The field of data curation is rapidly changing due to new developments in technologies and techniques for conducting data work. As the field of data curation evolves, researchers, practitioners, and educators need to be able to respond to these developments. One way to understand trends in a field is by examining published literature. This study first gathered data curation literature through a modified systematic literature review with the framing question, ‘What competencies, skill sets, and proficiencies are needed to conduct data curation activities?’. These literatures were then analyzed using bibliometric analysis, visual analysis of the citation data, and topic modeling to understand trends in the data curation field.