Objective:

This research aims to characterize the current scientific literature on the different models of International Market Selection (IMS) used by Microenterprises, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) within their internationalization processes.

Design:

This characterization was made from a bibliometric and content analysis of academic publications on the two categories. Besides, based on these findings, it was conducted another search considering the papers cited in these publications (backward), and the documents which are cited by them (forward).

Findings:

Smaller companies mostly use cognition and qualitative models to select the target market abroad. For their part, medium-sized companies have a greater tendency to apply quantitative models to more efficiently carry out the IMS process, mainly using macroeconomic factors, and, to a lesser extent, microeconomic ones. The use of qualitative and quantitative techniques for the selection of international markets is highly limited in small and medium enterprises.

Originality and value:

The findings described characterize the state of the art of research on SME and selection of international markets, with an emphasis on the last ten years. This allows to identify empty in the literature and possible fields of action for the further development of this area of ​​knowledge.

JEL: F10; F20; F23; M31; M39

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