Purpose This paper presents an overview of Latin American (LA) publications on corporate social responsibility (CSR) and closely related themes that appear in ISI Thompson Reuters Social Science Citation Index journals, in the period 2000-2017. The purpose of this paper is twofold. The first is to understand the institutional context in which this research is being produced, and to reflect on how it can be improved. The second is to map out key research strands in this literature, to discuss its achievements and limitations, and identify opportunities for future research. Design/methodology/approach A quantitative-qualitative systematic review was performed using a standard bibliometric approach. A total of 148 articles from 36 journals, indexed in the ISI Thompson Reuters Social Science Citation Index, were selected and analyzed. A systematic analysis was performed, based on a review protocol, which comprised following eight steps: research objectives, article search, articles selection, article identification, root themes coding, data coding, data coding validation and content analysis. Findings Research about CSR Latin America features a very low citation record. It is also very fragmented. Both of these characteristics reflect little conversation amongst scholars publishing on this topic in indexed venues. More generally, participation in these venues reflects the location of scholars working on this topic as peripheral actors in scholarly conversations. The study identifies many opportunities for future research that attend to key issues that are relevant for Latin America and that will stimulate a more dynamic conversation among scholars interested in the region. Research limitations/implications First, this study is limited to articles on CSR research on LA published in ISI journals. It does not show the whole trend of other academic and managerial publications in the region. Second, although the articles selected were retrieved based on 17 search terms derived from the theoretical framework, the complexity of CSR-related themes and its evolution could have caused some terms, and therefore publications, to be left out. Practical implications Results provide scholars interested in the region with updated information about the state of research on the topic and about opportunities for future research. They also provide business schools in the region with a valuable input for a comprehensive reflection on research policy. Social implications In the 30th anniversary of Academia (Revista Latinoamericana de Administración), this study offers recommendations on how research on CRS in Latin America could be made more visible and relevant. Originality/value This is the first bibliometric analysis of scholarly publications on CSR and related issues in Latin America. It is also unique in addressing institutional factors that may be conditioning intellectual production on the topic.