The main objective of this bibliometric article was to determine the scientific approach to work performance in public universities, which was developed through a bibliometric research related to research on work performance in public universities. For this purpose, the present research carried out a quantitative approach research, at the descriptive level of the scientific knowledge process, non-experimental design, longitudinal type. The bibliometric analysis of 440 documents in Scopus on work performance in public universities between 1974-2023, shows an exponential growth of research on this topic in recent decades. The United States leads in production, followed by Spain and Malaysia; with global contributions from 65 countries. The most prolific author is Ghasemy (6 articles); although Bakker et al. (2005) are the most cited (1286 times). The literature is scattered in 172 sources; mainly journals in higher education, educational management and psychology. Social sciences dominate (57% of articles), followed by business & management (21%). 95 funding institutions are identified, with Asian and Latin American government agencies standing out. VosViewer reveals 5 thematic clusters, with recent emphasis on alternative metrics, pandemics and PLS-SEM. It concludes a growing global and interdisciplinary interest in strategies to improve work performance and well-being in universities; but longitudinal and multilevel studies are lacking.