Despite the emergence of e-learning trends, the author cocitation analysis (ACA) method has not yet been used to analyze e-learning extensively. This study applies ACA to analyze the collected literature on e-learning from 1981- 2015, with the goal of identifying the top intellectual areas in three time periods - 1981-1991, 1992-2002, and 2003-2014 - to provide a reference framework for future researchers. Therefore, the objective of this paper is to construct an intellectual framework in the field of e-learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]