why literature review is important for research

Why is it important to do a literature review in research?

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 “A substantive, thorough, sophisticated literature review is a precondition for doing substantive, thorough, sophisticated research”. Boote and Baile 2005

Authors of manuscripts treat writing a literature review as a routine work or a mere formality. But a seasoned one knows the purpose and importance of a well-written literature review.  Since it is one of the basic needs for researches at any level, they have to be done vigilantly. Only then the reader will know that the basics of research have not been neglected.

The aim of any literature review is to summarize and synthesize the arguments and ideas of existing knowledge in a particular field without adding any new contributions.   Being built on existing knowledge they help the researcher to even turn the wheels of the topic of research.  It is possible only with profound knowledge of what is wrong in the existing findings in detail to overpower them.  For other researches, the literature review gives the direction to be headed for its success. 

The common perception of literature review and reality:

As per the common belief, literature reviews are only a summary of the sources related to the research. And many authors of scientific manuscripts believe that they are only surveys of what are the researches are done on the chosen topic.  But on the contrary, it uses published information from pertinent and relevant sources like

• Scholarly books
• Scientific papers
• Latest studies in the field
• Established school of thoughts
• Relevant articles from renowned scientific journals

and many more for a field of study or theory or a particular problem to do the following:

• Summarize into a brief account of all information
• Synthesize the information by restructuring and reorganizing
• Critical evaluation of a concept or a school of thought or ideas
• Familiarize the authors to the extent of knowledge in the particular field
• Encapsulate
• Compare & contrast

By doing the above on the relevant information, it provides the reader of the scientific manuscript with the following for a better understanding of it:

• It establishes the authors’  in-depth understanding and knowledge of their field subject
• It gives the background of the research
• Portrays the scientific manuscript plan of examining the research result
• Illuminates on how the knowledge has changed within the field
• Highlights what has already been done in a particular field
• Information of the generally accepted facts, emerging and current state of the topic of research
• Identifies the research gap that is still unexplored or under-researched fields
• Demonstrates how the research fits within a larger field of study
• Provides an overview of the sources explored during the research of a particular topic

Importance of literature review in research:

The importance of literature review in scientific manuscripts can be condensed into an analytical feature to enable the multifold reach of its significance.  It adds value to the legitimacy of the research in many ways:

• Provides the interpretation of existing literature in light of updated developments in the field to help in establishing the consistency in knowledge and relevancy of existing materials
• It helps in calculating the impact of the latest information in the field by mapping their progress of knowledge.
• It brings out the dialects of contradictions between various thoughts within the field to establish facts
• The research gaps scrutinized initially are further explored to establish the latest facts of theories to add value to the field
• Indicates the current research place in the schema of a particular field
• Provides information for relevancy and coherency to check the research
• Apart from elucidating the continuance of knowledge, it also points out areas that require further investigation and thus aid as a starting point of any future research
• Justifies the research and sets up the research question
• Sets up a theoretical framework comprising the concepts and theories of the research upon which its success can be judged
• Helps to adopt a more appropriate methodology for the research by examining the strengths and weaknesses of existing research in the same field
• Increases the significance of the results by comparing it with the existing literature
• Provides a point of reference by writing the findings in the scientific manuscript
• Helps to get the due credit from the audience for having done the fact-finding and fact-checking mission in the scientific manuscripts
• The more the reference of relevant sources of it could increase more of its trustworthiness with the readers
• Helps to prevent plagiarism by tailoring and uniquely tweaking the scientific manuscript not to repeat other’s original idea
• By preventing plagiarism , it saves the scientific manuscript from rejection and thus also saves a lot of time and money
• Helps to evaluate, condense and synthesize gist in the author’s own words to sharpen the research focus
• Helps to compare and contrast to  show the originality and uniqueness of the research than that of the existing other researches
• Rationalizes the need for conducting the particular research in a specified field
• Helps to collect data accurately for allowing any new methodology of research than the existing ones
• Enables the readers of the manuscript to answer the following questions of its readers for its better chances for publication
• What do the researchers know?
• What do they not know?
• Is the scientific manuscript reliable and trustworthy?
• What are the knowledge gaps of the researcher?

22. It helps the readers to identify the following for further reading of the scientific manuscript:

• What has been already established, discredited and accepted in the particular field of research
• Areas of controversy and conflicts among different schools of thought
• Unsolved problems and issues in the connected field of research
• The emerging trends and approaches
• How the research extends, builds upon and leaves behind from the previous research

A profound literature review with many relevant sources of reference will enhance the chances of the scientific manuscript publication in renowned and reputed scientific journals .

References:

http://www.math.montana.edu/jobo/phdprep/phd6.pdf

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• Literature Review: The What, Why and How-to Guide
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Literature Review: The What, Why and How-to Guide — Introduction

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What are Literature Reviews?

So, what is a literature review? "A literature review is an account of what has been published on a topic by accredited scholars and researchers. In writing the literature review, your purpose is to convey to your reader what knowledge and ideas have been established on a topic, and what their strengths and weaknesses are. As a piece of writing, the literature review must be defined by a guiding concept (e.g., your research objective, the problem or issue you are discussing, or your argumentative thesis). It is not just a descriptive list of the material available, or a set of summaries." Taylor, D.  The literature review: A few tips on conducting it . University of Toronto Health Sciences Writing Centre.

Goals of Literature Reviews

What are the goals of creating a Literature Review?  A literature could be written to accomplish different aims:

• To develop a theory or evaluate an existing theory
• To summarize the historical or existing state of a research topic
• Identify a problem in a field of research 

Baumeister, R. F., & Leary, M. R. (1997). Writing narrative literature reviews .  Review of General Psychology , 1 (3), 311-320.

What kinds of sources require a Literature Review?

• A research paper assigned in a course
• A thesis or dissertation
• A grant proposal
• An article intended for publication in a journal

All these instances require you to collect what has been written about your research topic so that you can demonstrate how your own research sheds new light on the topic.

Types of Literature Reviews

What kinds of literature reviews are written?

Narrative review: The purpose of this type of review is to describe the current state of the research on a specific topic/research and to offer a critical analysis of the literature reviewed. Studies are grouped by research/theoretical categories, and themes and trends, strengths and weakness, and gaps are identified. The review ends with a conclusion section which summarizes the findings regarding the state of the research of the specific study, the gaps identify and if applicable, explains how the author's research will address gaps identify in the review and expand the knowledge on the topic reviewed.

• Example : Predictors and Outcomes of U.S. Quality Maternity Leave: A Review and Conceptual Framework:  10.1177/08948453211037398  

Systematic review : "The authors of a systematic review use a specific procedure to search the research literature, select the studies to include in their review, and critically evaluate the studies they find." (p. 139). Nelson, L. K. (2013). Research in Communication Sciences and Disorders . Plural Publishing.

• Example : The effect of leave policies on increasing fertility: a systematic review:  10.1057/s41599-022-01270-w

Meta-analysis : "Meta-analysis is a method of reviewing research findings in a quantitative fashion by transforming the data from individual studies into what is called an effect size and then pooling and analyzing this information. The basic goal in meta-analysis is to explain why different outcomes have occurred in different studies." (p. 197). Roberts, M. C., & Ilardi, S. S. (2003). Handbook of Research Methods in Clinical Psychology . Blackwell Publishing.

• Example : Employment Instability and Fertility in Europe: A Meta-Analysis:  10.1215/00703370-9164737

Meta-synthesis : "Qualitative meta-synthesis is a type of qualitative study that uses as data the findings from other qualitative studies linked by the same or related topic." (p.312). Zimmer, L. (2006). Qualitative meta-synthesis: A question of dialoguing with texts .  Journal of Advanced Nursing , 53 (3), 311-318.

• Example : Women’s perspectives on career successes and barriers: A qualitative meta-synthesis:  10.1177/05390184221113735

Literature Reviews in the Health Sciences

• UConn Health subject guide on systematic reviews Explanation of the different review types used in health sciences literature as well as tools to help you find the right review type
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Conducting a literature review: why do a literature review, why do a literature review.

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Besides the obvious reason for students -- because it is assigned! -- a literature review helps you explore the research that has come before you, to see how your research question has (or has not) already been addressed.

You identify:

• core research in the field
• experts in the subject area
• methodology you may want to use (or avoid)
• gaps in knowledge -- or where your research would fit in

It Also Helps You:

• Publish and share your findings
• Justify requests for grants and other funding
• Identify best practices to inform practice
• Set wider context for a program evaluation
• Compile information to support community organizing

Great brief overview, from NCSU

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A Guide to Literature Reviews

Importance of a good literature review.

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A literature review is not only a summary of key sources, but  has an organizational pattern which combines both summary and synthesis, often within specific conceptual categories . A summary is a recap of the important information of the source, but a synthesis is a re-organization, or a reshuffling, of that information in a way that informs how you are planning to investigate a research problem. The analytical features of a literature review might:

• Give a new interpretation of old material or combine new with old interpretations,
• Trace the intellectual progression of the field, including major debates,
• Depending on the situation, evaluate the sources and advise the reader on the most pertinent or relevant research, or
• Usually in the conclusion of a literature review, identify where gaps exist in how a problem has been researched to date.

The purpose of a literature review is to:

• Place each work in the context of its contribution to understanding the research problem being studied.
• Describe the relationship of each work to the others under consideration.
• Identify new ways to interpret prior research.
• Reveal any gaps that exist in the literature.
• Resolve conflicts amongst seemingly contradictory previous studies.
• Identify areas of prior scholarship to prevent duplication of effort.
• Point the way in fulfilling a need for additional research.
• Locate your own research within the context of existing literature [very important].
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Literature reviews, what is a literature review, learning more about how to do a literature review.

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A literature review is a review and synthesis of existing research on a topic or research question. A literature review is meant to analyze the scholarly literature, make connections across writings and identify strengths, weaknesses, trends, and missing conversations. A literature review should address different aspects of a topic as it relates to your research question. A literature review goes beyond a description or summary of the literature you have read. 

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What is a literature review?

A literature review is an integrated analysis -- not just a summary-- of scholarly writings and other relevant evidence related directly to your research question.  That is, it represents a synthesis of the evidence that provides background information on your topic and shows a association between the evidence and your research question.

A literature review may be a stand alone work or the introduction to a larger research paper, depending on the assignment.  Rely heavily on the guidelines your instructor has given you.

Why is it important?

A literature review is important because it:

• Explains the background of research on a topic.
• Demonstrates why a topic is significant to a subject area.
• Discovers relationships between research studies/ideas.
• Identifies major themes, concepts, and researchers on a topic.
• Identifies critical gaps and points of disagreement.
• Discusses further research questions that logically come out of the previous studies.

