TRACING THE EVOLUTION OF FORENSIC ACCOUNTING AND FRAUD RESEARCH: A QUANTITATIVE LITERATURE REVIEW

Abstract

This study offers a thorough bibliometric review of the academic literature on forensic accounting and fraud examination. Its goal is to trace the field's development, identify its key contributions, and highlight emerging trends. A dataset of 979 peer-reviewed publications related to forensic accounting and fraud was collected from Scopus (as of May 31, 2025). Using a transparent selection process, including a PRISMA flow protocol, along with bibliometric techniques, we examined publication patterns, citation impact, co-authorship networks, and keyword co-occurrence to understand the intellectual structure of the field. The analysis shows significant growth in forensic accounting research over the last twenty years, coinciding with rising global awareness of financial fraud. The results highlight a core set of highly cited works and influential authors that have shaped the development of the field, especially in fraud theory, risk assessment, and detection methods. Network visualizations of keyword co-occurrence identify established central themes—such as fraud detection, financial statement fraud, and auditing—and emerging topics like digital forensic analytics and the role of forensic accounting in governance and sustainability. The findings demonstrate that forensic accounting has matured into a distinct academic discipline within accounting, with an expanding scope and international influence. This bibliometric review provides an objective, data-driven synthesis of the literature, offering insights into how the field has evolved and where it is heading. It lays the groundwork for researchers and practitioners to understand current research directions and to identify future paths in the ongoing effort to combat fraud.