Mapping Two Decades of Academic Burnout Research: Key Insights and Future Directions

Academic burnout has become a growing concern in education and psychology, especially in the context of rising academic demands and the increasing digitalization of learning. This study seeks to map the intellectual landscape of academic burnout research across Chinese and international contexts from 2002 to 2023. Using CiteSpace, we examined publication trends, author collaborations, and keyword dynamics based on data from the Web of Science Core Collection and China National Knowledge Infrastructure. Results indicate a marked increase in international publications after 2019, whereas research in China has shown a more gradual progression. Keyword co-occurrence and burst analyses reveal shared concerns—such as academic stress and mental health—while also highlighting a growing international emphasis on personality traits, depressive symptoms, and burnout among medical students. The evolution of research themes reflects theoretical insights from the Job Demands–Resources model and Self-Determination Theory, underscoring the role of student motivation, emotional resources, and coping mechanisms. Emerging topics such as online learning and Internet addiction point to a shift in focus toward addressing burnout in digital learning environments. Future research should apply longitudinal designs, enhance theoretical integration, and develop culturally responsive, need-supportive interventions that respond to the evolving challenges of student well-being in increasingly digitized and high-pressure academic settings.