31 March 2019: Global research on the SDGs is dominated by publications in the environment, agriculture, health and sustainability science sectors, according to a study by the Institute for Scientific Information. The study is based on analysis of publications listed in the ‘Web of Science’ database. The study also shows that the greatest number of research publications on the SDGs originate in Europe, followed by North America and the Asia-Pacific region.

The study report, titled ‘Navigating the Structure of Research on Sustainable Development Goals,’ identifies a dual focus in SDG-related research, with research attention being given to environment and sustainability-related sciences on the one hand, and health-related studies on the other. The study also notes the importance of transdisciplinary topics such as water supply and sanitation, which connect health and environmental concerns.

European countries are shown to be dominant in SDG-related research, while African and Latin American countries and the Arab States produced far less research on the SDGs. As a nation, the UK produced the highest number of research papers on the SDGs.

Some topic areas have received greater attention since the adoption of the SDGs than in the past. SDG-related publications on nutrition and childhood development, for example, grew at twice the average rate of increase in publications overall during the period 2015 to 2018. Other topic areas have received decreasing levels of attention, such as ecotourism and fair trade.

The study also carried out in-depth analysis of publications on water and sanitation, and on health and healthcare for indigenous people.

Upon release of the report, Zulfiqar Bhutta, University of Toronto and Aga Khan University, highlighted the role of academics and researchers in advocating for evidence-based strategies and research to help address the SDGs.

The study is published by the Institute for Scientific Information, which is part of the Web of Science Group at Clarivate Analytics, an information services business providing access to data, information and analysis for its clients. [Publication: Navigating the Structure of Research on Sustainable Development Goals]