The trend of e-learning research: a bibliometric analysis

E-learning has become a central component of higher education. However, the rapid expansion of research across artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning, analytics, gamification, and digital learning has produced a fragmented knowledge landscape. Existing bibliometric studies remain limited in scope, database coverage, disciplinary focus, or sample size, creating a need for a more comprehensive assessment of recent publication patterns, influential contributors, emerging themes, and neglected areas in e-learning research. This study addresses this gap through a bibliometric analysis of 2,000 Scopus-indexed documents from 2023–2026, including early-access records assigned to 2026. Bibliographic data were cleaned and harmonised using OpenRefine and biblioMagika®, while performance indicators and author-keyword co-occurrence networks were analysed using biblioMagika® and VOSviewer. The dataset comprised 7,694 contributing authors, 940 cited publications, and 5,165 citations, with an h-index of 27. India, Indonesia, and China were the most productive countries, while notable disparities emerged between publication volume and citation influence across authors, institutions, and sources. Keyword co-occurrence analysis identified five interconnected thematic clusters centred on learning experience and technology acceptance, advanced technologies quality, artificial intelligence infrastructure, and assessment, engagement, computational analysis, and pedagogical and training contexts. AI, machine learning, adaptive learning, gamification, and learning analytics represent prominent contemporary research fronts. However, foundational instructional design approaches, particularly the ADDIE model, remain comparatively peripheral to the dominant technology-oriented network. The study therefore reveals a technology pedagogy imbalance in contemporary e-learning scholarship. It provides an evidence-based paper for researchers and higher education institutions seeking to align technological innovation with stronger pedagogical and instructional-design foundations.