September 28, 2025Open Access

Exploring research dynamics in Open, Distance and Online Learning (ODOL): a scientometric study

Key Points

A significant increase in publications and citations for open distance and online learning was observed in 2023, indicating growing interest.
Analyzing 55 years of data, the USA emerged as a leading contributor to the field, with Martin Florence being the most impactful author.
The research employed a bibliometric review using scopus and various software tools like VOSviewer, providing a comprehensive assessment of the landscape.
Insights revealed consistency with Lotka's law in scientific productivity, but the analysis did not conform to Bradford’s Law or Zipf's Law.

Abstract

Abstract Purpose This study seeks to conduct a quantitative assessment of literature associated with “Open, Distance and Online Learning”. Given the increasing constraints in recent years, students are forced to continue their education in Open, Distance and Online mode. Consequently, a thorough bibliometric review of sources available for Open, Distance and Online Learning students was done using “Scopus”. The data was then analyzed to uncover opportunities for the stakeholders to know the research trend in publications of Open, Distance and Online mode. Design and methodology The information from Scopus was meticulously extracted using exclusion and inclusion criteria using PRISMA approach. The collected data were subsequently analyzed using MS Excel and bibliometric softwares VOSviewer and Biblioshiny-R. Findings The study was focused on the publication during the 1970–2024 (55 years) related to the ODOL. Significant spurt in publications and citations was observed in the year 2023 (327 publications) and in the year 2014 (5327 citations) respectively. USA had made significant contribution in the ODOL domain. Martin Florence is the highly impactful author with h-index of 11, g-index of 16. International Review in Open and Distance of Research Learning published by Athabasca University is the most influential journal. The analysis of the data does not confirm to Bradford’s Law and Zipf's Law in the ODOL domain. However, the results revealed consistency of Lotka’s law of scientific productivity. Originality The paper aims to understand the scientometric landscape of journal publications in Open, Distance, and Online Learning. The findings offer valuable insights for both distance researchers and learners. Beyond addressing a gap in the existing literature, the study serves as a crucial reference for those scholars keen on investigating the development and trends associated with Open, Distance and Online Learning journals across the globe.

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Cite This Study

Verma et al. (Thu,) studied this question.

synapsesocial.com/papers/68d913b24ddcf71ba560bf93 https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1007/s44217-025-00776-0

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