Since the 20th century, the rapid increase in academic publications has turned research waste into a significant challenge in scientific research. However, there is currently no comprehensive bibliometric analysis available to evaluate the progress in this field. In this study, we retrieved all relevant articles published between January 1, 2004, and December 31, 2024, from the Web of Science (WoS) database, yielding a total of 876 articles. Various tools, including CiteSpace, VOSviewer, and R-bibliometrix, were employed for comprehensive analysis. The results revealed that these articles collectively received 39 768 citations, with an average of 45.4 citations per paper. Both the number of published articles and the growth rate saw a rapid increase after 2014. The United States and the England emerged as the leading countries in research output. A keyword analysis identified 3 main themes: (1) the types of trials where research waste is most prevalent, (2) the primary factors contributing to research waste in trials, and (3) strategies to mitigate research waste. Notably, the experimental design phase has been identified as the primary source of research waste. Additionally, research waste was most prevalent in internal medicine, followed by surgery and pediatrics. Through these analyses, we provide valuable insights into the characteristics of research waste over the past 2 decades, highlighting an increased focus on this issue in the future.