How SDG research drives policy: A special report

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) have become a powerful lens through which we understand and address society’s most urgent challenges. SDG research has grown faster than the broader research market, with SDG-related articles currently accounting for almost 25% of all research published. But does SDG research have impact beyond academia?

A new Springer Nature report, titled From publications to policy: The impact of research towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, explores how SDG research is cited in policy. It draws on more than 19 million policy documents, and offers a new perspective on the relationship between science and real-world decision-making.  

The results are encouraging, as Ritu Dhand, Springer Nature’s Chief Scientific Officer, tells us. 

What is the significance of the Sustainable Development Goals and how much published research is related to one of the 17 SDGs?

The areas the SDGs address – public health, climate change, renewable energy, environmental protection, economic growth, and societal inequality – were already active areas of academic research long before the introduction of the SDGs in 2015. The Goals provide a common framework for researchers, funders, policymakers, and institutions to measure progress and to demonstrate the real-world impact of research. Nearly one quarter of all published research is related to the SDGs, and this area is expanding at a faster pace than the overall research landscape.

Is SDG research used and cited more than non-SDG research? 

Yes, our own publishing data, as outlined in the report, shows that SDG-related research is used, cited, and downloaded more, especially when published open access. In other words, SDG research demonstrates higher academic impact. This trend reflects the global relevance and urgency of SDG topics such as health, climate, and social development, which attract significant scholarly engagement and visibility.  

Recent research from Springer Nature has also shown that a majority of researchers would like “public good” to be taken into account in assessments of their research contributions, in terms of the effect of their work on society, the economy, or global challenges more broadly. 

What about the impact of SDG research beyond academia?

The UN’s 2030 Agenda calls for science to inform policy and deliver societal outcomes, but, until now, there has been limited evidence showing how published research is actually taken up in policy. The report From publications to policy, published in partnership with Overton, is groundbreaking, focusing on how research is being used. And the results are encouraging! Academic research is cited in SDG-related policy more often than in wider policy, and we see think tanks, Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), and Intergovernmental Organisations (IGOs) playing an important role in bridging the gap between research and policy. This is significant, because it can be challenging for research to find its way into policy. 

"This new report offers a new perspective on the relationship between science and real-world decision-making. The results are encouraging: Academic research is cited in SDG-related policy more often than in wider policy.” 

You mentioned that when SDG research is published open access, it is used, cited, and downloaded more. Can you elaborate on the role of open access with regard to the SDGs?

Publishing open access makes research accessible to anyone, anywhere. Open access supports the UN 2030 Agenda by ensuring that knowledge essential to sustainable development is accessible, reusable, and actionable. It removes barriers to knowledge, increasing visibility.  

The report shows that SDG-related research is more likely to be published open access and that open access articles are more likely to be cited, with a higher average number of policy citations. Our findings indicate that the visibility and reach of SDG research in policy is amplified when published open access. 

Findings from the report show that other publication models influence SDG policy impact. What’s the story there?

I’ve just touched on the role open access plays, but we see that other factors play a role too. For instance, inclusive journals play a critical role in advancing the Goals. As the report shows, from a sample of 100,000 articles from Springer Nature’s journals, inclusive journal articles received slightly more SDG policy citations than comparative selective journal articles. This is a notable finding, as it suggests that while selective journals are more highly cited in academia than inclusive journals, they are not necessarily more influential in policy. 

We also saw that policy documents cite a high proportion of non-primary research content, including reviews, letters, and news, indicating that summaries and syntheses are valued in policymaking.

The report discusses the underrepresentation of research from the Global South. What is the issue and which factors have contributed to it?

Indeed, a major challenge is the underrepresentation of research from the Global South and low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) in policy, even within their own domestic contexts. Most SDG-related policy documents in these regions rely heavily on research from high-income countries, particularly the US and UK, while South-to-South knowledge exchange remains minimal.  

This imbalance reflects structural barriers such as limited visibility of Southern research, linguistic divides, and systemic inequalities in global publishing systems. As a result, policies often lack contextually relevant evidence, reducing their effectiveness in addressing local priorities and lived realities. 

How can Springer Nature work to strengthen the research-policy connection for the SDGs and address some of the recommendations from the report?

We are actively working to strengthen the research-to-policy connection by expanding open access publishing, supporting inclusive journals, and commissioning content such as reviews that policymakers value.  

We also invest in training, widening geographic representation to amplify research from the Global South, and partnerships with think tanks, NGOs, and IGOs.  

Through initiatives like the Science for a Sustainable Future event series, Springer Nature brings together policymakers and researchers to foster collaboration and ensure that evidence-based science informs decisions aligned with the UN’s 2030 Agenda. 

And from the side of researchers, how can they help their research inform policy decisions? 

Researchers can improve the chances of their work influencing policy by focusing on accessibility, inclusivity, and relevance.  

The report shows that open access significantly accelerates and amplifies policy impact, with open access articles cited in SDG-related policy both sooner and more frequently than non-open access articles. Inclusive journals are cited in policy at similar or even higher rates than selective journals, making them a valuable route for impact.  

Policymakers also favour synthesised and accessible formats, such as reviews, commentaries, and summaries, over lengthy primary research. Finally, building partnerships with knowledge brokers such as think tanks, NGOs, and IGOs can help bridge the gap between research and decision-making, ensuring evidence is translated into actionable policy.

Read the report: From publications to policy: The impact of research towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals

Ritu Dhand, Chief Scientific Officer, Springer Nature

Ritu Dhand is responsible for championing our editors, focusing on promoting and driving external editorial excellence, in partnership with all the journal publishers across Springer and BMC journals.

Before taking on the role of Chief Scientific Officer in January 2022, Ritu served as VP Nature Editorial, overseeing editorial strategy and management of Nature, Nature Communications, and the Nature Research and Review Journals.

Ritu holds a PhD in cancer research from University College, London.

Related content:

• Blog: The benefits of inclusive publishing and why we need more inclusive journals 
• Case study: How one Collection led to real-world policy impact and academic recognition 
• Blog: The SDG Book Series: Interdisciplinary, policy-relevant research 
• Blog: Open access books: Making SDG research impactful 
• Blog: The role of metrics in research assessment
• Springer Nature’s Sustainable Development Goals Programme

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