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APA Style Blog - for those harder to find answers

1. Choose a topic. Define your research question.

Your literature review should be guided by your central research question.  The literature represents background and research developments related to a specific research question, interpreted and analyzed by you in a synthesized way.

• Make sure your research question is not too broad or too narrow.  Is it manageable?
• Begin writing down terms that are related to your question. These will be useful for searches later.
• If you have the opportunity, discuss your topic with your professor and your class mates.

2. Decide on the scope of your review

How many studies do you need to look at? How comprehensive should it be? How many years should it cover? 

• This may depend on your assignment.  How many sources does the assignment require?

3. Select the databases you will use to conduct your searches.

Make a list of the databases you will search. 

Where to find databases:

• use the tabs on this guide
• Find other databases in the Nursing Information Resources web page
• More on the Medical Library web page
• ... and more on the Yale University Library web page

4. Conduct your searches to find the evidence. Keep track of your searches.

• Use the key words in your question, as well as synonyms for those words, as terms in your search. Use the database tutorials for help.
• Save the searches in the databases. This saves time when you want to redo, or modify, the searches. It is also helpful to use as a guide is the searches are not finding any useful results.
• Review the abstracts of research studies carefully. This will save you time.
• Use the bibliographies and references of research studies you find to locate others.
• Check with your professor, or a subject expert in the field, if you are missing any key works in the field.
• Ask your librarian for help at any time.
• Use a citation manager, such as EndNote as the repository for your citations. See the EndNote tutorials for help.

Review the literature

Some questions to help you analyze the research:

• What was the research question of the study you are reviewing? What were the authors trying to discover?
• Was the research funded by a source that could influence the findings?
• What were the research methodologies? Analyze its literature review, the samples and variables used, the results, and the conclusions.
• Does the research seem to be complete? Could it have been conducted more soundly? What further questions does it raise?
• If there are conflicting studies, why do you think that is?
• How are the authors viewed in the field? Has this study been cited? If so, how has it been analyzed?

Tips: 

• Review the abstracts carefully.  
• Keep careful notes so that you may track your thought processes during the research process.
• Create a matrix of the studies for easy analysis, and synthesis, across all of the studies.
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What is a Literature Review?

So, what is a literature review .

"A literature review is an account of what has been published on a topic by accredited scholars and researchers. In writing the literature review, your purpose is to convey to your reader what knowledge and ideas have been established on a topic, and what their strengths and weaknesses are. As a piece of writing, the literature review must be defined by a guiding concept (e.g., your research objective, the problem or issue you are discussing, or your argumentative thesis). It is not just a descriptive list of the material available or a set of summaries." - Quote from Taylor, D. (n.d)."The Literature Review: A Few Tips on Conducting it".

• Citation: "The Literature Review: A Few Tips on Conducting it"

What kinds of literature reviews are written?

Each field has a particular way to do reviews for academic research literature. In the social sciences and humanities the most common are:

• Narrative Reviews: The purpose of this type of review is to describe the current state of the research on a specific research topic and to offer a critical analysis of the literature reviewed. Studies are grouped by research/theoretical categories, and themes and trends, strengths and weaknesses, and gaps are identified. The review ends with a conclusion section that summarizes the findings regarding the state of the research of the specific study, the gaps identify and if applicable, explains how the author's research will address gaps identify in the review and expand the knowledge on the topic reviewed.
• Book review essays/ Historiographical review essays : A type of literature review typical in History and related fields, e.g., Latin American studies. For example, the Latin American Research Review explains that the purpose of this type of review is to “(1) to familiarize readers with the subject, approach, arguments, and conclusions found in a group of books whose common focus is a historical period; a country or region within Latin America; or a practice, development, or issue of interest to specialists and others; (2) to locate these books within current scholarship, critical methodologies, and approaches; and (3) to probe the relation of these new books to previous work on the subject, especially canonical texts. Unlike individual book reviews, the cluster reviews found in LARR seek to address the state of the field or discipline and not solely the works at issue.” - LARR

What are the Goals of Creating a Literature Review?

• To develop a theory or evaluate an existing theory
• To summarize the historical or existing state of a research topic
• Identify a problem in a field of research 
• Baumeister, R.F. & Leary, M.R. (1997). "Writing narrative literature reviews," Review of General Psychology , 1(3), 311-320.

When do you need to write a Literature Review?

• When writing a prospectus or a thesis/dissertation
• When writing a research paper
• When writing a grant proposal

In all these cases you need to dedicate a chapter in these works to showcase what has been written about your research topic and to point out how your own research will shed new light into a body of scholarship.

Where I can find examples of Literature Reviews?

Note:  In the humanities, even if they don't use the term "literature review", they may have a dedicated  chapter that reviewed the "critical bibliography" or they incorporated that review in the introduction or first chapter of the dissertation, book, or article.

• UCSB electronic theses and dissertations In partnership with the Graduate Division, the UC Santa Barbara Library is making available theses and dissertations produced by UCSB students. Currently included in ADRL are theses and dissertations that were originally filed electronically, starting in 2011. In future phases of ADRL, all theses and dissertations created by UCSB students may be digitized and made available.

Where to Find Standalone Literature Reviews

Literature reviews are also written as standalone articles as a way to survey a particular research topic in-depth. This type of literature review looks at a topic from a historical perspective to see how the understanding of the topic has changed over time. 

• Find e-Journals for Standalone Literature Reviews The best way to get familiar with and to learn how to write literature reviews is by reading them. You can use our Journal Search option to find journals that specialize in publishing literature reviews from major disciplines like anthropology, sociology, etc. Usually these titles are called, "Annual Review of [discipline name] OR [Discipline name] Review. This option works best if you know the title of the publication you are looking for. Below are some examples of these journals! more... less... Journal Search can be found by hovering over the link for Research on the library website.

Social Sciences

• Annual Review of Anthropology
• Annual Review of Political Science
• Annual Review of Sociology
• Ethnic Studies Review

Hard science and health sciences:

• Annual Review of Biomedical Data Science
• Annual Review of Materials Science
• Systematic Review From journal site: "The journal Systematic Reviews encompasses all aspects of the design, conduct, and reporting of systematic reviews" in the health sciences.
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Literature Review

• What is a Literature Review?
• What is NOT a Literature Review?
• Purposes of a Literature Review
• Types of Literature Reviews
• Literature Reviews vs. Systematic Reviews
• Systematic vs. Meta-Analysis

Literature Review  is a comprehensive survey of the works published in a particular field of study or line of research, usually over a specific period of time, in the form of an in-depth, critical bibliographic essay or annotated list in which attention is drawn to the most significant works.

Also, we can define a literature review as the collected body of scholarly works related to a topic:

• Summarizes and analyzes previous research relevant to a topic
• Includes scholarly books and articles published in academic journals
• Can be an specific scholarly paper or a section in a research paper

The objective of a Literature Review is to find previous published scholarly works relevant to an specific topic

• Help gather ideas or information
• Keep up to date in current trends and findings
• Help develop new questions

A literature review is important because it:

• Explains the background of research on a topic.
• Demonstrates why a topic is significant to a subject area.
• Helps focus your own research questions or problems
• Discovers relationships between research studies/ideas.
• Suggests unexplored ideas or populations
• Identifies major themes, concepts, and researchers on a topic.
• Tests assumptions; may help counter preconceived ideas and remove unconscious bias.
• Identifies critical gaps, points of disagreement, or potentially flawed methodology or theoretical approaches.
• Indicates potential directions for future research.

All content in this section is from Literature Review Research from Old Dominion University 

Keep in mind the following, a literature review is NOT:

Not an essay 

Not an annotated bibliography  in which you summarize each article that you have reviewed.  A literature review goes beyond basic summarizing to focus on the critical analysis of the reviewed works and their relationship to your research question.

Not a research paper   where you select resources to support one side of an issue versus another.  A lit review should explain and consider all sides of an argument in order to avoid bias, and areas of agreement and disagreement should be highlighted.

A literature review serves several purposes. For example, it

• provides thorough knowledge of previous studies; introduces seminal works.
• helps focus one’s own research topic.
• identifies a conceptual framework for one’s own research questions or problems; indicates potential directions for future research.
• suggests previously unused or underused methodologies, designs, quantitative and qualitative strategies.
• identifies gaps in previous studies; identifies flawed methodologies and/or theoretical approaches; avoids replication of mistakes.
• helps the researcher avoid repetition of earlier research.
• suggests unexplored populations.
• determines whether past studies agree or disagree; identifies controversy in the literature.
• tests assumptions; may help counter preconceived ideas and remove unconscious bias.

As Kennedy (2007) notes*, it is important to think of knowledge in a given field as consisting of three layers. First, there are the primary studies that researchers conduct and publish. Second are the reviews of those studies that summarize and offer new interpretations built from and often extending beyond the original studies. Third, there are the perceptions, conclusions, opinion, and interpretations that are shared informally that become part of the lore of field. In composing a literature review, it is important to note that it is often this third layer of knowledge that is cited as "true" even though it often has only a loose relationship to the primary studies and secondary literature reviews.

Given this, while literature reviews are designed to provide an overview and synthesis of pertinent sources you have explored, there are several approaches to how they can be done, depending upon the type of analysis underpinning your study. Listed below are definitions of types of literature reviews:

Argumentative Review      This form examines literature selectively in order to support or refute an argument, deeply imbedded assumption, or philosophical problem already established in the literature. The purpose is to develop a body of literature that establishes a contrarian viewpoint. Given the value-laden nature of some social science research [e.g., educational reform; immigration control], argumentative approaches to analyzing the literature can be a legitimate and important form of discourse. However, note that they can also introduce problems of bias when they are used to to make summary claims of the sort found in systematic reviews.

Integrative Review      Considered a form of research that reviews, critiques, and synthesizes representative literature on a topic in an integrated way such that new frameworks and perspectives on the topic are generated. The body of literature includes all studies that address related or identical hypotheses. A well-done integrative review meets the same standards as primary research in regard to clarity, rigor, and replication.

Historical Review      Few things rest in isolation from historical precedent. Historical reviews are focused on examining research throughout a period of time, often starting with the first time an issue, concept, theory, phenomena emerged in the literature, then tracing its evolution within the scholarship of a discipline. The purpose is to place research in a historical context to show familiarity with state-of-the-art developments and to identify the likely directions for future research.

