To fully understand the phenomenon of massive open online courses (MOOCs), it is important to identify and map trends and patterns in research on MOOCs. This study does so by reviewing 362 empirical articles published in peer-reviewed journals from 2008 to 2015. For the purpose of this study, content analysis and discourse analysis were employed to analyze the articles. Accordingly, the trend line showing the number of articles per year indicates that the extent of research on MOOCs is likely to increase in the coming years. In terms of research areas, the findings reveal an imbalance and three research areas out of fifteen constitute more than half of all research on MOOCs. With regard to types of MOOCs, related literature is dominated by research on xMOOCs. The discourse in MOOC articles takes a mostly neutral standpoint, articles with a positive outlook outweigh those that are negative, and there is an increase in a more critical discourse. Theoretical or conceptual studies are preferred by researchers, although MOOC research generally does not benefit from being viewed through theoretical or conceptual lenses. 119 2013); a revolution (Friedman, 2012); a global mega class (Bozkurt, 2016) ; an invasion (Krause & Lowe, 2014); a mania (Meisenhelder, 2013) ; and an educational buzzword (Daniel, 2012) . In the light of such exuberant discussions about the "identity" of MOOCs, we believe that as a first step in exploring the phenomenon of MOOCs and trying to understand their past, present, and future, we should investigate research trends and patterns in the body of research on MOOCs. In this context, the aim of this study is to provide a panoramic overview of MOOC research from 2008 to 2015 by identifying trends and patterns through a systematic review of the related literature. Within this perspective, the purpose of this study is to address the following research questions.  What are the trends in research areas?  What are the most researched MOOC types?  What discourses are dominant in MOOC research?  Which articles are cited the most in papers on MOOCs?  What are the trends in methodology and research design (or models) in papers on MOOCs?  What are the trends in theoretical backgrounds in MOOC research? The increasing interest in network based lifelong learning models, that is, Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs), has ignited efforts to identify trends in research on the topic. Although limited in number and scope, there have been valuable initiatives in reviewing MOOC research in scholarly articles, dissertations, and in the broadcast and social media. The first review study on MOOC research was conducted by Liyanagunawardena, Adams, and Williams (2013) , who reviewed the published literature on MOOCs between 2008 and 2012. They identified and analyzed forty-five peer-reviewed papers. The results of their study reveal that research on MOOCs increased dramatically after they had been in existence in 2008; cooperative research efforts were popular, and research on MOOCs dealt with several domains of this topical field-from pedagogy and theory to technology. Gašević, Kovanović, Joksimović, and Siemens (2014) conducted an analysis of the 266 submissions to the MOOC Research Initiative (MRI) in 2013, which was funded by the Gates Foundation. They examined the main research themes and research methodologies used in those studies. They found that social learning as a theme received the greatest interest, and mixed methods was the most preferred research approach.
Another review study in the same year found that research patterns and trends in MOOC studies encompass three main research areas: theories and models and theories, learners' characteristics and instructional design REF .
Trends and Patterns in Massive Open Online Courses: Review and Content Analysis of Research on MOOCs (2008-2015)
The International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning
Computer Science