Background and Objectives: Over the past five decades, Applied Ergonomics has played a pivotal role in advancing ergonomic knowledge. This study aims to map the scientific landscape and track developmental trends through a bibliometric analysis and visualization of the journal’s publications.
Methods: This was a bibliometric study conducted within the framework of an analytical scientometric approach. The data comprised all documents published in Applied Ergonomics between 1969 and 2021, which were extracted from the Scopus database. Following data cleaning and refinement, the data were imported into Excel and VOSviewer software for analysis. The analyses included quantitative indicators of scientific production, keyword co-occurrence analysis, and the mapping of co-authorship, co-citation, and keyword co-occurrence networks, with the results visualized through scientific mapping.
Findings: Applied Ergonomics published 4,423 documents, demonstrating consistent growth from 8 papers in 1969 to 267 in 2021. The journal accumulated 107,500 total citations. The most-cited work was the 1987 study by Kuorinka et al., with 3,199 citations. The United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia were the most productive countries, while Loughborough University and the University of Nottingham were the leading academic institutions. Keyword co-occurrence analysis revealed that the journal’s publications can be categorized into four main thematic clusters: human factors, ergonomics, physical activity, and musculoskeletal disorders.

Conclusion: The findings confirm the fundamental role of Applied Ergonomics in bridging theory and practice over the last half-century. By providing a comprehensive research roadmap, this study underscores the journal’s ongoing significance in advancing ergonomic science and improving workplace health and well-being.