# A Bibliometric Analysis and Visualization of In-Vehicle Communication Protocols
## 1 Introduction  
The automotive industry's growth has been heavily influenced by incorporating electronic components and communication interfaces, which are fundamental in creating contemporary intelligent transportation systems [1]. Basic safety functions, as well as advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), can be performed, and in-vehicle communication protocols allow for the interfacing of numerous electronic control units (ECUs) within vehicles [2, 3]. These functionalities have become essential with the progressive steps towards automation, increased electrification, and improved connectivity of these vehicles [4]. Communication protocols significantly impact these systems' performance, reliability, and efficiency [5]. Of the numerous in-vehicle protocols developed for communication,the most widely adopted include Controller Area Network (CAN), Local Interconnect Network (LIN), FlexRay, Media Oriented Systems Transport (MOST), and most recently, Automotive Ethernet [6]. Each protocol has its technical and functional strengths. Robustness is a prominent attribute of CAN, making it commonplace in powertrain and chassis systems. LIN provides cost-effective solutions to low-speed networks, aiding window and mirror controls [7]. FlexRay offers high-speed and deterministic communication for safety-critical applications, and MOST informs systems that require high-capacity bandwidth. In context, the use of Automotive Ethernet marks a paradigm shift toward a standard capable of sustaining the massive data transfer requirements posed by autonomous driving technologies [8]. The growing intricacy and the incorporation of vehicular systems sharpened professional focus in academia and industry toward intensive research into these protocols [9]. Bibliometric analysis stands out for its ability to chart the temporal progression of scholarly interest, significant publications, key authors, and emerging research focus areas. Such reviews are beneficial for developing insights into knowledge silos, areas where a given technology is overly focused, or insight gaps for future research. This bibliometric review synthesizes the research literature on in-vehicle communication protocols into a coherent structure. This study uses citation and publication analytics combined with thematic grouping to chart the scientific discourse on CAN, LIN, FlexRay, MOST, and Automotive Ethernet. The impact of in-vehicle communication protocols was evaluated using bibliometric analysis, which identified remarkable works, developing trends, and gaps in the research. Bibliometric analysis was needed to provide an organized, evidentiary summary of the domain's scientific advancement and collaboration activities. This study aims to identify the most substantial publications, authors, and journals in terms of in-vehicle communication protocols for co-authorship, institutional, and keyword networks to be visualized and to showcase the development of emerging themes and trends in technology, such as AI, security, and protocol innovation. These goals contribute to the analysis process and this study's contribution to scholarship. To enhance clarity and align with scholarly review standards, the objectives of this study have been explicitly stated in a structured format. The objectives of this study are as follows:  
* To identify the most influential publications, authors, and journals in the domain of in-vehicle communication protocols, including CAN, LIN, FlexRay, MOST, and Automotive Ethernet. * To map and analyze co-authorship, institutional collaborations, and country-level contributions within the field. * To uncover key thematic areas, keyword trends, and emerging research directions using co-occurrence and co-citation analysis. * To explore the integration of modern technologies such as AI and cybersecurity into vehicular networks based on publication trends and citation metrics.