A Bibliometric Analysis and Systematic Literature Review of Corporate Earnings Persistence

Abstract

In the context where the capital market increasingly relies on accounting information, earnings persistence, as an important dimension for measuring earnings quality, has received extensive attention from both academic and practical circles. This study aims to systematically analyze academic publications to understand the current research status on corporate earnings persistence. Firstly, using keywords in the Scopus database, we identified a total of 458 papers published between 1992 and 2025, and ultimately selected 201 for further analysis based on predetermined criteria. Secondly, we conducted a bibliometric analysis using Excel and VOSViewer software, including longitudinal descriptive analysis and the construction of keyword co-occurrence maps. The results yielded the publication trends, leading countries, and trending keywords in the field of corporate earnings persistence. A focused bibliometric analysis was conducted on 94 publications, while 91 studies were included in the systematic literature review. Our systematic review revealed that the measurement of earnings persistence mainly relies on time series models and linear first-order autoregressive models, and the sustainability and information content of different earnings components show significant differences; its influencing factors can be explained from multiple internal and external dimensions such as firm characteristics,corporate governance, management behavior, corporate social responsibility, sustainable development, and external auditing; earnings persistence has important economic consequences in capital market pricing, investment decisions, and corporate governance mechanisms. By integrating bibliometric findings with a structured synthesis of empirical evidence, this study provides a comprehensive overview of the intellectual structure, major determinants, and economic consequences of corporate earnings persistence. Furthermore, it identifies inconsistencies in existing empirical findings and highlights potential directions for future research, particularly regarding measurement approaches, corporate governance mechanisms, and institutional contexts.