OOIR: Observatory of International Research

Papers

(The TQCC of International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education is 7. The table below lists those papers that are above that threshold based on CrossRef citation counts [max. 250 papers]. The publications cover those that have been published in the past four years, i.e., from 2021-10-01 to 2025-10-01.)

Article	Citations
Measuring the impact of organizational characteristics on the sustainability performance of US institutions of higher education	113
Fostering the use of sustainable design to reduce energy use and GHG emissions at Canadian universities: a life cycle cost analysis approach	90
E-learning and sustainability of higher education in Sub-Saharan Africa: a review and synthesis	82
Greening of the syllabus in faculties of education sciences through sustainable development goals: the case of public Andalusian universities (Spain)	66
The usual discourse of sustainable development and its impact on students of economics: a case from Czech higher education context	60
The role of online social networks in university students’ environmentally responsible behavior	59
Key insights from climate communication – and how they can inspire sustainability in higher education	49
Technical academia goes back to school: the role of universities in environmental and sustainable education for childhood	48
Applied engineering education for soft skills in the context of sustainability and mobility	40
Higher education in turbulent times: navigating the transition from un-sustainability in a world dominated by technology	39
Training students in inter- and transdisciplinary sustainability education: nurturing cross-faculty staff commitment and continuous community collaboration	38
Positive perceptions and purchase of sustainable foods is associated with higher diet quality in Australian university students	35
Sustainability education and community development in higher education using participatory and case based approaches in India	34
Decarbonising air travel in higher education institutions: a systematic literature review	34
Participatory science in higher education: a case study in a Mexican sustainability graduate program	32
Are LEED campus buildings universally designed? Assessments at Virginia Tech	29
Do European quality assurance frameworks support integration of transformative learning for sustainable development in higher education?	29
Education for the circular economy in higher education: an overview of the current state	28
Science-based targets for higher education? Evaluating alignment between Ivy+ climate action plans and the Science-Based Targets initiative’s net-zero standards	28
Waste governance and campus sustainability: formal and informal waste systems at football tailgates in Michigan	28
Transformative research and education in Living Labs using the SDGs as a compass	26
Industrial management meets environmental reporting – how a learning factory for engineering education is used to teach accounting of greenhouse gas emissions	25
Forging a sustainable path: the QualEnv consortium's practices and strategies in promoting sustainable development in higher education institutions	25
Promoting sustainable consumption among university students: a systematic literature review	25
Integration of sustainability in the curricula of public higher education institutions in Portugal: do strategic plans and self-report align?	24

