Sociology

Qualitative research

Pure mathematics

Dimension (graph theory)

Mathematics

Social science

Internationalization

Citation analysis

Epistemology

Empirical research

Library science

Philosophy

Political science

Artificial intelligence

Management

Economics

Microeconomics

International business

Originality

Citation

Computer science

Conceptualization

Phenomenon

Reading (process)

Multinational Business Review

Purpose This paper aims to identify the most influential papers/authors, publication outlets and theoretical and empirical research topics of the international new venture (INV) literature. Design/methodology/approach The authors examine the intellectual structure of the INV literature using bibliometric citation and co-citation analysis. The authors focus on the 100 most cited papers in this research stream published between 1994 and 2015. In the post-hoc reading, they supplement their main bibliometric techniques with the content analysis method to shed light on some issues. Findings The authors find that the literature has grown significantly over the past two decades, increasing its relevancy in the academic discourse. The findings show the interdisciplinary nature of the INV literature, where we can find different research topics: Definition of INVs, measurements of “newness” and “degree of internationalization” and the characteristics of international entrepreneurs; time dimension in terms of speed of internationalization; international versus domestic new ventures; and the relationships between firm-specific advantages, international strategy and INV performance. Originality/value The authors identify the most influential studies and authors in the INV discipline and show its evolution from the very start to the present. They present the key topics in the literature and highlight the theoretical debates and the inconsistencies between theoretical conceptualization and measurements in the empirical work. The authors offer suggestions for promising future research directions and identify the major conceptual framework on which future research can be constructed. Overall, this study contributes to enhance the understanding of the INV phenomenon and provides useful new insights.

Intellectual structure of international new venture research