Methodological Review      A review does not always focus on what someone said [content], but how they said it [method of analysis]. This approach provides a framework of understanding at different levels (i.e. those of theory, substantive fields, research approaches and data collection and analysis techniques), enables researchers to draw on a wide variety of knowledge ranging from the conceptual level to practical documents for use in fieldwork in the areas of ontological and epistemological consideration, quantitative and qualitative integration, sampling, interviewing, data collection and data analysis, and helps highlight many ethical issues which we should be aware of and consider as we go through our study.

Systematic Review      This form consists of an overview of existing evidence pertinent to a clearly formulated research question, which uses pre-specified and standardized methods to identify and critically appraise relevant research, and to collect, report, and analyse data from the studies that are included in the review. Typically it focuses on a very specific empirical question, often posed in a cause-and-effect form, such as "To what extent does A contribute to B?"

Theoretical Review      The purpose of this form is to concretely examine the corpus of theory that has accumulated in regard to an issue, concept, theory, phenomena. The theoretical literature review help establish what theories already exist, the relationships between them, to what degree the existing theories have been investigated, and to develop new hypotheses to be tested. Often this form is used to help establish a lack of appropriate theories or reveal that current theories are inadequate for explaining new or emerging research problems. The unit of analysis can focus on a theoretical concept or a whole theory or framework.

* Kennedy, Mary M. "Defining a Literature."  Educational Researcher  36 (April 2007): 139-147.

All content in this section is from The Literature Review created by Dr. Robert Larabee USC

Robinson, P. and Lowe, J. (2015),  Literature reviews vs systematic reviews.  Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health, 39: 103-103. doi: 10.1111/1753-6405.12393

What's in the name? The difference between a Systematic Review and a Literature Review, and why it matters . By Lynn Kysh from University of Southern California

Systematic review or meta-analysis?

A  systematic review  answers a defined research question by collecting and summarizing all empirical evidence that fits pre-specified eligibility criteria.

A  meta-analysis  is the use of statistical methods to summarize the results of these studies.

Systematic reviews, just like other research articles, can be of varying quality. They are a significant piece of work (the Centre for Reviews and Dissemination at York estimates that a team will take 9-24 months), and to be useful to other researchers and practitioners they should have:

• clearly stated objectives with pre-defined eligibility criteria for studies
• explicit, reproducible methodology
• a systematic search that attempts to identify all studies
• assessment of the validity of the findings of the included studies (e.g. risk of bias)
• systematic presentation, and synthesis, of the characteristics and findings of the included studies

Not all systematic reviews contain meta-analysis. 

Meta-analysis is the use of statistical methods to summarize the results of independent studies. By combining information from all relevant studies, meta-analysis can provide more precise estimates of the effects of health care than those derived from the individual studies included within a review.  More information on meta-analyses can be found in  Cochrane Handbook, Chapter 9 .

A meta-analysis goes beyond critique and integration and conducts secondary statistical analysis on the outcomes of similar studies.  It is a systematic review that uses quantitative methods to synthesize and summarize the results.

An advantage of a meta-analysis is the ability to be completely objective in evaluating research findings.  Not all topics, however, have sufficient research evidence to allow a meta-analysis to be conducted.  In that case, an integrative review is an appropriate strategy. 

Some of the content in this section is from Systematic reviews and meta-analyses: step by step guide created by Kate McAllister.

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What is a Literature Review?

A literature or narrative review is a comprehensive review and analysis of the published literature on a specific topic or research question. The literature that is reviewed contains: books, articles, academic articles, conference proceedings, association papers, and dissertations. It contains the most pertinent studies and points to important past and current research and practices. It provides background and context, and shows how your research will contribute to the field. 

A literature review should: 

• Provide a comprehensive and updated review of the literature;
• Explain why this review has taken place;
• Articulate a position or hypothesis;
• Acknowledge and account for conflicting and corroborating points of view

From  S age Research Methods

Purpose of a Literature Review

A literature review can be written as an introduction to a study to:

• Demonstrate how a study fills a gap in research
• Compare a study with other research that's been done

Or it can be a separate work (a research article on its own) which:

• Organizes or describes a topic
• Describes variables within a particular issue/problem

Limitations of a Literature Review

Some of the limitations of a literature review are:

• It's a snapshot in time. Unlike other reviews, this one has beginning, a middle and an end. There may be future developments that could make your work less relevant.
• It may be too focused. Some niche studies may miss the bigger picture.
• It can be difficult to be comprehensive. There is no way to make sure all the literature on a topic was considered.
• It is easy to be biased if you stick to top tier journals. There may be other places where people are publishing exemplary research. Look to open access publications and conferences to reflect a more inclusive collection. Also, make sure to include opposing views (and not just supporting evidence).

Source: Grant, Maria J., and Andrew Booth. “A Typology of Reviews: An Analysis of 14 Review Types and Associated Methodologies.” Health Information & Libraries Journal, vol. 26, no. 2, June 2009, pp. 91–108. Wiley Online Library, doi:10.1111/j.1471-1842.2009.00848.x.

Meryl Brodsky : Communication and Information Studies

Hannah Chapman Tripp : Biology, Neuroscience

Carolyn Cunningham : Human Development & Family Sciences, Psychology, Sociology

Larayne Dallas : Engineering

Janelle Hedstrom : Special Education, Curriculum & Instruction, Ed Leadership & Policy ​

Susan Macicak : Linguistics

Imelda Vetter : Dell Medical School

For help in other subject areas, please see the guide to library specialists by subject .

Periodically, UT Libraries runs a workshop covering the basics and library support for literature reviews. While we try to offer these once per academic year, we find providing the recording to be helpful to community members who have missed the session. Following is the most recent recording of the workshop, Conducting a Literature Review. To view the recording, a UT login is required.

• October 26, 2022 recording
• Last Updated: Aug 13, 2024 1:52 PM
• URL: https://guides.lib.utexas.edu/literaturereviews

What Is A Literature Review?

A plain-language explainer (with examples).

By:  Derek Jansen (MBA) & Kerryn Warren (PhD) | June 2020 (Updated May 2023)

If you’re faced with writing a dissertation or thesis, chances are you’ve encountered the term “literature review” . If you’re on this page, you’re probably not 100% what the literature review is all about. The good news is that you’ve come to the right place.

Literature Review 101

• What (exactly) is a literature review
• What’s the purpose of the literature review chapter
• How to find high-quality resources
• How to structure your literature review chapter
• Example of an actual literature review

What is a literature review?

The word “literature review” can refer to two related things that are part of the broader literature review process. The first is the task of  reviewing the literature  – i.e. sourcing and reading through the existing research relating to your research topic. The second is the  actual chapter  that you write up in your dissertation, thesis or research project. Let’s look at each of them:

Reviewing the literature

The first step of any literature review is to hunt down and  read through the existing research  that’s relevant to your research topic. To do this, you’ll use a combination of tools (we’ll discuss some of these later) to find journal articles, books, ebooks, research reports, dissertations, theses and any other credible sources of information that relate to your topic. You’ll then  summarise and catalogue these  for easy reference when you write up your literature review chapter. 

The literature review chapter

The second step of the literature review is to write the actual literature review chapter (this is usually the second chapter in a typical dissertation or thesis structure ). At the simplest level, the literature review chapter is an  overview of the key literature  that’s relevant to your research topic. This chapter should provide a smooth-flowing discussion of what research has already been done, what is known, what is unknown and what is contested in relation to your research topic. So, you can think of it as an  integrated review of the state of knowledge  around your research topic. 

What’s the purpose of a literature review?

The literature review chapter has a few important functions within your dissertation, thesis or research project. Let’s take a look at these:

Purpose #1 – Demonstrate your topic knowledge

The first function of the literature review chapter is, quite simply, to show the reader (or marker) that you  know what you’re talking about . In other words, a good literature review chapter demonstrates that you’ve read the relevant existing research and understand what’s going on – who’s said what, what’s agreed upon, disagreed upon and so on. This needs to be  more than just a summary  of who said what – it needs to integrate the existing research to  show how it all fits together  and what’s missing (which leads us to purpose #2, next). 

Purpose #2 – Reveal the research gap that you’ll fill

The second function of the literature review chapter is to  show what’s currently missing  from the existing research, to lay the foundation for your own research topic. In other words, your literature review chapter needs to show that there are currently “missing pieces” in terms of the bigger puzzle, and that  your study will fill one of those research gaps . By doing this, you are showing that your research topic is original and will help contribute to the body of knowledge. In other words, the literature review helps justify your research topic.  

Purpose #3 – Lay the foundation for your conceptual framework

The third function of the literature review is to form the  basis for a conceptual framework . Not every research topic will necessarily have a conceptual framework, but if your topic does require one, it needs to be rooted in your literature review. 

For example, let’s say your research aims to identify the drivers of a certain outcome – the factors which contribute to burnout in office workers. In this case, you’d likely develop a conceptual framework which details the potential factors (e.g. long hours, excessive stress, etc), as well as the outcome (burnout). Those factors would need to emerge from the literature review chapter – they can’t just come from your gut! 

So, in this case, the literature review chapter would uncover each of the potential factors (based on previous studies about burnout), which would then be modelled into a framework. 

Purpose #4 – To inform your methodology

The fourth function of the literature review is to  inform the choice of methodology  for your own research. As we’ve  discussed on the Grad Coach blog , your choice of methodology will be heavily influenced by your research aims, objectives and questions . Given that you’ll be reviewing studies covering a topic close to yours, it makes sense that you could learn a lot from their (well-considered) methodologies.

So, when you’re reviewing the literature, you’ll need to  pay close attention to the research design , methodology and methods used in similar studies, and use these to inform your methodology. Quite often, you’ll be able to  “borrow” from previous studies . This is especially true for quantitative studies , as you can use previously tried and tested measures and scales. 

How do I find articles for my literature review?

Finding quality journal articles is essential to crafting a rock-solid literature review. As you probably already know, not all research is created equally, and so you need to make sure that your literature review is  built on credible research . 

We could write an entire post on how to find quality literature (actually, we have ), but a good starting point is Google Scholar . Google Scholar is essentially the academic equivalent of Google, using Google’s powerful search capabilities to find relevant journal articles and reports. It certainly doesn’t cover every possible resource, but it’s a very useful way to get started on your literature review journey, as it will very quickly give you a good indication of what the  most popular pieces of research  are in your field.

One downside of Google Scholar is that it’s merely a search engine – that is, it lists the articles, but oftentimes  it doesn’t host the articles . So you’ll often hit a paywall when clicking through to journal websites. 

Thankfully, your university should provide you with access to their library, so you can find the article titles using Google Scholar and then search for them by name in your university’s online library. Your university may also provide you with access to  ResearchGate , which is another great source for existing research. 

