1 Introduction

Introduces the origins, development, and evolution of research directions in English for Specific Purposes (ESP). ESP originated in the 1960s. As the role of English in the process of globalization became prominent, language teachers began teaching technical English and emphasizing needs analysis. The research focus of ESP has continuously evolved from grammatical features to multimodal analysis, with its importance increasingly highlighted. This paper will review the development and evolution of ESP research from 2006 to 2025 through bibliometric and qualitative analysis, summarize research hotspots, and look forward to frontier trends.

2 Research Methods

This chapter elaborates on the research methods. Data were sourced from the Web of Science (WoS) Core Collection, limited to the SSCI and A&HCI literature categories. Based on the Handbook of English for Specific Purposes, relevant literature from 2006 to 2025 was retrieved using four thematic search queries. After removing irrelevant documents, 1,128 valid data entries were obtained and imported into CiteSpace. A combination of quantitative and qualitative analysis was employed, utilizing CiteSpace to analyze the development trends of ESP research from multiple dimensions, including changes in publication volume, clustering of high-frequency keywords, etc. Literature data from the last three years were also analyzed to predict potential frontier topics in ESP research.

3 Results and Discussion

An in-depth analysis was conducted on the publication trends, research hotspots, and frontiers in English for Specific Purposes (ESP) research from 2006 to 2025. Regarding publication trends, annual publication volumes were organized using Excel charts. It was found that journal publications on ESP research showed overall phased growth amid fluctuations, divided into three stages: 2006–2012, 2013–2022, and post-2022. The annual publication volume increased from 12 articles in 2006 to 122 articles in 2022, and has remained stable at over 100 articles annually since 2021, indicating that both the scale and depth of ESP research are continuously developing, and it has become an important component of applied linguistics.

In the research hotspots section, a keyword co-occurrence clustering analysis of the literature was performed, resulting in a keyword clustering map for ESP research from 2006 to 2025. The top ten clusters include English for Academic Purposes, ESP, Academic Literacy, etc., with significant cluster structures and high credibility. ESP research hotspots were further subdivided into six areas: genre analysis, academic literacy, etc. Genre analysis encompasses discourse analysis and comparative studies of genre features. Its research objects are continually expanding, and interdisciplinary comparative studies are highly popular. Academic literacy research has extended from basic language skills to academic socialization, academic identity construction, etc., with critical thinking literacy and digital literacy becoming new hotspots. Rhetorical analysis frequently adopts a comparative research approach, with a shift in focus towards linguistic resources such as metadiscourse and metaphor. Corpus linguistics includes both corpus-based and corpus-driven research paradigms. While corpus-based studies constitute the majority, their innovation is insufficient, necessitating a shift towards corpus-driven research. Studies on teaching practice and teacher development account for a high proportion, featuring diverse and innovative teaching models and a broad scope of teacher research. Educational technology has become a hotspot, with increasing research on teaching models and learning support tools. The application of AI in ESP teaching has garnered attention.

Regarding research frontiers, a co-citation clustering analysis of literature from 2023–2025 was conducted. The results show significant cluster structures with high credibility. Cluster names include Academic Vocabulary, Critical Incidents, etc., reflecting the latest developments and directions in ESP research.

4 Conclusion

Summarizes the development history and trends of ESP research from 2006 to 2025. Through bibliometric and qualitative analysis, it is found that ESP research has moved from the periphery to an interdisciplinary field, with growing publication volume and hotspots covering six major areas including genre analysis and academic literacy, responding to digital challenges. Future trends will focus on topics relevant to the intelligent era, such as multimodal analysis and high-validity assessment frameworks. For Chinese ESP practitioners, it is essential to base efforts on local contexts, connect with international issues, deepen theoretical and pedagogical exploration, and contribute Chinese experiences.