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

Abstract

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. • Literature on carbon footprints of higher education from 2010 to 2019 in WoS. • Cluster analysis of six research hotspots. • Network analysis of keywords, authors, sources and references. • Revelation of cooperative relationships between authors. • Filling in a gap of bibliometric study on carbon footprints of higher education.