Dyke swarms are important in geological investigation. In order to provide valuable information for future research, this paper summarized the multidisciplinary research conclusions about dyke swarms in such aspects as tectonic setting, emplacement mode, genetic mechanism, lithology, geochemistry, isotopic geochronology, geometry and comparative planetology. Dyke swarms were primarily formed in an extensional setting and resulted from magmatic emplacement along the fracture system in lithospheric crust which was caused by magmatic activities such as mantle plumes. The emplacement modes of dyke swarms are mainly vertical and lateral emplacements, and may also be the combination of these two emplacement modes. The lithologic characteristics are varied, with most of the dykes being ultrabasic-basic rocks, suggesting a significant relativity between dyke swarms and hypogene magmatism. The geochemical characteristics of dyke swarms show the tectonic environments, magmatic evolution and source types of magmatic events. Geometrical characteristics of radiating giant dyke swarms have important indicating significance and the center of radiating giant dyke swarms is considered to be the location of the head of mantle plumes. Dyke swarms are important 'piercing points' and very helpful to the palaeocontinent reconstruction. The giant radiating system on the terrestrial planets (Venus) may be the dyke swarms and can imply that such a radiating system once existed in the earth. Dyke swarms have important research values and valuable geological significance in such aspects as paleocontinent reconstruction, implication of mantle plume center, tracing of mantle sources, volcanic edifices and evolvement of regional magmatism, thus playing a great role in geoscience.