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[Display omitted] • Scientometric analysis of MPs in soil ecosystems was performed. • A total of 2210 articles on MPs from 2012 to 2022 were analyzed. • Knowledge bases, trends, and hotspots in MP research were identified. • China was the top country in terms of publications and funding. • The migration of MPs from terrestrial to aquatic systems should be considered in the future. Soil microplastic (MP) pollution is a growing global environmental issue leading to a series of ecosystem problems and functional losses. However, understanding the advances and trends in soil MP pollution research proved to be difficult based on individual studies. Herein, CiteSpace visualization analysis software was used to sort the literature obtained on soil MP research from the Web of Science (WoS) TM core collection database, and bibliometric analysis of publication volume, country/region, keywords and other information was conducted. Results showed that soil microplastics (MP) research had much lower publication volume than hydrological system MP research, and was still in its developing stage. However, the number of research hotspots in soil MP research increased continuously since 2018. Countries such as China, the United States, the Netherlands and Australia have published more papers in this field than other countries, and collaboration among research institutions is strong. The source, pollution status, analysis methods and toxic effects of MPs in soils are current research hotspots. In the future, the focus of MP research in terrestrial ecosystems should shift from ecotoxicology to the impact of MPs on ecosystems and earth system feedback. The bibliometric analysis results of this study can serve as a reference for in-depth studies of the pollution status of MPs in soils. For MP soil pollution research, cross-background, cross-institution, cross-country cooperation and cross-disciplinary roles should be encouraged to accelerate the growth and diversification of the field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The impact of micro- and nanoplastics (M/NPs) on terrestrial ecosystems has been a hot topic in recent years since the soil has been recognized as an important sink for M/NPs. In the current study, a CiteSpace-based scientometric analysis of 506 papers was performed to show the intellectual background, research performance, and state of art knowledge structure of M/NPs in the terrestrial environment over the past six years (2016 - January 2022). The most prolific publications, journals, authors, and countries involved in the flourishment of this field were identified. Additionally, visualization methods were employed to determine the highly productive keywords, hotspots, and research frontiers in the field of M/NPs in terrestrial environments. Furthermore, cluster analysis was performed to provide an accurate summary of this field by exploring the sub-domains of this field. China has proven to be the most prominent country among others in terms of publications and funding. This study can help researchers identify new research fronts and distinguish the most critical sub-domains of M/NPs in the terrestrial environment research. [Display omitted] • Scientometric analysis of micro- and nanoplastic in terrestrial ecosystem was done. • Sub-domains of this field were extracted through knowledge structuring. • Publications in this field increased by 8533.3% in 2021 relative to 2016. • China was the most prominent country in terms of publication and funding. • Studies about the trophic transfer of M/NPs should be considered in future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]