METHODS: We conducted a bibliometric analysis of Web of Science Core Collection records (1970-2025) using a tri-lens search strategy, yielding 315 peer-reviewed articles. We then performed co-citation and co-word network analyses in VOSviewer (version 1.6.20; Centre for Science and Technology Studies, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands) using association-strength normalization. Thematic mapping was conducted in Biblioshiny, the web interface of the bibliometrix R package (version 5.0; developed by Aria and Cuccurullo, Naples, Italy), using Louvain clustering and Callon's centrality and density matrix to classify themes as motor, basic, niche, or emerging/declining.
RESULTS: The data set accrued 4402 citations (H-index = 31), with publication growth accelerating after 2015. Co-citation analysis identified four intellectual pillars: (1) leadership capacity building, (2) equity-focused leadership, (3) transition and workforce development, and (4) policy-driven leadership preparation. Co-word analysis also produced four thematic clusters: academic leadership, simulation-based preparation, equity/racism in leadership, and staff development across education-practice-research contexts. Across both maps, governance-, succession-, and equity-related topics were adjacent but largely concentrated in separate cluster communities, with limited cross-cluster connectors.
CONCLUSION: Nursing leadership research is expanding but remains structurally fragmented across governance, succession, and equity domains. The key contribution of this study is the tri-lens evidence that these domains are conceptually related yet weakly integrated in empirical knowledge structures. Findings support the need to align governance design, leadership pipeline development, and equity mechanisms in nursing education and leadership planning.