The occurrence characteristics and mobility are essential aspects of shale oil evaluation，as well as exploration and development.However， there are still significant challenges in characterizing the occurrence characteristics and mobility of shale oil due to the strong heterogeneity，as well as the complex pore structure and fluid properties of shale. New research methods and experimental techniques have emerged in recent years with the intensifying exploration and development of shale oil in China and abroad.Therefore，progress in research methods and experimental techniques were summarized for evaluating shale oil occurrence characteristics and mobility， and issues were proposed that need to be considered in the research on shale oil occurrence characteristics and mobility. The most direct method for qualitative evaluation of shale oil occurrence characteristics is the advanced high-resolution imaging techniques for image observation among existing techniques. The oil saturation index method and classification evaluation method based on statistical analysis have advantages in evaluating shale oil mobility in mature exploration areas. At present， the multi-temperature stage pyrolysis parameter method is a fast and efficient method to characterize the shale oil quantity in different occurrence states quantitatively，and it has a good application prospect in the evaluation of shale oil content，shale oil mobility，and resource quantity. The following issues should be fully considered while studying the occurrence characteristics and mobility of shale oil in the future：① developing highly simulated shale oil enrichment，flow，and development simulation experiments to ensure similarity between experimental conditions and underground geological conditions；② conducting microscopic flow experiments of micro- and nano-scale shale oil to explore the microscopic flow mechanism and control factors of shale oil；③ dissecting the differences in occurrence characteristics and mobility of shale oil in different basic thin layers， as well as the contributions of different basic thin layers to shale oil content and mobility； ④ combining the microscopic occurrence form， fluid mechanism， and macroscopic geological parameters of shale oil to determine and evaluate the macroscopic geological conditions and parameters.