As China's economy develops at a normal pace, resources-based cities confront a big challenge in falling economy, constraining their transformation, which becomes a key topic to research for nation's development needs. This paper, based on CNKI, CSSCI, CSCD papers 2009 to 2018 regarding resources-based cities transformation, applies intelligence mapping, combined with traditional references research to analyze the reference counts change, magazine distribution and core authors, and uses CiteSpace software to study the common intelligence network and developing trend intelligence mapping. Transformation research of resources-based cities develops fast, mainly on cases, with two major groups of core authors. In recent decade, research domains are focusing on vulnerability and path creation, land use and spatial structural reconstruction, green transformation and sustainable development, industrial upgrade and industrial structural evolution, low carbon economy and eco-environmental management, and transformation efficiency and performance evaluation. The future research shall be on transformation mechanism, global comparison and innovative research.