Classical paradigms versus complexity thinking in engineering education: an essential discussion in the education for sustainable development	24
Authentic assessment targeting sustainability outcomes: a case study exploring student perceptions	24
Are the best higher education institutions also more sustainable?	24
Sustainability reporting on the websites of public and private universities in Ghana	23
Sustainability practices at higher education institutions in Asia	21
A critical review of sustainability assessment tools for higher education institutions	21
Game-based learning about the circular economy in building sustainable communities: a case of international and interdisciplinary university collaboration	20
The implementation of sustainability in Brazilian Federal Institutes of Education, Science and Technology	20
Training of communities of sustainability practice through science and art	20
Developing systems thinking to address climate change	20
Empowering undergraduate students to take action: an empathetic mindset toward education for sustainable development	20
How sustainable is the governance for sustainability in higher education? Insights from an Italian case study	19
Reinforcing infrastructure equity through leveraging Envision rating system within construction education	19
Addressing climate change education: relevant contributions from universities	19
What transforms? – Transformative learning in a sustainability leadership master’s program	18
Interdisciplinary mobility: an approach to measuring interdisciplinary learning outcomes by using curricular checkpoints	18
“Connect the circle” systems thinking tool for postgraduate sustainability education: case study	18
Circular economy education: student feedback from five higher education institutions in the Asia Pacific	18
Change agents under tensions: a paradox approach to strategies for transforming higher education toward sustainability	18
Food waste factors in university restaurants: evidence from Brazilian students	18
Green campus and student proactivity initiatives: the importance of a participatory approach	18
SDG4 academic research productivity in the EU27: economic factors and COVID-19 impacts	18
The influence of sustainability education on students’ entrepreneurial intentions	17
Green absorptive capacity, green dynamic capabilities and green service innovation: a study in Brazilian universities	17
Bottled vs tap water perceptions, choices and recommendations in a US Midwest university community	17
Biodiversity preservation in German higher education institutions: existing approaches, challenges and future developments	17
Measurement of sustainable attitudes: a scale for business students	17
Do professional courses prepare hospitality students for efficient surplus food management? A self-evaluation of professional competence in food waste prevention	17
Assessment of sustainability consciousness among pre-service teachers in China under the “Double Carbon” goal	16
Structural drivers and barriers to the strategic integration of sustainability in US B-schools	16
University air travel and greenhouse gas mitigation: an analysis of higher education climate policies	16
Effect of sustainability measures on student satisfaction regarding accommodation services: practical study from the University of Northampton in the UK	16
Environmental, social, governance and sustainable development goals: promoting sustainability in universities	16
Sustainability transformation processes as a driving force to promote female participation in STEM-oriented higher education institutions: a Chilean case study	16
Changing the world one engineer at a time – unmaking the traditional engineering education when introducing sustainability subjects	16
Business professors’ behavior toward incorporating sustainability in the classroom – a theory of planned behavior perspective	16
Visual images of sustainability in higher education: the hidden curriculum of climate change on campus	15
What do medical students know about sustainable development?	15
The integration of SDGs and biodiversity in HEIs curricula and practices: a systematic literature review	15
Current themes and future directions of the sustainable development goals in higher education	14
The engagement CUBE: a dialogical tool for designing, facilitating and monitoring engaged research and teaching strategies	14
Empowering youth for sustainability in universities: service-learning and the willingness to act	14
A comparison on the evaluation standards of sustainable campus between China and America	14
Teacher’s agency in education for sustainable development: an East-West collaborative Erasmus programme using Q methodology	14
Sustainability accounting education: challenges and outlook	13
Research on the influencing factors and upgrading paths for innovation and entrepreneurship education in universities under the background of sustainable development goals: a QCA empirical study on ne	13
Pendulum effect: how formal structures and hidden curriculum act in higher education institutions’ contribution to sustainable development?	13
A 5 pillars approach to the sustainable development goals performance and reporting in Portuguese higher education institutions. Proposal for an applied framework	13
A novel and comprehensive approach to mapping university research onto the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) – the case of University College Cork, Ireland	13
Obstacles to the sustainability of Arabic language education in Indian universities	13

