Sustainability-MDPI

Top Research Topics at Sustainability?

The journal mostly deals with topics like Sustainability, Sustainable development, Context (language use), China and Environmental economics. The studies in Sustainability featured incorporate elements of Tourism, Environmental planning, Agriculture, Environmental resource management and Marketing.

• Sustainability (21.66%)
• Sustainable development (11.95%)
• Context (language use) (8.23%)

What are the most cited papers published in the journal?

• Comparative Influences of Precipitation and River Stage on Groundwater Levels in Near-River Areas (962 citations)
• The MIMOSE Approach to Support Sustainable Forest Management Planning at Regional Scale in Mediterranean Contexts (554 citations)
• Bioremediation of Heavy Metals from Soil and Aquatic Environment: An Overview of Principles and Criteria of Fundamental Processes (506 citations)

Research areas of the most cited articles at Sustainability:

The journal articles mainly tackle studies in Sustainability, Sustainable development, Environmental resource management, Context (language use) and Environmental economics. Agriculture, Marketing and Management science are some topics wherein Sustainability research discussed in the journal publications has an impact.

Papers citation over time

A key indicator for each journal is its effectiveness in reaching other researchers with the papers published at that venue.

The chart below presents the interquartile range (first quartile 25%, median 50% and third quartile 75%) of the number of citations of articles over time.

Top authors and change over time

The top authors publishing in Sustainability (based on the number of publications) are:

• Luca Salvati (45 papers) published 4 papers at the last edition, 11 less than at the previous edition,
• Marc A. Rosen (43 papers) published 4 papers at the last edition, 1 more than at the previous edition,
• Yongrok Choi (43 papers) published 7 papers at the last edition, 2 less than at the previous edition,
• Sang-Bing Tsai (43 papers) absent at the last edition,
• Dalia Streimikiene (41 papers) published 7 papers at the last edition, 4 less than at the previous edition.

The overall trend for top authors publishing in this journal is outlined below. The chart shows the number of publications at each edition of the journal for top authors.

Top affiliations and change over time

Only papers with recognized affiliations are considered

The top affiliations publishing in Sustainability (based on the number of publications) are:

• Korea University (125 papers) published 16 papers at the last edition, 15 less than at the previous edition,
• Hong Kong Polytechnic University (93 papers) published 17 papers at the last edition, 6 less than at the previous edition,
• Yonsei University (82 papers) published 8 papers at the last edition, 4 less than at the previous edition,
• Hanyang University (82 papers) published 20 papers at the last edition, 5 more than at the previous edition,
• Chinese Academy of Sciences (82 papers) published 3 papers at the last edition the same number as at the previous edition.

The overall trend for top affiliations publishing in this journal is outlined below. The chart shows the number of publications at each edition of the journal for top affiliations.

Publication chance based on affiliation

The publication chance index shows the ratio of articles published by the best research institutions in the journal edition to all articles published within that journal. The best research institutions were selected based on the largest number of articles published during all editions of the journal.

The chart below presents the percentage ratio of articles from top institutions (based on their ranking of total papers).Top affiliations were grouped by their rank into the following tiers: top 1-10, top 11-20, top 21-50, and top 51+. Only articles with a recognized affiliation are considered.

During the most recent 2021 edition, 94.33% of publications had an unrecognized affiliation. Out of the publications with recognized affiliations, 14.75% were posted by at least one author from the top 10 institutions publishing in the journal. Another 4.19% included authors affiliated with research institutions from the top 11-20 affiliations. Institutions from the 21-50 range included 10.71% of all publications and 70.34% were from other institutions.

Returning Authors Index

A very common phenomenon observed among researchers publishing scientific articles is the intentional selection of journals they have already attended in the past. In particular, it is worth analyzing the case when the authors participate in the same journal from year to year.

The Returning Authors Index presented below illustrates the ratio of authors who participated in both a given as well as the previous edition of the journal in relation to all participants in a given year.

Returning Institution Index

The graph below shows the Returning Institution Index, illustrating the ratio of institutions that participated in both a given and the previous edition of the conference in relation to all affiliations present in a given year.

The experience to innovation index

Our experience to innovation index was created to show a cross-section of the experience level of authors publishing in a journal. The index includes the authors publishing at the last edition of a journal, grouped by total number of publications throughout their academic career (P) and the total number of citations of these publications ever received (C).

The group intervals were selected empirically to best show the diversity of the authors' experiences, their labels were selected as a convenience, not as judgment. The authors were divided into the following groups:

• Novice - P < 5 or C < 25 (the number of publications less than 5 or the number of citations less than 25),
• Competent - P < 10 or C < 100 (the number of publications less than 10 or the number of citations less than 100),
• Experienced - P < 25 or C < 625 (the number of publications less than 25 or the number of citations less than 625),
• Master - P < 50 or C < 2500 (the number of publications less than 50 or the number of citations less than 2500),
• Star - P ≥ 50 and C ≥ 2500 (both the number of publications greater than 50 and the number of citations greater than 2500).

The chart below illustrates experience levels of first authors in cases of publications with multiple authors.

Impact of Sustainability Research on Business

Understanding the impact of sustainability research on various sectors is crucial to determine its real-world implications. Being a multi-disciplinary field, sustainability studies not only have implications for the environment and public policy but also profoundly impact the business landscape.

For example, advancements in sustainable development concepts and environmental resource management strategies are now being employed by businesses to promote eco-friendly practices. This not only contributes to global environmental sustainability goals but also enhances their corporate reputation, thereby raising their market value. The application of sustainability principles in business and management domains significantly drives innovation and competitive edge.

One of the key sectors where sustainability research has a significant impact is business education. Balancing profitability with sustainability remains a key challenge for industry leaders. Therefore, modern business schools are now incorporating sustainability studies in their curriculum to equip future leaders with the skills to manage this balance.

Similarly, farming practices inspired by sustainability research have profound implications for the agricultural sector, leading to the growth of sustainable and organic farming. These practices not only contribute to environmental well-being but also offer health benefits and provide higher market value for farmers due to the increased demand for organic produce.

Thus, the real-world applications and impacts of sustainability research are vast, stretching from the educational sector to the industrial sector. And it is essential not just to undertake sustainability research but also to explore and implement the findings in different fields.