【Purpose/significance】To know the research status and development characteristics of knowledge sharing invirtual community.【Method/process】Selecting the literature of knowledge sharing research in virtual community from theWeb of Science database during 2002-2016 as data source, and combining bibliometric methods and indexes with socialnetwork analysis techniques, the article analyzes its structural features and research power from several dimensions.【Result/conclusion】The scientific research output presents a growth trend and mainly concentrates in the developedcountries in Europe and the United States and Asia. China, the United States and South Korea are among the best scientificinfluence, but Germany exhibits fairly poor scientific influence. Computers In Human Behavior is the most influentialjournal in the research field. China has a poor performance in the international scientific collaboration. These themes suchas trust, social capital, online community, social network, community of practice, social media etc. should be paid closeattention. Further research needs to be developed in the direction of vertical development.