Conservation and Protection Treatments for Cultural Heritage: Insights and Trends from a Bibliometric Analysis

Cultural heritage is a fundamental part of the society’s identity, and its conservation is of great relevance as it transcends time and memory. To minimize its deterioration, cultural heritage has traditionally undergone diverse preservation and maintenance treatments, and the attention of researchers to developing new and innovative methods for state diagnosis and protection treatments has been increasing in the recent decades. Despite extensive efforts in preservation, there remains a need for comprehensive and systematic mapping of scientific research to identify emerging trends and innovations in the field. To address this gap, in this study, a literature review using a bibliometric analysis and LDA methodology was conducted to systematically map scientific research outputs on cultural heritage conservation and protection. Data were retrieved from the Scopus database, and the annual publications, countries, most-cited publications, authors, institutions, and keywords have been comprehensively analyzed, leading to the detection of research trends and contributing to the existing knowledge in the field. The findings show an increasing number of studies in this field in the last decades, particularly since 2010. Italy, home to the largest number of UNESCO heritage sites, is the most prolific country. Most of the studies are related to metal, paper, and stone as substrates to be protected. Significant progress has been made in understanding the deterioration processes through precise diagnosis and the development of innovative treatments for protection. In this sense, the latest trends have been detected, such as the use of non-invasive techniques for diagnosis and the use of nanotechnology and nature-based treatments for conservation treatments.