According to the publications related to soil erosion in the SCI database from 1932 to 2013, this study reveals scientific outputs, main subject categories, geographical distribution, and research hotspots in soil erosion studies, which may be considered a potential guide for future research. The annual number of publications showed an increasing trend over the past 80 years, with an especially rapid increase after 1990. Agriculture, environmental sciences and ecology, geology, and water resources were four major categories. Interdisciplinary research in soil erosion is becoming more common. The soil erosion research was mainly distributed across the USA and Europe before 2001 and boomed in China and Australia after 2001. USA was the largest contributor to global soil erosion research. China is focusing increasing attention on soil erosion research in the last decade, behind the USA. The Chinese Academy of Sciences is the most productive institute, followed by USDA Agricultural Research Service and Katholieke Universiteit Leuven. A keyword analysis confirmed keen interest in sediment yield, soil organic carbon, and phosphorus; indicated that rainfall runoff, climate change, agricultural tillage, and land use change were the leading causes of soil erosion; revealed the important role of GIS, remote sensing, model, and Cs-137 measurement; and found that the Loess Plateau of north-central China was an area of research focus. Through co-citation analysis, soil erosion research mainly focuses on three aspects: soil erosion simulation based on models, soil erosion estimation based on Cs-137 technique, and effects of soil erosion on the environment and agriculture.