The thematic structure of corpus linguistics research from 1996 to 2024: a science-mapping analysis based on Web of Science

This study examines the thematic structure of corpus linguistics research based on publications indexed in the Web of Science Core Collection between 1996 and 2024. Using a science-mapping framework that integrates co-word analysis of author keywords, multidimensional scaling, and strategic diagram analysis, the study analyses 2,341 publications to identify major thematic areas and position them within the field. The findings indicate that terminology-related studies occupy a relatively stable and recurrent position within the thematic structure of corpus linguistics and are frequently associated with applied contexts and sustained theoretical engagement. In addition, by extending the temporal scope to the post-pandemic period, this study demonstrates how corpus linguistics has readjusted its thematic structure in response to sociopolitical disruptions and accelerating technological developments, with a growing emphasis on discourse-oriented and cognitively informed studies. In this context, mapping thematic research areas provides a structured account of the field’s intellectual organisation and highlights how shifts in thematic emphasis reflect the field’s ongoing negotiation between stability and openness under changing sociopolitical conditions and digital technologies.