Analyzing the Scientific Evolution of the Sustainable Development Goals

Sustainable development goals: a bibliometric analysis of literature reviews

The research in sustainable development goals (SDG) increases year by year since its approval in 2015. Typically, after a phase of exponential growth, the number of publications increases at lower rates, suggesting a consolidation process in which literature reviews become a relevant and high-evidence type of document. In this context, the aim of this study was to perform an unprecedented bibliometric analysis of literature reviews on SDG to assess the evolution and consolidation of the scientific research. Article reviews on SDG from 2015 to 2022 were retrieved from Web of Science core collection and a descriptive bibliometric analysis was performed by growth rate, research area, source, citation, and region. Mapping and cluster analysis using keyword co-occurrence, co-authorship, and bibliographic coupling were also applied. The result revealed that SDG is a fast-growing field, with a trend in the diversification of research areas. Most of the review documents were categorized in general aspects of sustainability. Technology (SDG 9) and economic growth (SDG 8) were spotted as hidden key research areas. This result is contrary to previous bibliometric studies on SDG, demonstrating the rapid evolution and change in the field. In addition, literature reviews on reduced inequalities (SDG 10), gender equality (SDG 5); oceans, seas, and marine environments (SDG 14); and peace, justice, and strong institutions (SDG 16) were revealed as research gaps. Thus, the results demonstrated that the research on SDG cannot yet be considered a consolidated area of research, as it leaves many SDG unexplored. Future research has been proposed accordingly.

The Impact of COVID-19 on the Sustainable Development Goals: Achievements and Expectations

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on almost all the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), leaving no country unaffected. It has caused a shift in political agendas, but also in lines of research. At the same time, the world is trying to make the transition to a more sustainable economic model. The research objectives of this paper are to explore the impact of COVID-19 on the fulfilment of the SDGs with regard to the research of the scientific community, and to analyze the presence of the Circular Economy (CE) in the literature. To this end, this research applies bibliometric analysis and a systematic review of the literature, using VOSviewer for data visualization. Five clusters were detected and grouped according to the three dimensions of sustainability. The extent of the effects of the health, economic and social crisis resulting from the pandemic, in addition to the climate crisis, is still uncertain, but it seems clear that the main issues are inefficient waste management, supply chain issues, adaptation to online education and energy concerns. The CE has been part of the solution to this crisis, and it is seen as an ideal model to be promoted based on the opportunities detected.

The Trends and Content of Research Related to the Sustainable Development Goals: A Systemic Review

This study employed a comprehensive systematic review of the literature (SRL) process with the Content Analysis Toolkits for Academic Research (CATAR) for conducting a bibliometric analysis of the 2814 general SDG-related papers and 92 review papers selected from the Web of Science database from 2013 to 2022. The overview analysis found that the US and UK took the lead in publication and citation. The WHO and several universities were identified as the most prominent institutes around the globe. The field distribution of the most cited papers revealed the existence of a “strong sustainability” paradigm and the importance of science and technology. A landscape of 1123 papers was included in eight clusters according to the bibliographic coupling algorithms in the Multi-stage Document Clustering (MSDC) process. These clusters were then categorized into three groups, “synergies and trade-offs”, “networking”, and “systems analysis”, demonstrated in the theme maps. As for the 92 SDG-related review papers, most were shaped based on literature analysis without specified countries. Moreover, SDG 3 was identified as that exclusively studied in most papers. The information presented is expected to help research scholars, public sectors, and practitioners monitor, gather, check, analyze, and use the growing volume of SDG-related academic articles.