Objective  The influence of organic matter on bioavailability of heavy metals in soil is needed to be understood.

  Method  Based on CNKI and the Web of Science databank, the main research structure, common foundation, hotspots and trends of organic matter affecting heavy metal bioavailability in soil were analyzed via Citespace software.

  Result  The results showed that Chinese research institutes, represented by the Chinese Academy of Sciences, have made great contributions to this research field, with accounting for 31.8% publications. Most of the relevant literature was published in international journals such as Science of the Total Environment and Chemosphere. According to the analysis of WoS data, there are three main aspects of this study: (1) The form of heavy metals has a great influence on their bioavailability. (2) The plant absorption and the animal accumulation of heavy metals are closely related to organic matter and its environmental factors. (3) The interaction such as dissolution-precipitation and oxidation-reduction between organic matter and heavy metal is a mechanism affecting the transformation of heavy metals and their bioavailability.

  Conclusion  Based on the analysis of key words, 11 kinds of hotspots were obtained in this field. The interaction between different sources of organic matter and heavy metals is focused in the solid phase and liquid phase system, and the mechanism and relevant application of heavy metal activation or immobilization. Given the key words, the “rice ” “biochar” “remediation” are the current international research hotspots.