Remember, the correct search keywords will be super important to get the right information from the start. So, pay close attention to the keywords used in the journal articles you read and use those keywords to search for more articles. If you can’t find a spoon in the kitchen, you haven’t looked in the right drawer. 

Need a helping hand?

How should I structure my literature review?

Unfortunately, there’s no generic universal answer for this one. The structure of your literature review will depend largely on your topic area and your research aims and objectives.

You could potentially structure your literature review chapter according to theme, group, variables , chronologically or per concepts in your field of research. We explain the main approaches to structuring your literature review here . You can also download a copy of our free literature review template to help you establish an initial structure.

In general, it’s also a good idea to start wide (i.e. the big-picture-level) and then narrow down, ending your literature review close to your research questions . However, there’s no universal one “right way” to structure your literature review. The most important thing is not to discuss your sources one after the other like a list – as we touched on earlier, your literature review needs to synthesise the research , not summarise it .

Ultimately, you need to craft your literature review so that it conveys the most important information effectively – it needs to tell a logical story in a digestible way. It’s no use starting off with highly technical terms and then only explaining what these terms mean later. Always assume your reader is not a subject matter expert and hold their hand through a journe y of the literature while keeping the functions of the literature review chapter (which we discussed earlier) front of mind.

Example of a literature review

In the video below, we walk you through a high-quality literature review from a dissertation that earned full distinction. This will give you a clearer view of what a strong literature review looks like in practice and hopefully provide some inspiration for your own. 

Wrapping Up

In this post, we’ve (hopefully) answered the question, “ what is a literature review? “. We’ve also considered the purpose and functions of the literature review, as well as how to find literature and how to structure the literature review chapter. If you’re keen to learn more, check out the literature review section of the Grad Coach blog , as well as our detailed video post covering how to write a literature review . 

Psst… there’s more!

This post is an extract from our bestselling short course, Literature Review Bootcamp . If you want to work smart, you don't want to miss this .

16 Comments

Thanks for this review. It narrates what’s not been taught as tutors are always in a early to finish their classes.

Thanks for the kind words, Becky. Good luck with your literature review 🙂

This website is amazing, it really helps break everything down. Thank you, I would have been lost without it.

This is review is amazing. I benefited from it a lot and hope others visiting this website will benefit too.

Timothy T. Chol [email protected]

Thank you very much for the guiding in literature review I learn and benefited a lot this make my journey smooth I’ll recommend this site to my friends

This was so useful. Thank you so much.

Hi, Concept was explained nicely by both of you. Thanks a lot for sharing it. It will surely help research scholars to start their Research Journey.

The review is really helpful to me especially during this period of covid-19 pandemic when most universities in my country only offer online classes. Great stuff

Great Brief Explanation, thanks

So helpful to me as a student

GradCoach is a fantastic site with brilliant and modern minds behind it.. I spent weeks decoding the substantial academic Jargon and grounding my initial steps on the research process, which could be shortened to a couple of days through the Gradcoach. Thanks again!

This is an amazing talk. I paved way for myself as a researcher. Thank you GradCoach!

Well-presented overview of the literature!

This was brilliant. So clear. Thank you

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Reviewing literature for research: Doing it the right way

Shital amin poojary.

Department of Dermatology, K J Somaiya Medical College, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India

Jimish Deepak Bagadia

In an era of information overload, it is important to know how to obtain the required information and also to ensure that it is reliable information. Hence, it is essential to understand how to perform a systematic literature search. This article focuses on reliable literature sources and how to make optimum use of these in dermatology and venereology.

INTRODUCTION

A thorough review of literature is not only essential for selecting research topics, but also enables the right applicability of a research project. Most importantly, a good literature search is the cornerstone of practice of evidence based medicine. Today, everything is available at the click of a mouse or at the tip of the fingertips (or the stylus). Google is often the Go-To search website, the supposed answer to all questions in the universe. However, the deluge of information available comes with its own set of problems; how much of it is actually reliable information? How much are the search results that the search string threw up actually relevant? Did we actually find what we were looking for? Lack of a systematic approach can lead to a literature review ending up as a time-consuming and at times frustrating process. Hence, whether it is for research projects, theses/dissertations, case studies/reports or mere wish to obtain information; knowing where to look, and more importantly, how to look, is of prime importance today.

Literature search

Fink has defined research literature review as a “systematic, explicit and reproducible method for identifying, evaluating, and synthesizing the existing body of completed and recorded work produced by researchers, scholars and practitioners.”[ 1 ]

Review of research literature can be summarized into a seven step process: (i) Selecting research questions/purpose of the literature review (ii) Selecting your sources (iii) Choosing search terms (iv) Running your search (v) Applying practical screening criteria (vi) Applying methodological screening criteria/quality appraisal (vii) Synthesizing the results.[ 1 ]

This article will primarily concentrate on refining techniques of literature search.

Sources for literature search are enumerated in Table 1 .

Sources for literature search

PubMed is currently the most widely used among these as it contains over 23 million citations for biomedical literature and has been made available free by National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI), U.S. National Library of Medicine. However, the availability of free full text articles depends on the sources. Use of options such as advanced search, medical subject headings (MeSH) terms, free full text, PubMed tutorials, and single citation matcher makes the database extremely user-friendly [ Figure 1 ]. It can also be accessed on the go through mobiles using “PubMed Mobile.” One can also create own account in NCBI to save searches and to use certain PubMed tools.

PubMed home page showing location of different tools which can be used for an efficient literature search

Tips for efficient use of PubMed search:[ 2 , 3 , 4 ]

Use of field and Boolean operators

When one searches using key words, all articles containing the words show up, many of which may not be related to the topic. Hence, the use of operators while searching makes the search more specific and less cumbersome. Operators are of two types: Field operators and Boolean operators, the latter enabling us to combine more than one concept, thereby making the search highly accurate. A few key operators that can be used in PubMed are shown in Tables ​ Tables2 2 and ​ and3 3 and illustrated in Figures ​ Figures2 2 and ​ and3 3 .

Field operators used in PubMed search

Boolean operators used in PubMed search

PubMed search results page showing articles on donovanosis using the field operator [TIAB]; it shows all articles which have the keyword “donovanosis” in either title or abstract of the article

PubMed search using Boolean operators ‘AND’, ‘NOT’; To search for articles on treatment of lepra reaction other than steroids, after clicking the option ‘Advanced search’ on the home page, one can build the search using ‘AND’ option for treatment and ‘NOT’ option for steroids to omit articles on steroid treatment in lepra reaction

Use of medical subject headings terms

These are very specific and standardized terms used by indexers to describe every article in PubMed and are added to the record of every article. A search using MeSH will show all articles about the topic (or keywords), but will not show articles only containing these keywords (these articles may be about an entirely different topic, but still may contain your keywords in another context in any part of the article). This will make your search more specific. Within the topic, specific subheadings can be added to the search builder to refine your search [ Figure 4 ]. For example, MeSH terms for treatment are therapy and therapeutics.

PubMed search using medical subject headings (MeSH) terms for management of gonorrhea. Click on MeSH database ( Figure 1 ) →In the MeSH search box type gonorrhea and click search. Under the MeSH term gonorrhea, there will be a list of subheadings; therapy, prevention and control, click the relevant check boxes and add to search builder →Click on search →All articles on therapy, prevention and control of gonorrhea will be displayed. Below the subheadings, there are two options: (1) Restrict to medical subject headings (MeSH) major topic and (2) do not include MeSH terms found below this term in the MeSH hierarchy. These can be used to further refine the search results so that only articles which are majorly about treatment of gonorrhea will be displayed

Two additional options can be used to further refine MeSH searches. These are located below the subheadings for a MeSH term: (1) Restrict to MeSH major topic; checking this box will retrieve articles which are majorly about the search term and are therefore, more focused and (2) Do not include MeSH terms found below this term in the MeSH hierarchy. This option will again give you more focused articles as it excludes the lower specific terms [ Figure 4 ].

Similar feature is available with Cochrane library (also called MeSH), EMBASE (known as EMTREE) and PsycINFO (Thesaurus of Psychological Index Terms).

Saving your searches

Any search that one has performed can be saved by using the ‘Send to’ option and can be saved as a simple word file [ Figure 5 ]. Alternatively, the ‘Save Search’ button (just below the search box) can be used. However, it is essential to set up an NCBI account and log in to NCBI for this. One can even choose to have E-mail updates of new articles in the topic of interest.

Saving PubMed searches. A simple option is to click on the dropdown box next to ‘Send to’ option and then choose among the options. It can be saved as a text or word file by choosing ‘File’ option. Another option is the “Save search” option below the search box but this will require logging into your National Center for Biotechnology Information account. This however allows you to set up alerts for E-mail updates for new articles

Single citation matcher

This is another important tool that helps to find the genuine original source of a particular research work (when few details are known about the title/author/publication date/place/journal) and cite the reference in the most correct manner [ Figure 6 ].

Single citation matcher: Click on “Single citation matcher” on PubMed Home page. Type available details of the required reference in the boxes to get the required citation

Full text articles

In any search clicking on the link “free full text” (if present) gives you free access to the article. In some instances, though the published article may not be available free, the author manuscript may be available free of charge. Furthermore, PubMed Central articles are available free of charge.

Managing filters

Filters can be used to refine a search according to type of article required or subjects of research. One can specify the type of article required such as clinical trial, reviews, free full text; these options are available on a typical search results page. Further specialized filters are available under “manage filters:” e.g., articles confined to certain age groups (properties option), “Links” to other databases, article specific to particular journals, etc. However, one needs to have an NCBI account and log in to access this option [ Figure 7 ].

Managing filters. Simple filters are available on the ‘search results’ page. One can choose type of article, e.g., clinical trial, reviews etc. Further options are available in the “Manage filters” option, but this requires logging into National Center for Biotechnology Information account

The Cochrane library

Although reviews are available in PubMed, for systematic reviews and meta-analysis, Cochrane library is a much better resource. The Cochrane library is a collection of full length systematic reviews, which can be accessed for free in India, thanks to Indian Council of Medical Research renewing the license up to 2016, benefitting users all over India. It is immensely helpful in finding detailed high quality research work done in a particular field/topic [ Figure 8 ].

Cochrane library is a useful resource for reliable, systematic reviews. One can choose the type of reviews required, including trials

An important tool that must be used while searching for research work is screening. Screening helps to improve the accuracy of search results. It is of two types: (1) Practical: To identify a broad range of potentially useful studies. Examples: Date of publication (last 5 years only; gives you most recent updates), participants or subjects (humans above 18 years), publication language (English only) (2) methodological: To identify best available studies (for example, excluding studies not involving control group or studies with only randomized control trials).

