There are various statistical methods serving to analyse data and test hypotheses. The structural equation modelling method is nonetheless one of the most widespread as it allows to estimate complex causal relationships between different variables. Moreover, has been greatly promoted since the emergence of new information and communication technologies. This paper presents a quantitative study of the performance and evolution of research applying structural equation modelling in Social Sciences. SciMAT software has served for the bibliometric analysis. The results indicate that the thematic areas revealing the greatest relevance throughout the last three decades (1990–2019) are behaviour and health. This contribution of this study is that it offers a comprehensive view of the status quo and predicts further research trends.

中文翻译：

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应用结构方程建模方法对研究成果和趋势进行定量评价

有多种统计方法可用于分析数据和检验假设。结构方程建模方法仍然是最普遍的方法之一，因为它允许估计不同变量之间的复杂因果关系。而且，自从新的信息和通信技术出现以来，得到了极大的推动。本文对在社会科学中应用结构方程模型的研究的表现和演变进行了定量研究。SciMAT 软件已用于文献计量分析。结果表明，在过去三个十年（1990-2019 年）中显示出最大相关性的主题领域是行为和健康。本研究的这一贡献在于它提供了对现状的全面了解并预测了进一步的研究趋势。