Visualizing the Knowledge Domain of Academic Discourse Studies at the Beginning of 21st Century: A Bibliometric Analysis

Scholars across diverse disciplines have dedicated attention to academic discourse study (ADS), with a particular focus on the development of specific topics. However, the important research topics, methods, and divergent viewpoints within ADS remain unclear. This study adopts a bibliometric approach to systematically synthesize ADS from a disciplinary perspective, offering a comprehensive overview of relevant data over the past two decades. Using CiteSpace, the study analyzes 2,024 published articles and reviews from the Web of Science, focusing on co-citation analysis through clusters, terms, and keywords. Findings reveal that ADS encompasses a wide array of topics spanning linguistics, education, and publication practices. Researchers in ADS tend to favor employ quantitative methods for exploring the use of particular linguistic resources. However, theoretical discussions of ADS appear inadequate. Future developments in ADS may lean towards quantitative methodology and topic-driven investigations for a certain period, emphasizing the necessity for more robust theoretical inquiries.