English as a Foreign Language (EFL)Writing Instruction: A Review of Bibliometric Analysis

Writing instruction is a prominent topic in the field of English as a Foreign Language (EFL). Numerous studies have explored it from various perspectives. However, none has yet provided a bibliometric review of EFL writing instruction. To close the gap, a bibliometric review study was developed to gain insightful information on the current state and trends of EFL writing instruction as well as gaps that need addressing. The bibliometric approach in the current study used the tools--VOS viewer and SC Imago to analyze 2417 publications, which were derived from the Web of Science Database 2013-2024 and based on the criteria of the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA). The extracted data were analyzed regarding the publications’ trajectory, countries, researchers, journals, and keywords. The main findings of EFL writing instruction’ current state was that, despite occasional fluctuations, annual publications in this field are increasing. Also, China and Iran emerged as the significant contributors and collaborators in the field, whereas Africa produces and collaborates the least. Furthermore, researchers from Asian countries produced the most publications and gained the most citations, as well as journals with the most publications and the highest citations came from two countries, namely the United States as well as the United Kingdom. The research trend shifted from the topics including "professional development," "beliefs," and "CLIL” to "virtual reality," "COVID-19," "blended learning," "writing performance," and "engagement". Future studies should perform in-depth bibliometric analyses from perspectives of bibliographic coupling as well as intellectual structure.