Selecting the right quality of literature is the key to successful research literature review. The quality can be estimated by what is known as “The Evidence Pyramid.” The level of evidence of references obtained from the aforementioned search tools are depicted in Figure 9 . Systematic reviews obtained from Cochrane library constitute level 1 evidence.

Evidence pyramid: Depicting the level of evidence of references obtained from the aforementioned search tools

Thus, a systematic literature review can help not only in setting up the basis of a good research with optimal use of available information, but also in practice of evidence-based medicine.

Source of Support: Nil.

Conflict of Interest: None declared.

Literature Review - what is a Literature Review, why it is important and how it is done

• Strategies to Find Sources

Evaluating Literature Reviews and Sources

Reading critically, tips to evaluate sources.

• Tips for Writing Literature Reviews
• Writing Literature Review: Useful Sites
• Citation Resources
• Other Academic Writings
• Useful Resources

A good literature review evaluates a wide variety of sources (academic articles, scholarly books, government/NGO reports). It also evaluates literature reviews that study similar topics. This page offers you a list of resources and tips on how to evaluate the sources that you may use to write your review.

• A Closer Look at Evaluating Literature Reviews Excerpt from the book chapter, “Evaluating Introductions and Literature Reviews” in Fred Pyrczak’s Evaluating Research in Academic Journals: A Practical Guide to Realistic Evaluation , (Chapter 4 and 5). This PDF discusses and offers great advice on how to evaluate "Introductions" and "Literature Reviews" by listing questions and tips. First part focus on Introductions and in page 10 in the PDF, 37 in the text, it focus on "literature reviews".
• Tips for Evaluating Sources (Print vs. Internet Sources) Excellent page that will guide you on what to ask to determine if your source is a reliable one. Check the other topics in the guide: Evaluating Bibliographic Citations and Evaluation During Reading on the left side menu.

To be able to write a good Literature Review, you need to be able to read critically. Below are some tips that will help you evaluate the sources for your paper.

Reading critically (summary from How to Read Academic Texts Critically)

• Who is the author? What is his/her standing in the field.
• What is the author’s purpose? To offer advice, make practical suggestions, solve a specific problem, to critique or clarify?
• Note the experts in the field: are there specific names/labs that are frequently cited?
• Pay attention to methodology: is it sound? what testing procedures, subjects, materials were used?
• Note conflicting theories, methodologies and results. Are there any assumptions being made by most/some researchers?
• Theories: have they evolved overtime?
• Evaluate and synthesize the findings and conclusions. How does this study contribute to your project?

Useful links:

• How to Read a Paper (University of Waterloo, Canada) This is an excellent paper that teach you how to read an academic paper, how to determine if it is something to set aside, or something to read deeply. Good advice to organize your literature for the Literature Review or just reading for classes.

Criteria to evaluate sources:

• Authority : Who is the author? what is his/her credentials--what university he/she is affliliated? Is his/her area of expertise?
• Usefulness : How this source related to your topic? How current or relevant it is to your topic?
• Reliability : Does the information comes from a reliable, trusted source such as an academic journal?

Useful site - Critically Analyzing Information Sources (Cornell University Library)

• << Previous: Strategies to Find Sources
• Next: Tips for Writing Literature Reviews >>
• Last Updated: Jul 3, 2024 10:56 AM
• URL: https://lit.libguides.com/Literature-Review

The Library, Technological University of the Shannon: Midwest

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• Writing Tips

5 Reasons the Literature Review Is Crucial to Your Paper

• 3-minute read
• 8th November 2016

People often treat writing the literature review in an academic paper as a formality. Usually, this means simply listing various studies vaguely related to their work and leaving it at that.

But this overlooks how important the literature review is to a well-written experimental report or research paper. As such, we thought we’d take a moment to go over what a literature review should do and why you should give it the attention it deserves.

What Is a Literature Review?

Common in the social and physical sciences, but also sometimes required in the humanities, a literature review is a summary of past research in your subject area.

Sometimes this is a standalone investigation of how an idea or field of inquiry has developed over time. However, more usually it’s the part of an academic paper, thesis or dissertation that sets out the background against which a study takes place.

There are several reasons why we do this.

Reason #1: To Demonstrate Understanding

In a college paper, you can use a literature review to demonstrate your understanding of the subject matter. This means identifying, summarizing and critically assessing past research that is relevant to your own work.

Reason #2: To Justify Your Research

The literature review also plays a big role in justifying your study and setting your research question . This is because examining past research allows you to identify gaps in the literature, which you can then attempt to fill or address with your own work.

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Reason #3: Setting a Theoretical Framework

It can help to think of the literature review as the foundations for your study, since the rest of your work will build upon the ideas and existing research you discuss therein.

A crucial part of this is formulating a theoretical framework , which comprises the concepts and theories that your work is based upon and against which its success will be judged.

Reason #4: Developing a Methodology

Conducting a literature review before beginning research also lets you see how similar studies have been conducted in the past. By examining the strengths and weaknesses of existing research, you can thus make sure you adopt the most appropriate methods, data sources and analytical techniques for your own work.

Reason #5: To Support Your Own Findings

The significance of any results you achieve will depend to some extent on how they compare to those reported in the existing literature. When you come to write up your findings, your literature review will therefore provide a crucial point of reference.

If your results replicate past research, for instance, you can say that your work supports existing theories. If your results are different, though, you’ll need to discuss why and whether the difference is important.

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Literature Review: Purpose of a Literature Review

• Literature Review
• Purpose of a Literature Review
• Work in Progress
• Compiling & Writing
• Books, Articles, & Web Pages
• Types of Literature Reviews
• Departmental Differences
• Citation Styles & Plagiarism
• Know the Difference! Systematic Review vs. Literature Review

The purpose of a literature review is to:

• Provide a foundation of knowledge on a topic
• Identify areas of prior scholarship to prevent duplication and give credit to other researchers
• Identify inconstancies: gaps in research, conflicts in previous studies, open questions left from other research
• Identify the need for additional research (justifying your research)
• Identify the relationship of works in the context of their contribution to the topic and other works
• Place your own research within the context of existing literature, making a case for why further study is needed.

Videos & Tutorials

VIDEO: What is the role of a literature review in research? What's it mean to "review" the literature? Get the big picture of what to expect as part of the process. This video is published under a Creative Commons 3.0 BY-NC-SA US license. License, credits, and contact information can be found here: https://www.lib.ncsu.edu/tutorials/litreview/

Elements in a Literature Review

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• Last Updated: Oct 19, 2023 12:07 PM
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Literature Review in Research Writing

• 4 minute read
• 427.8K views

Table of Contents

Research on research? If you find this idea rather peculiar, know that nowadays, with the huge amount of information produced daily all around the world, it is becoming more and more difficult to keep up to date with all of it. In addition to the sheer amount of research, there is also its origin. We are witnessing the economic and intellectual emergence of countries like China, Brazil, Turkey, and United Arab Emirates, for example, that are producing scholarly literature in their own languages. So, apart from the effort of gathering information, there must also be translators prepared to unify all of it in a single language to be the object of the literature survey. At Elsevier, our team of translators is ready to support researchers by delivering high-quality scientific translations , in several languages, to serve their research – no matter the topic.

What is a literature review?

A literature review is a study – or, more accurately, a survey – involving scholarly material, with the aim to discuss published information about a specific topic or research question. Therefore, to write a literature review, it is compulsory that you are a real expert in the object of study. The results and findings will be published and made available to the public, namely scientists working in the same area of research.

How to Write a Literature Review

First of all, don’t forget that writing a literature review is a great responsibility. It’s a document that is expected to be highly reliable, especially concerning its sources and findings. You have to feel intellectually comfortable in the area of study and highly proficient in the target language; misconceptions and errors do not have a place in a document as important as a literature review. In fact, you might want to consider text editing services, like those offered at Elsevier, to make sure your literature is following the highest standards of text quality. You want to make sure your literature review is memorable by its novelty and quality rather than language errors.

Writing a literature review requires expertise but also organization. We cannot teach you about your topic of research, but we can provide a few steps to guide you through conducting a literature review:

• Choose your topic or research question: It should not be too comprehensive or too limited. You have to complete your task within a feasible time frame.
• Set the scope: Define boundaries concerning the number of sources, time frame to be covered, geographical area, etc.
• Decide which databases you will use for your searches: In order to search the best viable sources for your literature review, use highly regarded, comprehensive databases to get a big picture of the literature related to your topic.
• Search, search, and search: Now you’ll start to investigate the research on your topic. It’s critical that you keep track of all the sources. Start by looking at research abstracts in detail to see if their respective studies relate to or are useful for your own work. Next, search for bibliographies and references that can help you broaden your list of resources. Choose the most relevant literature and remember to keep notes of their bibliographic references to be used later on.
• Review all the literature, appraising carefully it’s content: After reading the study’s abstract, pay attention to the rest of the content of the articles you deem the “most relevant.” Identify methodologies, the most important questions they address, if they are well-designed and executed, and if they are cited enough, etc.

If it’s the first time you’ve published a literature review, note that it is important to follow a special structure. Just like in a thesis, for example, it is expected that you have an introduction – giving the general idea of the central topic and organizational pattern – a body – which contains the actual discussion of the sources – and finally the conclusion or recommendations – where you bring forward whatever you have drawn from the reviewed literature. The conclusion may even suggest there are no agreeable findings and that the discussion should be continued.

Why are literature reviews important?

Literature reviews constantly feed new research, that constantly feeds literature reviews…and we could go on and on. The fact is, one acts like a force over the other and this is what makes science, as a global discipline, constantly develop and evolve. As a scientist, writing a literature review can be very beneficial to your career, and set you apart from the expert elite in your field of interest. But it also can be an overwhelming task, so don’t hesitate in contacting Elsevier for text editing services, either for profound edition or just a last revision. We guarantee the very highest standards. You can also save time by letting us suggest and make the necessary amendments to your manuscript, so that it fits the structural pattern of a literature review. Who knows how many worldwide researchers you will impact with your next perfectly written literature review.

