Bibliometric analysis of publications on data literacy: Web of Science database review

The importance of data literacy has surged alongside the advancement of information and communication technologies, becoming crucial for interpreting and utilizing data across various domains such as education, business, research, and everyday life. Data literacy can be applied in educational settings, business processes, academic research, or personal decision-making processes, and equipping them with the necessary skills to interpret data and extract new values from it. This study aims to provide a comprehensive overview of research on data literacy and illuminate current scientific research trends in this field. A total of 1117 publications on data literacy between 2005 and 2023 from the Web of Science (WoS) database were identified through a textual query. The data were visualized and interpreted with the Bibliometrix R package. Key sources, productivity criteria, basic documents, conceptual frameworks, and the social-intellectual structure of the field were unveiled through bibliometric analysis. The research also pinpointed the most impactful publications, authors, journals, universities, and countries involved in data literacy research. The findings not only shed light on the current research scenario but also guide upcoming data literacy research.