Trends in research on the carbon footprint of higher education: A bibliometric analysis (2010-2019)

Reducing carbon footprints is an important part of sustainable development. Although there has been increasing research attention to this topic, little is known about the status of research on the carbon footprint of higher education (CFHE). In this study we examined the status of this field by identifying the key publication outlets and the most central researchers in terms of productivity and citations, common keywords and research directions, the world regions with the most active research, and changes in these metrics over the last decade. Journal articles and conference proceedings published from 2010 to 2019 (N = 283) were identified using the Web of Science Core Collection. Bibliometric analysis showed that the University of California System was the most productive organization during this period, and the United States (USA) was the most productive region of the world. The Journal of Cleaner Production (JCLP) was the most common outlet for publication. In some cases there were strong academic-cooperation relationships, notably the research groups headed by Thomas Wiedmann and Edgar Hertwich. Cluster analysis identified six clusters of keywords: life-cycle assessment, environmental performance and carbon management, greenhouse gas emissions, design, system, and sustainability. (C) 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

This study examined the current status of research on the carbon footprint of higher education using bibliometric analysis, identifying the University of California System as the most productive organization, the United States as the most active research region, and the Journal of Cleaner Production as the most common publication outlet. It also revealed strong academic-cooperation relationships and six clusters of keywords in the field.