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• Published: 10 August 2024

Mapping biomimicry research to sustainable development goals

• Raghu Raman 1 ,
• Aswathy Sreenivasan 2 ,
• M. Suresh 2 &
• Prema Nedungadi 3  

Scientific Reports volume  14 , Article number:  18613 ( 2024 ) Cite this article

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• Environmental social sciences

This study systematically evaluates biomimicry research within the context of sustainable development goals (SDGs) to discern the interdisciplinary interplay between biomimicry and SDGs. The alignment of biomimicry with key SDGs showcases its interdisciplinary nature and potential to offer solutions across the health, sustainability, and energy sectors. This study identified two primary thematic clusters. The first thematic cluster focused on health, partnership, and life on land (SDGs 3, 17, and 15), highlighting biomimicry's role in healthcare innovations, sustainable collaboration, and land management. This cluster demonstrates the potential of biomimicry to contribute to medical technologies, emphasizing the need for cross-sectoral partnerships and ecosystem preservation. The second thematic cluster revolves around clean water, energy, infrastructure, and marine life (SDGs 6, 7, 9, and 14), showcasing nature-inspired solutions for sustainable development challenges, including energy generation and water purification. The prominence of SDG 7 within this cluster indicates that biomimicry significantly contributes to sustainable energy practices. The analysis of thematic clusters further revealed the broad applicability of biomimicry and its role in enhancing sustainable energy access and promoting ecosystem conservation. Emerging research topics, such as metaheuristics, nanogenerators, exosomes, and bioprinting, indicate a dynamic field poised for significant advancements. By mapping the connections between biomimicry and SDGs, this study provides a comprehensive overview of the field's trajectory, emphasizing its importance in advancing global sustainability efforts.

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Introduction.

Biomimicry, which combines 'bio' (life) and 'mimicry' (imitation), uses nature's patterns to solve human problems, aligning with the SDGs by fostering innovations 1 . This discipline studies natural processes to inspire sustainable designs and promote responsible consumption and production 2 . Biomimicry emphasizes sustainability, ideation, and education in reconnecting with nature to achieve the SDGs 3 . Collaboration among designers, technologists, and business experts is vital for translating natural mechanisms into commercial solutions 4 . Biomimetics, which aims for radical innovations by replicating living systems, strives for breakthroughs in economic growth 5 . By promoting systemic change through the emulation of nature's regenerative processes, biomimicry's alignment with the SDGs could enhance sustainability efforts. Merging biomimicry insights with SDGs could exceed sustainability benchmarks.

Integrating biomimicry with sustainable development goals (SDGs) is crucial for addressing global challenges. The SDGs offer a blueprint for global well-being and environmental stewardship by 2030 6 . They aim to protect the environment and foster social and economic development. Biomimicry provides innovative approaches to these objectives, drawing from natural strategies. While SDGs offer clear targets, biomimicry complements these by providing a unique lens for solutions 7 . The investigation of biomimicry in conjunction with the SDGs is based on the understanding that the development of biologically inspired materials, structures, and systems offers a novel and sustainable solution to design problems, particularly in the built environment 8 . By mimicking nature's answers to complicated challenges, biomimicry produces creative, clever, long-lasting, and environmentally responsible ideas.

The SDGs outline a comprehensive sustainability agenda targeting social equity, environmental conservation, and poverty alleviation 9 . The use of biomimicry in research can lead to the development of solutions that mimic natural efficiency 10 , revolutionizing industries with resource-efficient technologies and enhancing sustainability. This synergy could lead to environmentally friendly products, improved energy solutions, and effective waste management systems. Integrating biomimicry into industry and education promotes environmental stewardship and ecological appreciation 11 . Marrying biomimicry research with SDGs has accelerated progress toward sustainable development.

Biomimicry can provide insightful and useful solutions consistent with sustainability ideals by imitating the adaptability and efficiency observed in biological systems 12 . The built environment's use of biomimicry has a greater sustainable impact when circular design features are included 13 . Reusing materials, cutting waste, and designing systems that work with natural cycles are all stressed in a circular design. Combining biomimicry and circular design promotes social inclusion, environmental resilience, resourcefulness, and compassionate governance, all of which lead to peaceful coexistence with the environment. This all-encompassing strategy demonstrates a dedication to tackling the larger social and environmental concerns that the SDGs represent and design challenges 14 . Complementing these studies, Wamane 7 examined the intersection of biomimicry, the environmental, social, and governance (ESG) framework, and circular economy principles, advocating for an economic paradigm shift toward sustainability.

A key aspect of realizing the impact of biomimicry on SDGs is the successful translation and commercialization of biomimicry discoveries. This involves overcoming barriers such as skill gaps, the engineering mindset, commercial acumen, and funding. Insights from the "The State of Nature-Inspired-Innovation in the UK" report provide a comprehensive analysis of these challenges and potential strategies to address them, underscoring the importance of integrating commercial perspectives into biomimicry research.

This research employs bibliometric techniques to assess the integration and coherence within circular economy policy-making, emphasizing the potential for a synergistic relationship between environmental stewardship, economic growth, and social equity to foster a sustainable future.

In addressing the notable gap in comprehensive research concerning the contribution of biomimicry solutions to specific SDGs, this study offers significant insights into the interdisciplinary applications of biomimicry and its potential to advance global sustainability efforts. Our investigation aims to bridge this research gap through a systematic analysis, resulting in the formulation of the following research questions:

RQ1: How does an interdisciplinary analysis of biomimicry research align with and contribute to advancing specific SDGs?

RQ2: What emerging topics within biomimicry research are gaining prominence, and how do they relate to the SDGs?

RQ3 : What are the barriers to the translation and commercialization of biomimicry innovations, and how can these barriers be overcome to enhance their impact on SDGs?

RQ4: Based on the identified gaps in research and the potential for interdisciplinary collaboration, what innovative areas within biomimicry can be further explored to address underrepresented SDGs?

The remainder of this paper is arranged as follows. Section " Literature review " focuses on the literature background of biomimicry, followed by methods (section " Methods ") and results and discussion, including emerging research topics (section " Results and discussion "). Section " Conclusion " concludes with recommendations and limitations.

Literature review

The potential of biomimicry solutions for sustainability has long been recognized, yet there is a notable lack of comprehensive studies that explore how biomimicry can address specific sustainable development goals (SDGs) (Table 1 ). This research aims to fill this gap by investigating relevant themes and building upon the literature in this field.

Biomimicry, with its roots tracing back to approximately 500 BC, began with Greek philosophers who developed classical concepts of beauty and drew inspiration from natural organisms for balanced design 15 . This foundational idea of looking to nature for design principles continued through history, as exemplified by Leonardo Da Vinci's creation of a flying machine inspired by birds in 1482. This early instance of biomimicry influenced subsequent advancements, including the Wright brothers' development of the airplane in 1948 12 , 15 . The term "bionics," coined in 1958 to describe "the science of natural systems or their analogs," evolved into "biomimicry" by 1982. Janine Benyus's 1997 book, “Biomimicry: Innovation Inspired by Nature,” and the founding of the Biomimicry Institute (Biomimicry 16 ) were pivotal, positioning nature as a guide and model for sustainable design. Benyus’s work underscores the potential of biomimicry in tackling contemporary environmental challenges such as climate change and ecosystem degradation 12 , 17 .

In recent years, the call for more targeted research in biomimicry has grown, particularly in terms of architecture and energy use. Meena et al. 18 and Varshabi et al. 19 highlighted the need for biomimicry to address energy efficiency in building design, stressing the potential of nature-inspired solutions to reduce energy consumption and enhance sustainability. This perspective aligns with that of Perricone et al. 20 , who explored the differences between artificial and natural systems, noting that biomimetic designs, which mimic the principles of organism construction, can significantly improve resource utilization and ecosystem restoration. Aggarwal and Verma 21 contributed to this discourse by mapping the evolution and applications of biomimicry through scientometric analysis, revealing the growing significance of nature-inspired optimization methodologies, especially in clustering techniques. Their work suggested that these methodologies not only provide innovative solutions but also reflect a deeper integration of biomimetic principles in technological advancements. Building on this, Pinzón and Austin 22 emphasized the infancy of biomimicry in the context of renewable energy, advocating for more research to explore how nature can inspire new energy solutions. Their work connects with that of Carniel et al. 23 , who introduced a natural language processing (NLP) technique to identify research themes in biomimicry across disciplines, facilitating a holistic understanding of current trends and future directions.

To further illustrate the practical applications of biomimicry, Nasser et al. 24 presented the Harmony Search Algorithm (HSA), a nature-inspired optimization technique. Their bibliometric analysis demonstrated the algorithm's effectiveness in reducing energy and resource consumption, highlighting the practical benefits of biomimicry in technological innovation. Rusu et al. 25 expanded on these themes by documenting significant advancements in soft robotics, showing how biomimicry influences design principles and applications in this rapidly evolving field. Their findings underscore the diverse applications of biomimetic principles, from robotics to building design. Shashwat et al. 26 emphasized the role of bioinspired solutions in enhancing energy efficiency within the built environment, promoting the use of high solar reflectance surfaces that mimic natural materials. This perspective is in line with that of Pires et al. 27 , who evaluated the application of biomimicry in dental restorative materials and identified a need for more clinical studies to realize the full potential of biomimetic innovations in healthcare. Liu et al. 28 explored the application of nature-inspired design principles in software-defined networks, demonstrating how biomimetic algorithms can optimize resource and energy utilization in complex systems. This study builds on the broader narrative of biomimicry's potential to transform various sectors by offering efficient, sustainable solutions. Finally, Hinkelman et al. 29 synthesized these insights by discussing the transdisciplinary applications of ecosystem biomimicry, which supports sustainable development goals by integrating biomimetic principles across engineering and environmental disciplines. This comprehensive approach underscores the transformative potential of biomimicry, suggesting that continued interdisciplinary research and innovation are crucial for addressing global sustainability challenges effectively.

PRISMA framework

This study utilizes the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) framework to structure its analysis, following the established five-step protocol: formulating research questions, defining a search strategy, executing a literature search, screening identified literature, and analyzing the findings (Page et al., 2021). The application of the PRISMA guidelines across various research domains, including the SDGs, is well documented 30 .

To ensure a comprehensive search, we searched the Scopus database, a widely utilized resource for bibliometric studies 31 (Donthu et al. 82 ), which led to the discovery of 46,141 publications from 2013 to 2023. This period marked significant research activity following the introduction of the SDGs at the Rio + 20 summit in 2012. Publications were identified using the following terms in the title and abstract: “ (biomimic* OR biomimetic* OR bioinspired OR bioinsp* OR bionic* OR nature-inspired OR "biologically inspired" OR bioinspiration OR biomimesis OR biognosis).”

