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The impact of building information modeling (BIM) on various aspects of project management has attracted much attention in the past decade. However, previous studies have focused on a particular facet of project management (e.g., safety, quality, facility management) and within identified target journals. Despite numerous existing studies, there is limited research on the mainstream research topics, gaps and future research directions on BIM in project management. This study aims to conduct a bibliometric and science mapping review of published articles on BIM in project management and to identify mainstream research topics, research gaps and future research directions in this domain.

A science mapping approach consisting of bibliometric search, scientometric analysis and qualitative discussion was used to analyze 521 journal articles that were retrieved from the Scopus database and related to BIM in project management. In the scientometric analysis, keyword co-occurrence analysis and document analysis were performed. This was followed by a qualitative discussion that seeks to propose a framework summarizing the interconnection between the mainstream research topics, research gaps and future research directions.

Six mainstream research topics were found including (1) BIM-enabled advanced digital technologies, (2) BIM-based reinforcement and enhancement, (3) BIM and project composition, (4) BIM project elements and attributes, (5) BIM-based collaboration and communication and (6) BIM-based information and data. Moreover, this study discussed six research gaps, namely, (1) integration of BIM and other digital technologies, (2) future maturity of BIM applications in project management, (3) application of BIM in project components and processes, (4) role of BIM application in project elements and attributes, (5) impact of collaboration and communication in BIM application and (6) stability of information and data interaction. Furthermore, future research directions were discussed.

The findings and proposed framework contribute to providing a deeper understanding to researchers, policymakers and practitioners in the development of related research and practice in the domain of BIM in project management, thus, promoting digital transformation in project management. Overall, it adds to the global knowledge domain in BIM and promotes the need for digital and data integration, BIM maturity and BIM collaboration.

Given the growing concern about employees' well-being, numerous researchers have investigated the causes and effects of occupational stress. However, a review study on identifying existing research topics and gaps is still deficient in the extant literature. To fill this gap, this review study aims to present a bibliometric and science mapping approach to review the state-of-the-art journal articles published on occupational stress in the construction industry.

A three-fold comprehensive review approach consisting of bibliometric review, scientometric analysis and in-depth qualitative discussion was employed to review 80 journal articles in Scopus.

Through qualitative discussions, mainstream research topics were summarized, research gaps were identified and future research directions were proposed as follows: versatile stressors and stress model; an extended subgroup of factors in safety behavior; adaptation of multiple biosensors and bio-feedbacks; evaluation and comparison of organizational stress interventions; and incorporation of artificial intelligence and smart technologies into occupational stress management in construction.

The findings of this review study present a well-rounded framework to identify the research gaps in this field to advance research in the academic community and enhance employees' well-being in construction.

The construction industry (CI) has been identified as one of the most challenging sectors for stakeholders to achieve organizational success. Although previous studies had examined both organizational leadership (OL) and employee well-being (EWB) in the CI, a bibliometric and systematic analysis of published articles is hitherto lacking. Therefore, this paper aims to conduct a bibliometric and scientometric review of published articles related to OL and EWB in the CI between 2008 and 2022.

A three-step method consisting of a bibliometric analysis, a scientometric analysis and an in-depth discussion were used. A total of 1,114 articles met the inclusion criteria. All articles were retrieved from the Scopus database.

The results present an in-depth discussion of the research publication trends, keywords co-occurrence analysis, document analysis and countries/regions analysis. This review paper identified three main research gaps in OL and EWB in the CI, namely, project management, technology innovation and people orientation. It also proposes “OL-EWB in the CI”' mechanisms and a theoretical framework to guide future research directions.

This review paper theoretically fills the gap in the lack of research summarizing OL and EWB in the CI and provides research gaps and trends for achieving a win-win situation for both companies and employees.

Cost overrun is a significant issue in construction, an undesirable feature the industry has long been associated with. Poor procurement practices are often blamed for subsequent cost overruns in construction, especially with conventional procurement methods leading to outrageous cost overruns. The purpose of this study is to review the features of the new models of construction procurement (NMCP) and assess their potential to reduce cost overruns in construction projects.

A literature review was conducted to identify the issues of procurement leading to cost escalations. Primary data were obtained through exploratory, semi-structured interviews using a case study approach.

Clients’ lack of knowledge was highlighted as a key issue in procurement that interlinks with many factors causing cost escalation. The findings suggest that the features contained within the NMCP, such as early contractor involvement and collaboration throughout the project team, have the potential to make a positive contribution to addressing cost escalation in construction.

The primary research was undertaken as an exploratory study and presents the contractor's perspective. Further research is therefore suggested, with multiple organisations representing all key stakeholders in a construction project, including clients, consultants, sub-contractors and suppliers.

The study recommends awareness of the NMCP be raised throughout the industry, and simplified information must be made available to help widen uptake of these contemporary procurement methods.

Addressing the dearth of research concerning the use of NMCP within the industry, this study makes a niche contribution to the body of knowledge on construction cost management by illustrating the potential offered by these new procurement methods for addressing cost escalation. For an industry where collaboration is accepted with reservations, this case study demonstrates how novel collaborative strategies such as open book costing, project bank accounts and shared pain and gain mechanisms can be implemented as part of the procurement strategy and how such strategies can contribute towards minimising the cost escalation inherent in construction projects.

The application of three-dimensional (3D) printing technology in construction projects is of increasing interest to researchers and construction practitioners. Although the application of 3D printing technology at various stages of the project lifecycle has been explored, few studies have identified the relative importance of critical success factors (CSFs) for implementing 3D printing technology in construction projects. To address this research gap, this study aims to explore the academics (i.e. researchers) and construction practitioners’ perspectives on CSFs for implementing 3D printing technology in construction projects.

To do this, a questionnaire was administered to participants (i.e. academics and construction practitioners) with knowledge and expertise in 3D printing technology in construction projects. The collected data were analysed using mean score ranking, normalization and rank agreement analysis to identify CSFs and determine the consistency of the ranking of CSFs between academics and construction practitioners. In addition, exploratory factor analysis was used to identify the relationships and underlying constructs of the measured CSFs.

Through a rank agreement analysis of the collected data, 11 CSFs for implementing 3D printing technology were retrieved (i.e. 17% agreement), indicating a diverse agreement in the ranking of the CSFs between academics and construction practitioners. In addition, the results show three key components of CSFs including “production demand enabling CSFs”, “optimize the construction process enabling CSFs” and “optimized design enabling CSFs”.

This study highlights the feasibility of implementing the identified CSFs for 3D printing technology in construction projects, which not only serves as a reference for other researchers but also increases construction practitioners’ awareness of the practical benefits of implementing 3D printing technology in construction projects. Specifically, it would optimize the construction lifecycle processes, enhance digital transformation and promote sustainable construction projects.