Research Trends in Steganography: A Thematic Review of the National Literature
Chapter from the book: İncetaş, M. O. (ed.) 2026. Recent Research in Computer Science and Engineering.

Mürsel Ozan İncetaş
Alanya Alaaddin Keykubat University
Murat Meriçelli
Alanya Alaaddin Keykubat University

Synopsis

Steganography is an information hiding method that involves embedding secret data within carrier objects such as text, images, audio, and video in digital environments. Unlike cryptography, it aims to conceal the existence of the communication itself rather than just the message content. From its ancient Greek roots to the digital era, steganography has gained strategic importance in cybersecurity, digital forensics, and copyright protection. This study aims to reveal the general landscape, methodological trends, and research gaps of graduate theses in the field of steganography in Türkiye. Theses retrieved from the Council of Higher Education (CoHE) National Thesis Center using the keyword "steganography" were evaluated according to PRISMA guidelines; 111 full-text theses (92 master’s, 19 doctoral) were examined via descriptive analysis. The theses were analyzed across variables including type, year, university, department, supervisor title, carrier medium, methods, and performance metrics. Findings indicate that most theses were conducted within Institutes of Science, predominantly in computer engineering programs. LSB (45 theses) emerged as the most preferred method, while AES (10 theses) led among cryptographic algorithms. PSNR (35 theses) was the most common performance metric. Although image steganography is dominant, studies also cover text, audio, video, and network environments. The limited number of theses including steganalysis suggests a hiding-oriented perspective, while AI-based methods (CNN, GAN) are not yet sufficiently represented. Consequently, steganography research in Türkiye remains technical and application-oriented; however, methodological diversity in frequency domain techniques, AI, and steganalysis must be increased. This study is expected to serve as a guiding resource for future research.

How to cite this book

İncetaş, M. O. & Meriçelli, M. (2026). Research Trends in Steganography: A Thematic Review of the National Literature. In: İncetaş, M. O. (ed.), Recent Research in Computer Science and Engineering. Özgür Publications. DOI: https://doi.org/10.58830/ozgur.pub1230.c4966

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Published

March 18, 2026

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