Associate Professor Dr. Dinu ȚURCANU, Vice-Rector for Digitalization, has once again placed the Technical University of Moldova (UTM) on the international research map with a co-authored scientific paper published in the prestigious journal Computers in Human Behavior Reports, which holds an impact factor of 4.9 and is published by the renowned ELSEVIER group. The journal is ranked in the Q1 quartile by Clarivate Analytics, placing it among the top-tier academic publications globally.
The article is the result of a collaborative effort developed over the past few years between the Faculty of Sociology and Social Work at the University of Bucharest (Dragoș M. Obreja, assistant and PhD candidate); the Faculty of Automation and Computers at the National University of Science and Technology POLITEHNICA Bucharest (Prof. Dr. Eng. Răzvan Rughiniș, Associate Member of the Romanian Academy of Scientists); and the Technical University of Moldova, Faculty of Electronics and Telecommunications / National Institute of Innovation in Cybersecurity “CYBERCOR” (Assoc. Prof. Dr. Eng. Dinu Țurcanu, Vice-Rector for Digitalization).
Together, the authors explored how research in human behavior within cybersecurity has gradually shifted from topics focused on cybercrime and cyberattacks (the “hard” dimension) toward more nuanced subjects like the metaverse, persuasion, innovation, and cryptocurrencies (the “soft” dimension). After undergoing several rounds of peer review, their article titled “What drives new knowledge in human cybersecurity behavior? Insights from bibliometrics and thematic review” was published on March 18, 2025.
Computers in Human Behavior is one of the most highly regarded journals in its field, established in 1985 and published by ELSEVIER. It focuses on human-computer interaction and cyberpsychology, an emerging branch of psychology exploring the psychological effects and implications of computer and digital technology use.
In their study, the authors analyzed current research trends in the field of human behavior and cybersecurity, placing emphasis on the social, cultural, and political dimensions of this field. Their main objective was to identify dominant theories, key themes, and the ways in which knowledge in this area is shaped by power relations, using a Foucauldian framework of power and knowledge. They applied a variety of bibliometric techniques (such as co-citation analysis, keyword co-occurrence, and time-zone analysis) to a dataset of 910 articles indexed in the Web of Science, along with a thematic review of the major types of knowledge associated with cybersecurity research. The themes explored show a shift away from the Eurocentric paradigm of cybersecurity, bringing into focus several adjacent orientations:
- Global South knowledge: highlighting the technological and social challenges of less-represented geographic regions.
- Ethically-oriented knowledge: showcasing alternative understandings in cybersecurity, such as ethical hacking.
- Ideologically-oriented knowledge: emphasizing the disproportionate cybersecurity risks faced by disadvantaged social groups, including racial or sexual minorities.
The publication of this research in Computers in Human Behavior Reports brings significant international visibility to UTM’s academic community, making the work accessible via Science Direct to millions of researchers around the world. It enhances the reputation of both the authors and the institutions involved, reinforcing their position among leading research universities globally.
The full article is available here: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chbr.2025.100650
