Workplace bullying research at a crossroads: a five-decade bibliometric analysis and future pathways

Purpose This study aims to systematically map the intellectual, social and thematic structure of workplace bullying research over the past five decades, providing a consolidated overview of its theoretical foundations, collaborative structures and key research domains. Design/methodology/approach A comprehensive bibliometric analysis was conducted on 3,359 peer-reviewed journal articles and review papers indexed in Scopus from 1975 to 2024. The study integrates performance analysis with science-mapping techniques, including co-citation analysis, co-authorship network analysis and keyword co-occurrence analysis. Findings The results reveal sustained growth in workplace bullying scholarship, shaped by influential contributions on abusive supervision, workplace aggression and incivility. Co-citation analysis identifies four interconnected knowledge domains: conceptual foundations of workplace bullying and aggression; leadership-driven mistreatment and abusive supervision; bullying prevalence, antecedents and consequences and workplace incivility with methodological foundations. Co-authorship networks display a core-periphery structure dominated by the United States, United Kingdom, China and Europe, with increasing participation from Asia, Latin America and Africa, indicating expanding international collaboration. Keyword co-occurrence patterns highlight strong thematic linkages around leadership, employee well-being and organizational support, reflecting the field's integrative and multi-level orientation. Originality/value This study offers one of the most comprehensive bibliometric syntheses of workplace bullying research to date by jointly examining its intellectual, social and conceptual structures within a unified framework. By clarifying conceptual intersections and identifying underexplored areas, the study provides a theoretically informed roadmap for future research and supports the development of evidence-based interventions aimed at fostering psychologically safe and equitable workplaces.