A bibliometric analysis of telework research based on Web of Science via VOSviewer

Abstract

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic has sparked increased interest in telework as a means of reducing the spread of the virus and maintaining social distance. OBJECTIVE: This study aims to generate a bibliometric analysis of research progress and trends in telework over the past 20 years. METHOD: A search of key terms was conducted in the Social Science Citation Index, Science Citation Index Expanded, and Arts and Humanities Citation Index categories for documents published on telework from 2000–2023. A total of 3,446 studies were analyzed using VOSviewer for co-citation, co-word, and cluster analysis. RESULTS: Bibliometric analysis revealed that telework research has experienced a significant increase during the COVID-19 pandemic, with the number of publications in 2022 being more than 15 times higher than that in 2019. The analysis revealed that the most commonly researched areas related to telework were applied psychology, management and business. The knowledge base focuses on the antecedents, moderators, mediators, and consequences of telework, and the research primarily centers around seven directions of well-being, mental health, and work-family conflict. A conceptual framework for telework research and suggestions for future investigation are proposed based on the results of the bibliometric analysis. CONCLUSION: This study provides an overview of telework research over the past two decades, highlighting the current status and hot topics in the field. It calls for wider and more active participation of researchers globally to advance the understanding of telework.