Automation has profoundly transformed the operational landscape of companies across various industries. As organizations strive to adapt to this rapidly evolving technology, it becomes crucial for practitioners worldwide to identify the most suitable automation tools and solutions for their unique business needs. A systematic literature review serves as a valuable tool to gain a deeper understanding of the historical context of automation and to explore previous findings in this field. This study aims to provide an extensive literary overview of the history of automation spanning the years from 1966 to 2021. In this research, a combination of bibliometric, conceptual, and theoretical network analysis methodologies are employed, with the aid of VOSviewer software, to analyze and visualize the patterns within the existing body of automation literature. By utilizing bibliometric analysis, this study will map the key scholarly contributions and identify the main research themes and concepts. The findings of this systematic literature review will provide insights into the historical progression of automation research and its interdisciplinary nature, highlighting the significant milestones, emerging trends, and knowledge gaps in the field. Building upon these findings, the study will propose a research agenda to advance the scholarly debate on automation.

自动化深刻改变了各行业公司的运营格局。随着组织努力适应这种快速发展的技术，全球从业者必须确定最适合其独特业务需求的自动化工具和解决方案。系统的文献综述是深入了解自动化历史背景并探索该领域先前发现的宝贵工具。本研究旨在对 1966 年至 2021 年的自动化历史进行广泛的文献概述。在本研究中，结合文献计量、概念和理论网络分析方法，借助 VOSviewer 软件来分析并将现有自动化文献中的模式可视化。通过利用文献计量分析，本研究将绘制关键学术贡献图并确定主要研究主题和概念。这篇系统文献综述的结果将深入了解自动化研究的历史进展及其跨学科性质，突出该领域的重要里程碑、新兴趋势和知识差距。基于这些发现，该研究将提出一个研究议程，以推进有关自动化的学术辩论。