In today's research ecosystem, impact extends far beyond citation counts and the h-index. Researchers increasingly seek to understand how their work contributes to solving real-world problems and addressing global challenges. Scopus, one of the world's leading research databases, has introduced a powerful new feature that connects scholarly output directly to global impact through the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Beyond Traditional Impact Metrics

Traditional research metrics primarily measure academic influence within disciplinary boundaries. The new SDG feature in Scopus transcends these limitations by mapping research to 17 globally recognized development goals, providing a direct line of sight between scholarly work and its potential to address pressing world challenges like climate change, poverty, and food insecurity.

Classification System

Scopus employs a dual approach to classify research under specific SDGs:

  • Advanced search queries targeting SDG-relevant terminology
  • Machine learning algorithms that identify patterns across article content
  • Analysis of multiple text elements including titles, abstracts, keywords, indexed terms, and subject areas

This classification system examines over 10 million author profiles, allowing researchers to see which SDGs their work supports without any manual tagging or submission.

Organizational Impact 

Beyond individual researchers, the SDG feature also maps organizational contributions to SDG contributions. Universities, research institutes, and corporate R&D departments can now visualize their collective impact across each of the 17 goals, providing valuable data for institutional reporting, strategic planning, and funding applications.

Who Cares?

The Scopus SDG feature offers benefits for multiple stakeholders in the research ecosystem:

  • Individual researchers can track and showcase their contributions to global challenges, strengthening funding applications and demonstrating societal impact
  • University administrators gain valuable metrics for sustainability reporting, strategic planning, and highlighting institutional commitment to global development
  • Funding agencies can better evaluate how research portfolios align with international development priorities
  • Policy makers can identify research clusters addressing specific challenges within their regions or focus areas

Practical Applications

Here are some ways to leverage the Scopus SDG feature:

  • Access your author profile in Scopus and navigate to the "Impact" tab (formerly "Author Metrics") to see which SDGs your research supports
  • Search by organization name under the Organizations tab to analyze institutional contributions across different SDGs
  • Use SDG classifications as evidence of impact in grant applications, tenure packets, and annual reports
  • Identify potential collaborators working on similar SDGs but in different disciplines
  • Track emerging research trends within specific SDG domains

Behind the Data

Scopus's approach to SDG classification has been refined through collaboration with Times Higher Education (THE), which uses this data in their University Impact Rankings. The classification system employs:

  • Extensive keyword queries covering the 17 SDGs and their 169 targets
  • Machine learning elements that improve classification precision
  • Analysis of English-language content only, with a 2-week processing time for new publications

While automatically generated and not comprehensive of all research, the Scopus SDG classification provides meaningful insights into how scholarly work contributes to the United Nations' ambitious 2030 agenda for sustainable development.

As of March 19, Scopus lists 74,326 contributions to the SDGs authored by Trojan researchers across all disciplines. 

See for yourself. Access Scopus here: https://libraries.usc.edu/databases/scopus