Mapping Collaborations and Partnerships in SDG Research.

Area of Science:

• Bibliometrics and Network Analysis
• Sustainable Development Studies
• Research Collaboration Dynamics

Background:

• Collaboration is crucial for sustainable development research and achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
• Traditional analysis of co-authorship may not fully capture the nuances of research partnerships.
• New methods are needed to detect and analyze diverse forms of research collaboration.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine research output and collaboration patterns supporting the SDGs using bibliometric methods.
• To explore methods for analyzing research collaboration beyond single co-authorship events.
• To identify key institutions fostering sustained collaboration in SDG research.

Main Methods:

• Bibliometric analysis and network analysis of co-authorship data from Microsoft Academic Graph.
• Quantification and visualization of collaboration using traditional, repeat, and time-point metrics.
• Identification of core institutions influencing collaboration sustainability.

Main Results:

• An increasing trend in collaboration rates at both author and institutional levels over time.
• The majority of SDG-related research collaborations are single, one-time events.
• Repeat collaborations occur more frequently but after longer durations at the institutional level compared to the author level.

Conclusions:

• While overall collaboration is rising, most SDG research partnerships are transient.
• Institutional-level repeat collaborations, though longer in duration, are more frequent than author-level repeat collaborations.
• Identifying and supporting core institutions is vital for sustaining and expanding SDG research networks and fostering long-term partnerships.