The value of SDG research for journals, and strategies for editors to attract it

Author: Nicola Jones

Director, Springer Nature SDG Programme

Publishing research on the UN Sustainable Development Goals is vital for advancing the Goals and promoting evidence-based solutions to global challenges. And if that’s not reason enough for journal editors to prioritise SDG-related work, these publications also contribute positively to traditional journal success metrics. 

Let’s dive deeper into why SDG research is important to ensuring a sustainable future, as well as how publishing SDG research benefits journals, and how you as an editor can attract more SDG-related content to your journal.

The 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) were adopted by the United Nations in 2015. The Goals cover environmental, social, economic, and health aspects that together set a blueprint for a sustainable future on earth. 

At this point in time, the Goals are not on track to be achieved by their 2030 deadline. But we refuse to let this discourage efforts to reach a sustainable future.  

Understanding the challenges we face, designing solutions, and testing them all require evidence-based, peer-reviewed research. That’s why the research published by Springer Nature is essential in supporting the SDGs.  

If this isn’t reason enough to pursue SDG content for your journal, we also know that articles on the SDGs have a positive impact on the journals that publish them, bringing growth, citations, and readership.

How can you publish more research related to sustainable development goals? Identify natural alignment with the Goals within your journal scope and highlight them through special issues, keyword, or an editorial. And encourage authors to reflect on societal impact.
Marco Cordani, Complutense University of Madrid, Associate Editor, Cell Communication and Signaling

SDG publications’ performance: Important topics, enhanced metrics

Research related to the SDGs represents a rapidly growing area of high impact articles. By many of the metrics of journal success, SDG articles perform better than non-SDG articles.

SDG articles account for approximately 24% of all articles published in 2024 across all publishers, but they’ve been growing much more rapidly than articles not related to the SDGs (average growth of 11% year on year since the SDGs were adopted, compared with 4% for non-SDG articles in the same time period).  

With their higher citations, higher altmetric scores, and higher average downloads than non-SDG articles, publishing SDG-related content is definitely a good idea: for supporting sustainable development as well as for the development of your journal. 

_{Fig.1. SDG articles have higher average citations, altmetrics scores and downloads than non-SDG articles} 

Because research on the SDGs is most impactful when visible, content related to the Goals is highlighted in various ways across Springer Nature. Features like SDG badges for journals and SDG filters for content searches make SDG research visible, accessible, and available. 

Identify the SDGs relevant to your journal and its scope

When examining how the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) intersect with various academic disciplines, we see that many different subject areas publish work that connects with the Goals. Whether in engineering, economics, history, or philosophy, research aligned with any of the 17 SDGs can contribute to advancing these global objectives.  

Identifying which SDGs connect with the research interests of your journal’s community is the first step in trying to attract such publications. But how can you identify these SDGs?  

An analysis of the content published in your journal will enable you to find the issues that can bring SDG-related research into your journal. Use the new SDG filters on Springer Nature Link to get an initial overview of SDG content you’ve already been publishing. The filters use Dimensions’ SDG classifier, a guided machine learning-based algorithm created by Digital Science, which relates content to one or more of the Goals. 

Consider which disciplines and research areas covered in your journal are relevant to which of the SDGs. Reflect on the topics addressed in the various SDGs to identify those that you and others in your research networks are especially interested in and align with your research and publications. 

With the understanding of which SDGs are most relevant to your journal, you can seek out content directly related to those Goals and increase your journal’s publication of SDG content.

Practical tips to attracting SDG content to your journal

Once you know which of the SDGs most naturally align with your journal and your community, here are some practical tips for attracting content related to those Goals: 

1. Indicate your interest in SDG-related content 

Make it clear to your audience that SDG-related content is welcome in your journal by expressing this interest in an editorial and specifying the SDGs that relate to the scope of your journal.  
It is also useful to mention relevant SDGs in the journal’s Aims and Scope, which can also increase the chance of your journal appearing in the results when potential authors search for content on specific SDGs.  

      2. Find the right people 

Invite researchers working on SDG research related to your journal’s scope to author content for the journal. 
Search across your network and expand beyond it to identify individuals who can support your efforts to increase SDG content in your journal. You can do this by…  

• finding presentations on SDG or sustainability research in the conferences that your community attends 
• conducting data analysis using the SDG filters in the main publication databases  
• exploring authors at competitor journals, relevant research centres, and in funding databases 
• connecting with people over shared research interests through social media.  

     3. Create opportunities for engagement  

Once your journal’s interest in publishing SDG-related content is clearly stated and you’ve identified individuals to source such content from, you can generate opportunities to attract and showcase this content. Consider for instance...  

• launching a tailored collection related to relevant SDGs, or joining a multi-journal collection 
• hosting a webinar to provide extra visibility to collections or key publications, or as a space to discuss SDG issues relevant to your journal’s community 

Speak to your publisher about the Springer Nature SDG Talks series, a forum for the discussion of issues, progress, and opportunities relating to research in support of the SDGs. Webinars offer a great opportunity to highlight how your journal, efforts, and work are very much in line with some of the most pressing topics of the day.
Joshua Bayliss, Senior Publisher, Springer Nature

Watch the webinar to learn more: Spotlight On… Attracting SDG research to your journal 

You can find a wealth of resources for editors that support you in your work, covering topics from open access publishing to research integrity and offering courses and tools. But if you’d like to hear more about why you should attract more SDG-related research to your journal, and how you can accomplish this, watch the webinar Spotlight On… Attracting SDG research to your journal.

In the webinar you’ll find more detailed information on attracting SDG research to your journal, including a heat map illustrating where different fields of research align with the 17 SDGs, detailed tips on how to identify potential authors to submit SDG research, and more.  

You’ll also hear the first-hand experience of two journals and how strategies and tips provided to successfully attract SDG research worked for them: Associate Editor of Cell Communication and Signaling, Marco Cordani from Complutense University of Madrid, Spain, discusses driving sustainability through editorial leadership, and Springer Nature Senior Publisher Joshua Bayliss shares tips and tricks for using webinars to boost journals. 

Watch now: Spotlight On… Attracting SDG research to your journal. 

Related content:

• Blog: How Springer Nature Collections power SDG research
• Blog: Highlighting the SDGs: Find and use research that makes a difference
• Springer Nature SDG Talks webinar series - a forum for discussion of issues, progress and opportunities relating to research in support of the SDGs 
• Springer Nature Editorial Community – a dedicated hub for Editors and Editorial Board Members to engage, network and discover the latest news and updates  

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