A Decade Of Research On Ground Improvement For Road Embankments On Soft Ground: A Bibliometric And Science-Mapping Review

Abstract

This article presents a bibliometric and science-mapping review of studies on ground improvement for road embankments on soft ground published from 2016 to 2025. Bibliographic records were obtained from Scopus and Web of Science, combined into one database, screened using a PRISMA-style procedure, and analysed using Biblioshiny. The results indicate a stable conceptual core; however, there remains limited integration across different treatment families. Embankment and geosynthetic emerged as motor themes, while prefabricated vertical drains, soft soil, and soft ground served as central but less consolidated basic themes. Thematic evolution from 2016-2020 to 2021-2025 indicates increasing specialisation toward road-embankment behaviour, geosynthetic reinforcement, load transfer, peat serviceability, and field validation. Overall, this review reframes the field as an embankment-ground improvement system and identifies hybrid, mechanism-based, and field-validated design as key priorities for future research.