Abstract The use of technology within single-case design research has expanded exponentially across disciplines, which necessitates a better understanding of global scientific knowledge and patterns. We aimed to empirically map the evolution of knowledge in single-case design methodology using technology. In the semi-automated screening process, we identified 3,637 publications from the Web of Science, spanning the years 1970 to 2025. The Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis was ranked highest in h -index and g -index, and Behavior Analysis in Practice had the highest m -index. The United States was the country with the most authors affiliated. A total of 15 topics emerged through contextualized topic modeling. Primary topics most addressed across decades included health interventions , video modeling , telehealth services , and function-based interventions (topical coverage = 10.83% to 13.75%). Word co-occurrence networks and Bayesian negative binomial piecewise regression verified changes in the knowledge detected in word patterns. The trend in word usage was steeper for reused words than for new words from the 1970s to the 2020s. Among reused words, “multiple,” “baseline,” “design” with “functional,” “analysis” and “single,” “case,” and “treatment” consistently had high eigenvector centrality, bridging new words across multiple topics. Regarding the expansion of new words in research, video modeling surged in 2010, and social skills interventions , telehealth services , and mathematics instruction exhibited accelerating trends after 2010, with a credible increase of 1.16 times that of function-based interventions for social skills interventions . These findings highlight dynamic knowledge evolution and continued attention to understanding the diversity of the research landscape.
Shin et al. (Wed,) studied this question.