Objectives: Trace fossils are useful for studying the paleoenvironment, paleoclimate, stratigraphic cycle and global genetic processes.Trace fossils are sensitive indicators of the sedimentary environment and provide direct evidence of biological behavior and habits under specific environmetal conditions.They have significant theoretical and practical implications for studying the development of biological behavior and habits, biological diversity, biostratigraphy, event stratigraphy, reservoir geology, and so on.Methods: As a result, data from the CNKI core collection database were used to carefully compile the literature related to trace fossils from 1954 to 2022.To explore the key path and knowledge inflection point in the research field, Microsoft Excel 2016 and CiteSpace 6.1.R2 software were used to analyze the distribution of literature types, the number of annual publications, countries, institutions, journals, authors, literature co-citation, and emergent keywords, and to construct and draw the relationships among each unit.Then, excavate the fresh understanding and forecast the subject’s study trend.Results: The results showed that: ① Henan Polytechnic University published the most articles in the field of trace-fossil research.According to the results, Hu Bin is the researcher who has written the most publications; Gong Yiming is the author of the highest referenced paper.The majority of funding for trace fossil comes from the federal government. ② In the system development stage, the research area is primarily concentrated in Guiyang and Xinjiang.In the innovation and development stage, the research area is mainly concentrated in Henan, Sichuan and other places. ③ Studies on Cambrian trace fossils in China are mainly concentrated in Henan, Yunnan and Guizhou; The research on trace fossils of Ordovician, Silurian and Devonian is mainly concentrated in Guizhou, Shaanxi, Tarim Basin, Junggar Basin, Hunan and other places in Xinjiang.The Carboniferous and Permian were mainly concentrated in the northwestern Junggar Basin and the southern margin of Qaidam Basin.The Triassic is mainly concentrated in the Yangtze region.Conclusion：Based on new research ideas and methods, this paper systematically analyzes the current status and trends of domestic trace fossils research, which is of guiding significance for further understanding of trace fossils.