United front work in universities is an important component of the Communist Party of China’s united front work. It plays an irreplaceable role in uniting people, pooling strength, and serving the overall reform, development, and stability of higher education institutions. This study selects 911 core academic papers on university united front work published in the CNKI (China National Knowledge Infrastructure) database between 2014 and 2024, and employs the CiteSpace visualization tool to conduct in-depth analyses of publication volume, core authors, research institutions, and keyword co-occurrence and clustering. The results show that research output on university united front work in China has generally exhibited a fluctuating upward trend, which can be divided into three phases: slow development, rapid growth, and deepening expansion. A number of core authors and key research institutions have emerged, but the density of cooperative networks remains low, and a broad collaborative research community has yet to be formed. Current research hotspots revolve around themes such as constructing the “grand united front” framework, online united front work, cultural united front work, and innovations in working mechanisms. This study systematically reviews the research progress and thematic evolution of the past decade, with the aim of providing references for advancing theoretical and practical innovations in university united front work in the new era.
Cite this paper
Zhang, H. and Huo, Y. (2026). Research Progress and Prospects of United Front Work in Universities Based on CiteSpace. Open Access Library Journal, 13, e14340. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.4236/oalib.1114340.
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