The initial public offering (IPO) is a crucial milestone in the growth trajectory of an organization, and this topic has attracted considerable research work from a variety of scholars. However, despite numerous studies, the work done does not appear to be making a positive impact on the survival and longer-term performance of IPOs. To understand the limitations and potential of studying IPOs, we conducted a large-scale bibliometric analysis (co-citation, bibliographic coupling, and co-word) on a sample of 1,473 studies published from 1967 to 2022. Drawing upon the existing literature, we suggest future research address a few key gaps. The first focuses on moving from shorter-term firm performance to addressing longer-term outcomes. Additionally, research that goes beyond the top management team (including board of directors or upper echelons) to encompass the entire employee population and include fields other than finance (e.g., marketing, management, etc.) can move the body of work forward. By taking a more inclusive perspective of the firm overall at the time of the IPO and beyond the first day, future research has potential to help provide insights to lengthen the lives and improve performance of these organizations.
