Purpose
This study aims to examine the present state of board structure studies while examining current trends in research and potential future paths.

Design/methodology/approach
The study builds upon the articles indexed in the Web of Science database. A systematic search of the articles was conducted using the keywords search string. After using all exclusion criteria, 1,265 research papers were retrieved for analysis. RStudio combined with VOSviewer was used for network analysis and content analysis.

Findings
The results of the study reveal that the knowledge base of board structure had grown exponentially over time. The USA, the UK and Australia are the top three leading countries, and also the USA and the People’s Republic of China are the two nations that have the highest collaboration in this research field. Additionally, keyword analysis depicts five distinct research strands, identifies gaps in each strand and provides a road map for future studies.

Originality/value
Gender diversity on the board, one of the determinants of board structure, has been highly emphasized in previous reviews. However, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, no study attempts to provide valuable insights into the development of board structure research through bibliometric review. It also offers future research avenues in this specific realm.