The UN SDGs as a global ‘directive shift’ and the institutionalization of sustainability research

Alesia A Zuccala, Anna Leoncini and Andrea Bonaccorsi

PLOS ONE, 2026, vol. 21, issue 6, 1-34

Abstract: This paper examines how the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) shape the institutionalization of sustainability research within scholarly publishing. We argue that the SDGs operate as a globally endorsed form of external research agenda-setting, constituting a “directive shift” in science. Focusing on SDG 04 (Quality Education), SDG 08 (Decent Work and Economic Growth), and SDG 13 (Climate Action), we analyse changes in Scopus-indexed journals from 1990 to 2024. Using large-scale bibliometric data, we classify (n = 30,604) journals by activity level, age (newborn, young, mature, established), disciplinarity, publishing model, and long-term survival across publication thresholds (k = 1, 3, 5, 10). Results reveal a sustained increase in journal participation related to SDG-related publishing, with pronounced entry surges around major international agreements in 2005 and 2015. Participation is driven primarily by young and mature journals, while established journals contribute a comparatively small share of new entrants. Further analysis of established titles reveals that top-ranked (Q1) core journals are more prominent in SDG 13 than in SDG 04 and SDG 08, suggesting uneven integration across disciplinary hierarchies. Multidisciplinary and open-access journals dominate entry patterns, and survival rates increase at higher publication thresholds, indicating sustained engagement over time. Overall, these structural dynamics suggest that the SDGs operate as a directive shift, contributing to the progressive consolidation of sustainability research within the journal system.

Date: 2026
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:plo:pone00:0348507

DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0348507

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