Awareness and perception of the environmental sustainability of the UAE University campus: a case study of sustainability course	12
Pro-environmental choices in Indonesia’s campus life: examining the extended theory of planned behavior (TPB) for sustainable behavior in a university setting	12
Education for sustainable development in higher education institutions: an approach for effective interdisciplinarity	12
Exploring response levels to sustainability in engineering curricula: a cross-case analysis	12
Is university teaching aligned with the sustainable development goals possible? An approach through the virtual training of university professors	12
Sustainable community development through peer-to-peer learning in the online and in-person classroom	12
Physical education teacher educators’ subjective theories about sustainability and education for sustainable development	12
Hybrid method to guide sustainable initiatives in higher education: a critical analysis of Brazilian municipalities	12
Green building practices in higher education institutes: strategies for implementation	12
Perception of sustainable construction among Nigerian university students: a case study analysis	12
Maintenance of an environmental management system based on ISO 14001 in a Brazilian private university, seeking sustainable development	11
Sustainability in higher education in Ecuador- Universidad Técnica del Norte case study	11
Climate lessons from the cold edge: rethinking the university as an ethical ecology	11
Students’ awareness, knowledge and attitudes towards the sustainable development goals at the University of South Africa	11
Education for sustainable transformation: a multi-actor perspective on higher education institutions’ contribution to agrifood systems	11
Implementation of sustainability principles in landscape architecture education: an examination of faculty attitudes and course syllabi	11
Who is taking climate action in university? Drivers of personal and professional climate action in higher education	11
Leveraging community-engaged teaching and learning in higher education institutions for advancing sustainable development: a literature review	11
Promoting sustainable food behavior among young people: evidence-based suggestions for intervention in higher education	10
Publisher’s note	10
Investigations regarding perspectives between design education and industry practices in sustainability design	10
Service learning for sustainable development: a bibliometric analysis of research (1997–2023)	10
Systems thinking for systems leadership: promoting competency development for graduate students in sustainability studies	10
Innovation for environmental sustainability: longitudinal effects of an education for sustainable development intervention on university students’ pro-environmentalism	10
The carbon footprint at quality and environmental university consortium – QualEnv	10
Perception about sustainable development goals among Erasmus students in a Spanish university	10
Problem-based learning for the development of sustainable attitudes and knowledge in engineering students: evidence from the Dominican Republic	10
Proposed mapping and evaluation model of sustainable development goals in graduate programs in environmental sciences in Brazil	9
Understanding the environmental footprint of a Swiss university – mobility, energy and material consumption before and during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic	9
Understanding the role of nutrition literacy in sustainable nutrition	9
How to boost college students’ pro-environmental behavior: the implicit theory perspective	9
Influences of the Covid-19 pandemic on the impact factor of a sample of environment/sustainability-related journals	9
The relationship between the incorporation of sustainability in higher education and the student’s behavior: self-reported sustainable behavior scale	9
Perceptions of different communication strategies on proenvironmental waste disposal behavior: a case study with university students in Brazil	9
“Going beyond the call of duty”: academic agency and promoting transformation for sustainability in higher education	9
Establishment and implementation of behavioral observation scale for avoiding food waste for hospitality students	9
Factors influencing online sustainability disclosure in Spanish universities	9
Analyzing sustainability disclosure in Portuguese universities: the role of corporate governance	9
Incidence of sustainability in university performance: evidence of stakeholders’ perceptions at Colombian private higher education institutions	9
University rankings and sustainable development: the state of the art	8
Guest editorial: Making an impact – UN Sustainable Development Goals and university performance	8
The sustainability literacy assessment instruments: a systematic literature review	8
Which leadership processes encourage sustainable transitions within universities?	8
Understanding the drivers of sustainable food consumption of Chinese university students: a moderated mediation model	8
Innovative solutions to sustainability in higher education: an exploratory case study of virtual labs in Aotearoa New Zealand	8
Catalyzing climate action: a case study on universities as hubs for community-engaged climate projects	8
Responding to urgent calls for fit-for-purpose planetary health curricula: an examination of nutrition and dietetics tertiary education	7
Enhancing urban sustainability in higher education in Chile: insights from active learning from online and in-class formats	7
Sustainable food literacy in association with water footprint behavior in university students: a cross-sectional study from Turkey	7
Mapping social structures for sustainability transformation at McGill University, Canada	7
Understanding greenhouse gas emissions and life cycle assessment of clothing: engaging students’ hands, heads and hearts	7
Envisioning the Indigenised university for sustainable development	7
Investigating the role of green curriculum in shaping pro-environmental behaviors and environmental values orientation for sustainability	7
An institutional framework for education for sustainable development through service-learning in universities	7
The importance of incorporating lived experience and identity in promoting cultural diversity and sustainability in community college and education: a case study of Community College of Allegheny Coun	7
Trends in research: carbon footprint reduction in universities as a way to achieve a green campus	7
Vertically integrated project: uniting teaching, research, and community in favor of sustainability	7
Generating students’ loyalty towards the sustainable university during the later COVID-19 pandemic	7
International service-learning projects on water sustainable management in higher education: a case study on improving water quality in a needy community	7
How university students are taught about sustainability, and how they want to be taught: the importance of the hidden curriculum	7
Uncovering perspectives on SDG integration for university transformations	7
Between real change and institutional facade: unpacking operational sustainability in English universities	7
Bridging the gap: participatory action research for climate change adaptation in rural India	7
Study on university students’ intention to choose reusable takeaway food containers: evidence from China	7
Sustainability governance toward an organizational sustainability culture at German higher education institutions	7
Sustainable practices implementation in the future careers of engineering students: an empirical study	7
An assessment of key sustainability competencies: a review of scales and propositions for validation	7