During the screening phase, publications lacking complete author details were reviewed, narrowing the field to 46,083 publications for further analysis. The eligibility phase utilized proprietary algorithms to map publications to the 17 SDGs, informed by initiatives such as the University of Auckland (Auckland’s SDG mapping 32 ) and Elsevier's SDG Mapping Initiatives (Elsevier's SDG Mapping 33 ). The selection of the Elsevier SDG Mapping Initiative for this study was based on its seamless integration with Scopus, facilitating the use of predefined search queries for each SDG and employing a machine learning model that has been refined through expert review. This approach has been utilized in various studies to analyze research trends within emerging fields. For example, the exploration of green hydrogen was detailed by Raman et al. 34 , while investigations into Fake News and the Dark Web were conducted by Raman et al. 35 , 36 , 37 and Rama et al. 38 , respectively. These examples demonstrate the efficacy of SDG mapping in elucidating how research outputs align with and contribute to sustainable development goals in these emerging domains. This phase identified 13,287 publications as mapped to SDGs. In the inclusion phase, stringent criteria further filtered the publications to English-language journals and review articles, culminating in 13,271 publications deemed suitable for in-depth analysis. This process ensures a comprehensive and high-quality dataset for the study, reflecting the robust and systematic approach afforded by the PRISMA framework in evaluating literature relevant to SDGs.

Our keyword search strategy, while comprehensive, may capture papers that do not genuinely contribute to the field. To mitigate this, we employed manual verification. After the automated search, the authors conducted a manual review of a subset of the final set of identified papers to assess their relevance and authenticity in the context of biomimicry. The subset was based on 20 highly cited papers from each year. We believe that papers that are frequently cited within the community are more likely to be accurately classified. The authors mainly reviewed the introduction, methodology, and results sections to confirm the relevance and authenticity of the papers. However, we acknowledge that these steps may not fully eliminate the inclusion of irrelevant papers, which could skew the results of our meta-analysis.

SDG framework

The examination of sustainable development goals (SDGs) reveals their interconnected nature, where the achievement of one goal often supports progress in others. Studies by Le Blanc (2015) and Allison et al. (2016) have mapped out the complex web of relationships among the SDGs, identifying both strong and subtle linkages across different objectives. To visualize these connections, we employed a cocitation mapping approach using VOSviewer 39 , which allows us to depict the semantic relationships between SDGs through their cocitation rates in scholarly works. This approach generates a visual map where each SDG is represented as a node, with the node size reflecting the goal's research prominence and the thickness of the lines between nodes indicating the frequency of cocitations among the goals. This visual representation reveals the SDGs as an intricate but unified framework, emphasizing the collaborative nature of global sustainability initiatives.

Topic prominence percentile

The Scopus prominence percentile is a crucial metric indicating the visibility and impact of emerging research topics within the scientific community. High-ranking topics in this percentile are rapidly gaining attention, highlighting emerging trends and areas poised for significant advancements. This tool enables researchers and policymakers to identify and focus on innovative topics, ensuring that their efforts align with the forefront of scientific development 35 , 36 , 37 . Topics above the 99.9th percentile were used in this study.

Results and discussion

Rq1: sdg framework and interdisciplinary research (rq4).

This study evaluates biomimicry research through the framework of SDGs. A cocitation SDG map shows two clusters and provides insights into the interplay between biomimicry themes and SDGs, highlighting the cross-disciplinary nature of this research (Fig.  1 ). The blue box hidden behind the “3 – Good Health and Well-being” and “7 – Affordable and Clean Energy” is “11 – Sustainable cities and Communities”. The blue box hidden behind “15 – Life on Land” is “16 – Peace, Justice and Strong institutions”.

Interdisciplinary SDG network of biomimicry research.

Cluster 1 (Red): Biomimetic innovations for health, partnership, and life on land

This cluster comprises a diverse array of research articles that explore the application of biomimicry across various SDGs 3 (health), 17 (partnership), and 15 (land). The papers in this cluster delve into innovative biomimetic ideas, each contributing uniquely to the intersection of sustainable development and biological inspiration. SDG 3, emphasizing good health and well-being for all, is significantly represented, indicating a global effort to leverage biomimicry for advancements in healthcare, such as new medication delivery systems and medical technologies. Similarly, the frequent citations of SDG 17 underscore the vital role of partnerships in achieving sustainable growth, especially where bioinspired solutions require interdisciplinary collaboration to address complex challenges. Finally, the prominence of 15 SDG citations reflects a commitment to preserving terrestrial ecosystems, where biomimicry is increasingly applied in land management, demonstrating nature's adaptability and resilience as a model for sustainable practices. Table 2 lists the top 5 relevant papers from Cluster 1, further illustrating the multifaceted application of biomimicry in addressing these SDGs.

A unique binary variant of the gray wolf optimization (GWO) technique, designed especially for feature selection in classification tasks, was presented by Emary et al. 40 . GWO is a method inspired by the social hierarchy and hunting behavior of gray wolves to find the best solutions to complex problems. This bioinspired optimization technique was used to optimize SDG15, which also highlights its ecological benefits. The results of the study highlight the effectiveness of binary gray wolf optimization in identifying the feature space for ideal pairings and promoting environmental sustainability and biodiversity. Lin et al. 41 focused on SDG 3 by examining catalytically active nanomaterials as potential candidates for artificial enzymes. While acknowledging the limits of naturally occurring enzymes, this study explores how nanobiotechnology can address problems in the food, pharmaceutical, and agrochemical sectors.

The investigation of enzymatic nanomaterials aligns with health-related objectives, highlighting the potential for major improvements in human health. Parodi et al. 42 used biomimetic leukocyte membranes to functionalize synthetic nanoparticles, extending biomimicry into the biomedical domain. To meet SDG 3, this research presents "leukolike vectors," which are nanoporous silicon particles that can communicate with cells, evade the immune system, and deliver specific payloads. In line with the SDGs about health, this study emphasizes the possible uses of biomimetic structures in cancer detection and treatments. A novel strategy for biological photothermal nanodot-based anticancer therapy utilizing peptide‒porphyrin conjugate self-assembly was presented by Zou et al. 43 . For therapeutic reasons, efficient light-to-heat conversion can be achieved by imitating the structure of biological structures. By providing a unique biomimetic approach to cancer treatment and demonstrating the potential of self-assembling biomaterials in biomedical applications, this research advances SDG 3. Finally, Wang et al. 44 presented Monarch butterfly optimization (MBO), which is a bioinspired algorithm that mimics the migration patterns of monarch butterflies to solve optimization problems effectively. This method presents a novel approach to optimization, mimicking the migration of monarch butterflies, aligning with SDG 9. Comparative analyses highlight MBO's exceptional performance and demonstrate its capacity to address intricate issues about business and innovation, supporting objectives for long-term collaboration and sector expansion.

The publications in Cluster 1 show a wide range of biomimetic developments, from ecological optimization to new optimization techniques and biomedical applications. These varied contributions highlight how biomimicry can advance sustainable development in health, symbiosis, and terrestrial life.

Cluster 2 (green): Nature-inspired solutions for clean water, energy, and infrastructure

Cluster 2, which focuses on the innovative application of biomimicry in sustainable development, represents a range of research that aligns with SDGs 6 (sanitation), 7 (energy), 9 (infrastructure), and 14 (water). This cluster is characterized by studies that draw inspiration from natural processes and structures to offer creative solutions to sustainability-related challenges. The papers in this cluster, detailed in Table 3 , demonstrate how biomimicry can address key global concerns in a varied and compelling manner.

Within this cluster, the high citation counts for SDG 7 underscore the significance of accessible clean energy, a domain where biomimicry contributes innovative energy generation and storage solutions inspired by natural processes. This aligns with the growing emphasis on sustainable energy practices. The prominence of SDG 9 citations further highlights the global focus on innovation and sustainable industry, where biomimicry's role in developing nature-inspired designs is crucial for building robust systems and resilient infrastructure. Furthermore, the substantial citations for SDG 6 reflect a dedicated effort toward ensuring access to clean water and sanitation for all. In this regard, biomimicry principles are being applied in water purification technologies, illustrating how sustainable solutions modeled after natural processes can effectively meet clean water objectives.

The study by Sydney Gladman et al. (2016), which presented the idea of shape-morphing systems inspired by nastic plant motions, is one notable addition to this cluster. This discovery creates new opportunities for tissue engineering, autonomous robotics, and smart textile applications by encoding composite hydrogel designs that exhibit anisotropic swelling behavior. The emphasis of SDG 9 on promoting industry, innovation, and infrastructure aligns with this biomimetic strategy. SDGs 7 and 13 are addressed in the study of Li et al. 45 , which is about engineering heterogeneous semiconductors for solar water splitting. This work contributes to the goals of inexpensive, clean energy and climate action by investigating methods such as band structure engineering and bionic engineering to increase the efficiency of solar water splitting. Li et al. 46 conducted a thorough study highlighting the importance of catalysts for the selective photoreduction of CO2 into solar fuels. This review offers valuable insights into the use of semiconductor catalysts for selective photocatalytic CO2 reduction. Our work advances sustainable energy solutions by investigating biomimetic, metal-based, and metal-free cocatalysts and contributes to SDGs 7 and 13. Wang et al. 47 address the critical problem of water pollution. Creating materials with superlyophilic and superlyophobic qualities offers a creative method for effectively separating water and oil. This contributes to the goals of clean water, industry, innovation, and life below the water. It also correlates with SDGs 6, 9, and 14. Singh et al. 48 also explored the 'green' synthesis of metals and their oxide nanoparticles for environmental remediation, which furthers SDG 9. This review demonstrates the environmentally benign and sustainable features of green synthesis and its potential to lessen the environmental impact of conventional synthesis methods.

Cluster 2 provides nature-inspired solutions for clean water, renewable energy, and sustainable infrastructure, demonstrating the scope and importance of biomimicry. The varied applications discussed in these papers help overcome difficult problems and advance sustainable development in line with several SDGs.

RQ2: Emerging research topics

Temporal evolution of emerging topics.

Figure  2 displays the publication counts for various emerging topics from 2013 to 2022, indicating growth trends over the years. For 'Metaheuristics', there is a notable increase in publications peaking in approximately 2020, suggesting a surge in interest. 'Strain sensor' research steadily increased, reaching its highest publication frequency toward the end of the period, which is indicative of growing relevance in the field. 'Bioprinting' sharply increased over the next decade, subsequently maintaining high interest, which highlights its sustained innovation. In contrast, 'Actuators' showed fluctuating publication counts, with a recent upward trend. 'Cancer' research, while historically a major topic, displayed a spike in publications in approximately 2018, possibly reflecting a breakthrough or increased research funding. 'Myeloperoxidase' has a smaller presence in the literature, with a modest peak in 2019. The number of 'Water '-related publications remains relatively low but shows a slight increase, suggesting a gradual but increasing recognition of its importance. Research on exosomes has significantly advanced, particularly since 2018, signifying a greater area of focus. 'Mechanical' topic publications have moderate fluctuations without a clear trend, indicating steady research interest. 'Micromotors' experienced an initial publication surge, followed by a decline and then a recent resurgence, possibly due to new technological applications. 'Nanogenerators' have shown a dramatic increase in interest, particularly in recent years, while 'Hydrogel' publications have varied, with a recent decline, which may point toward a shift in research focus or maturity of the topic.

