Transmedia Storytelling Research Trends: A Bibliometric Analysis (2020-2025)

Transmedia storytelling has emerged as an essential strategy for connecting content across multiple formats, languages, and platforms, particularly in educational, cultural, and social domains. Despite growing interest, there is still a lack of comprehensive bibliometric syntheses that map global research trends and the intellectual structure of the field.

A descriptive and retrospective bibliometric study was conducted using the Scopus database to identify scientific production on transmedia storytelling between 2020 and 2025. The study followed the PRISMA methodology under a mixed post-positivist and constructivist approach and applied the ARA framework (Authors, Journals, Contributions) as the main analytical model. Thirty Scopus-indexed journal articles were selected after applying inclusion and exclusion criteria. VOSviewer (2025) was used to generate co-occurrence maps and identify conceptual clusters.

The analysis revealed a predominance of qualitative studies, with strong contributions from Spain, Brazil, Ecuador, Colombia, and Portugal. Spanish and Brazilian authors accounted for more than 60% of the output, confirming an Ibero-American dominance. Thematic analysis identified five major domains: education, cultural heritage, social activism, media innovation, and psychosocial health. Ten main conceptual categories were detected, including transmedia storytelling, adaptation, transmediality, interactive narrative, convergence, higher education, and media convergence. Articles were mainly published in Q1-Q2 Scopus journals in communication, digital education, and cultural studies.

Although still a relatively young field, transmedia storytelling research shows clear interdisciplinary expansion and diversification. The findings highlight the growing academic and social relevance of transmedia storytelling as a driver of social transformation, meaningful learning, and critical participation. Future studies should deepen methodological diversification, promote international collaboration, and strengthen the empirical assessment of social impact, particularly in underrepresented regions of the Global South.