A Bibliometric Analysis of Digital Ethics in Social Studies Online Learning from 2009 – 2025: Does This Field Require Further Research?

Over the past 15 years, a limited but growing number of studies have addressed the issue of digital ethics (DigEth) within the context of social studies online learning (SSOL), although the body of research remains limited. This study employed bibliometric methods to systematically research the field of publication on DigEth in SSOL from 2009 to 2025; 53 documents on publication were identified from the Scopus database as of March 6, 2025. The findings indicate a significant increase in publications over the past two years, although their distribution remains uneven both geographically and thematically. Accordingly, future studies are encouraged to broaden the scope of inquiry. Integrating additional databases, such as the Web of Science, could further enhance the generalizability of the findings. This study has important implications for scholars, educators, and policymakers concerned with ethical issues in digital spaces and online learning environments. Moreover, the results may open new avenues for future research and advance scholarly publications on this topic.