Tracking the quality of scientific knowledge inputs in reports generated by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)

Ahmed Sabab Sharek () and Kalim U. Shah ()
Additional contact information
Ahmed Sabab Sharek: University of Delaware
Kalim U. Shah: University of Delaware

Journal of Environmental Studies and Sciences, 2021, vol. 11, issue 4, No 6, 586-594

Abstract: Abstract The purpose of this study is to track the quality and types of knowledge used over time when developing internationally sanctioned scientific reports such as those on climate change. We present a bibliometric analysis of the Global Assessment Reports on Climate Change written by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) between 1990 and 2014. Analysis is based on a proportional stratified random sampling of references from all the reports. Data analyzed includes the year of publication, availability in open access, authors, subject field and themes of referenced materials, quality of the journals, and the sources of references. Findings suggest that knowledge inputs from top publishing houses are trending upwards; most inputs are still derived from peer-reviewed journals but with marked increases in references from government for-profit and non-profit knowledge generators. There continues to be a predominance of inputs from the physical sciences and increased inputs from social studies but reduced inputs from the life sciences. Climate advocates point to the rigorous scientific and multidisciplinary knowledge in these assessment reports, but few studies have mapped how such knowledge might be finding its way into them even as they are scrutinized by skeptics. This study therefore contributes to the debate on the rigor of IPCC reports.

Keywords: Bibliometric analysis; IPCC; Multidisciplinary knowledge; Environmental reporting; Knowledge adoption; Climate change; Climate information; Report quality (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

Downloads: (external link)
http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s13412-021-00681-6 Abstract (text/html)
Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:spr:jenvss:v:11:y:2021:i:4:d:10.1007_s13412-021-00681-6

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
http://www.springer.com/economics/journal/13412

DOI: 10.1007/s13412-021-00681-6

Access Statistics for this article

Journal of Environmental Studies and Sciences is currently edited by Walter A. Rosenbaum

More articles in Journal of Environmental Studies and Sciences from Springer, Association of Environmental Studies and Sciences
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Sonal Shukla () and Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing ().