Abstract Digital archives function as critical infrastructures for the preservation, circulation, and reinterpretation of Shakespearean texts and performances. Despite substantial practical development, the interdisciplinary research landscape of Shakespeare digital archiving has not yet been systematically synthesized. A Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses-guided systematic review is therefore conducted, drawing on thirty-two studies published between 1990 and 2025 in the Web of Science and Scopus databases. By integrating cross-analysis of thematic and methodological development, this review provides the first structured synthesis of the field’s evolution over thirty-five years. Although participation from non-Western regions has increased, institutional leadership and scholarly authority remain largely concentrated within Western academic contexts. Research themes have broadened from early technical implementation to include pedagogy and interculturality, but conventional infrastructural and editorial standards continue to shape practice. Methodologically, qualitative case-based inquiry persists as the dominant paradigm, while quantitative and user-centered approaches remain comparatively marginal. This review positions Shakespeare digital archiving as a critical site where technological standards and institutional authority intersect, contributing to broader debates in digital humanities regarding openness, participation, and democratization.
Qingchen et al. (Fri,) studied this question.