Open educational resources in developing countries: A bibliometric and content analysis between 2008–2023

This study conducted a bibliometric and content analysis on 434 Scopus-indexed articles, published from 2008 to 2023, with the aim of building a comprehensive knowledge map of Open Educational Resources (OER) in the context of developing countries. Utilizing the VOSviewer and Biblioshiny tools, the authors explored publication trends, international collaboration networks, influential publication sources, prominent authors, and core research topics. A notable finding is the sharp increase in the number of studies, particularly during the 2019–2023 period, reflecting OER’s essential role in meeting the online learning needs driven by the COVID-19 pandemic. Geographically, Spain, China, and India led in the volume of publications, which indicates strong research collaboration among these nations. In-depth keyword analysis identified OER as the central keyword, revolving around related topics such as MOOCs, COVID-19, e-learning, and open courseware (OCW). The research also highlighted clear international cooperation links among countries and authors, as well as the relationships between authors and specialized journals. More importantly, this study explored new opportunities for developing the OER community, enhancing international collaboration, and formulating policies to support the more effective use of OER in the future.