i> The humanitarian supply chain (HSC) literature has observed significant growth in past years. The wide range of research areas and the interdisciplinary nature of humanitarian work have generated the need to examine and classify the literature. Previous reviews have examined particular research domains such as quality, data analytics, performance measurement, and dynamics capabilities. This article examines the HSC literature, tracing its evolution and proposing a systematic review and roadmap for future researchers. <i>Method:</i> We adopted bibliometric, network, and citation analyses to extract insights into the HSC literature. <i>Results:</i> The integrated approach helped map the previous literature and identified research keywords, clusters, authors’ collaborative network, and seven research fields. The literature classification and clustering were performed for the articles published before the literature surge during the COVID-19 pandemic to avoid potential biases that could arise from the significant increase in HSC research published during this period. <i>Conclusions:</i> Some of the original contributions to this article include the classification of research clusters and the identification of emerging research topics in the HSC domain. Our findings indicate research opportunities in the sustainability, performance measurement, and innovation aspects of the HSC. This study provides potential research roadmaps for future research in this field.