Evolution of emerging topics according to publications (y-axis denotes the number of publications; x-axis denotes the year of publication).

Figure  3 presents the distribution of various research topics based on their prominence percentile and total number of publications. Topics above the 99.9th percentile and to the right of the vertical threshold line represent the most emergent and prolific topics of study. Next, we examine the topics within each of the four quadrants, focusing on how each topic has developed over the years in relation to SDGs and the key phrases associated with each topic.

Distribution of research topics based on prominence percentile and total number of publications.

Next, we examine each research topic in four quadrants, assessing their evolution concerning SDGs. We also analyze the keyphrase cloud to identify which keyphrases are most relevant (indicated by their font size) and whether they are growing or not. In the key phrase cloud, green indicates an increasing relevance of the key phrase, grey signifies that its relevance remains constant, and blue represents a declining relevance of the key phrase.

Niche biomimetic applications

These are topics with a lower number of publications and prominence percentiles, indicating specialized or emerging areas of research that are not yet widely recognized or pursued (Quadrant 1—bottom left).

Myeloperoxidase; colorimetric; chromogenic compounds

The inclusion of myeloperoxidase indicates that inflammation and the immune system are the main research topics. The focus on chromogenic and colorimetric molecules suggests a relationship to analytical techniques for identifying biological materials. The evolution of the research is depicted in Fig.  4 a shows an evolving emphasis on various sustainable development goals (SDGs) over time. The research trajectory, initially rooted in SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being), has progressively branched out to encompass SDG 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy) and SDG 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation), reflecting an expanding scope of inquiry within the forestry sciences. More recently, the focus has transitioned toward SDG 15 (Life on Land), indicating an increased recognition of the interconnectedness between forest ecosystems and broader environmental and sustainability goals. This trend underscores the growing complexity and multidisciplinary nature of forestry research, highlighting the need to address comprehensive ecological concerns along with human well-being and sustainable development.

Evolution of research ( a ) and key phrases ( b ).

The word cloud in Fig.  4 b highlights key phrases such as 'Biocompatible', 'Actuator', and 'Self-healing Hydrogel', reflecting a focus on advanced materials, while terms such as 'Elastic Modulus' and 'Polymeric Networks' suggest an emphasis on the structural properties essential for creating innovative diagnostic and environmental sensing tools. Such developments are pertinent to health monitoring and water purification, resonating with SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being) and SDG 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation). The prominence of 'Self-healing' and 'Bioinspired' indicates a shift toward materials that emulate natural processes for durability and longevity, supporting sustainable industry practices aligned with SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure) and SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production), contributing to the overarching aim of sustainable development.

Next, we analyzed the top 3 cited publications. Catalytically active nanomaterials, or nanozymes, are exciting candidates for artificial enzymes, according to Lin et al. 41 . The authors explore the structural features and biomimetics applications of these enzymes, classifying them as metal-, carbon-, and metal oxide-based nanomaterials. This study emphasizes the benefits of enzymes over natural enzymes, including their high stability, variable catalytic activity, and controlled production. Wang et al. 49 developed biomimetic nanoflowers made from nanozymes to cause intracellular oxidative damage in hypoxic malignancies. Under both normoxic and hypoxic conditions, the nanoflowers demonstrated catalytic efficiency. By overcoming the constraints of existing systems that depend on oxygen availability or external stimuli, this novel technique represents a viable treatment option for malignant neoplasms. Gao et al. 50 investigated the use of a dual inorganic nanozyme-catalyzed cascade reaction as a biomimetic approach for nanocatalytic tumor therapy. This approach produces a high level of therapeutic efficacy by cascading catalytic events inside the tumor microenvironment. This study highlights the potential of inorganic nanozymes for achieving high therapeutic efficacy and outstanding biosafety, which adds to the growing interest in nanocatalytic tumor therapy.

Water; hydrophobicity; aerogels

With an emphasis on hydrophobicity, aerogel use, and water-related features, this topic relates to materials science and indicates interest in cutting-edge materials with unique qualities. From Fig.  5 a, we can see that, initially, the focus was directed toward SDG 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation), which is intrinsically related to the research theme, as biomimetic approaches are leveraged to develop innovative water purification and management solutions. As the research progressed, the scope expanded to intersect with SDG 14 (Life Below Water) and SDG 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy), signifying a broadened impact of biomimetic innovations in marine ecosystem conservation and energy-efficient materials. The gradual involvement with SDG 9 (industry, innovation, and infrastructure) and SDG 13 (climate action) indicates the interdisciplinary reach of this research, which aims to influence industrial practices and climate change mitigation strategies.

The word cloud in Fig.  5 b reinforces this narrative by showcasing key phrases such as 'Hydrophobic', 'Bioinspired', 'Emulsion', and 'Oil Pollution', which reflect the emphasis on developing materials and technologies that mimic natural water repellency and separation processes. 'Aerogel' and 'polydopamine', along with 'Underwater' and 'Biomimetic Cleaning', suggest a strong focus on creating lightweight, efficient materials capable of self-cleaning and oil spill remediation. These keywords encapsulate the essence of the research theme, demonstrating a clear alignment with the targeted SDGs and the overall aim of sustainable development through biomimicry.

Three highly referenced works that have made substantial contributions to the field of biomimetic materials for oil/water separation are included in the table. The development of superlyophilic and superlyophobic materials for effective oil/water separation was examined by Wang et al. 47 . This review highlights the applications of these materials in separating different oil-and-water combinations by classifying them according to their surface wettability qualities. The excellent efficiency, selectivity, and recyclability of the materials—which present a viable treatment option for industrial oily wastewater and oil spills—are highlighted in the paper. Su et al. 51 explored the evolution of super wettability systems. The studies included superhydrophobicity, superoleophobicity, and undersea counterparts, among other extreme wettabilities. The kinetics, material structures, and wetting conditions related to obtaining superwettability are covered in the article. This demonstrates the wide range of uses for these materials in chemistry and materials science, including self-cleaning fabrics and systems for separating oil and water. Zhang et al. 52 presented a bioinspired multifunctional foam with self-cleaning and oil/water separation capabilities. To construct a polyurethane foam with superhydrophobicity and superoleophobicity, this study used porous biomaterials and superhydrophobic self-cleaning lotus leaves. Foam works well for separating oil from water because of its slight weight and ability to float on water. It also shows exceptional resistance to corrosive liquids. According to the article, multifunctional foams for large-scale oil spill cleaning might be designed using a low-cost fabrication technology that could be widely adopted.

Growing interest in bioinspired healthcare

These topics have a higher prominence percentile but a lower number of publications, suggesting growing interest and importance in the field despite a smaller body of research (Quadrant 2—top left).

Exosomes; extracellular vesicles; MicroRNAs

Exosomes and extracellular vesicles are essential for intercellular communication, and reference to microRNAs implies a focus on genetic regulation. The evolution of this topic reflects an increasing alignment with specific sustainable development goals (SDGs) over the years. The initial research focused on SDG 3 (good health and well-being) has expanded to encompass SDG 9 (industry, innovation, and infrastructure) and SDG 6 (clean water and sanitation), showcasing the multifaceted impact of biomimetic research in healthcare (Fig.  6 a). The research trajectory into SDG 9 and SDG 6 suggests broader application of bioinspired technologies beyond healthcare, potentially influencing sustainable industrial processes and water treatment technologies, respectively.

The word cloud (Fig.  6 b) underscores the central role of 'Extracellular Vesicles' and 'Exosomes' as platforms for 'Targeted Drug Delivery' and 'Nanocarrier' systems, which are key innovations in medical biotechnology. The prominence of terms such as 'Bioinspired', 'Biomimetic', 'Liposome', and 'Gold Nanoparticle' illustrates the inspiration drawn from biological systems for developing advanced materials and delivery mechanisms. These key phrases indicate significant advancements in 'Controlled Drug Delivery Systems', 'Cancer Chemotherapy', and 'Molecular Imaging', which have contributed to improved diagnostics and treatment options, consistent with the objectives of SDG 3.

The work by Jang et al. 53 , which introduced bioinspired exosome-mimetic nanovesicles for improved drug delivery to tumor tissues, is one of the most cited articles. These nanovesicles, which resemble exosomes but have higher creation yields, target cells and slow the growth of tumors in a promising way. Yong et al.'s 54 work presented an effective drug carrier for targeted cancer chemotherapy, focusing on biocompatible tumor cell-exocytosed exosome-biomimetic porous silicon nanoparticles. A paper by Cheng et al. 55 discussed the difficulties in delivering proteins intracellularly. This study suggested a biomimetic nanoparticle platform that uses extracellular vesicle membranes and metal–organic frameworks. These highly cited studies highlight the importance of biomimetic techniques in improving drug delivery systems for improved therapeutic interventions.

Nanogenerators; piezoelectric; energy harvesting

This topic advises concentrating on technology for energy harvesting, especially for those that use piezoelectric materials and nanogenerators. We see a rising focus on medical applications of biomimetics, from diagnostics to energy harvesting mimicking biological systems.

The evolution of this research topic reflects a broader contribution to the SDGs by not only addressing healthcare needs but also by promoting sustainable energy practices and supporting resilient infrastructure through biomimetic innovation (Fig.  7 a). Initially, the emphasis on SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being) suggested the early application of biomimetic principles in healthcare, particularly in medical devices and diagnostics leveraging piezoelectric effects. Over time, the transition toward SDG 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy) and SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure) indicates an expansion of bioinspired technologies into sustainable energy solutions and industrial applications. Nanogenerators and energy harvesting techniques draw inspiration from biological processes and structures, aiming to optimize energy efficiency and contribute to clean energy initiatives.

The word cloud in Fig.  7 b emphasizes key phrases such as 'Piezoelectric', 'Energy Harvesting', 'Tactile Sensor', 'Triboelectricity', and 'Nanogenerators', highlighting the core technologies that are being developed. These terms, along with 'Bioinspired', 'Wearable Electronic Devices', and 'Energy Conversion Efficiency', illustrate the convergence of natural principles with advanced material science to create innovative solutions for energy generation and sensor technology.

Yang et al.'s 56 study in Advanced Materials presented the first triboelectrification-based bionic membrane sensor. Wearable medical monitoring and biometric authentication systems will find new uses for this sensor since it allows self-powered physiological and behavioral measurements, such as noninvasive human health evaluation, anti-interference throat voice recording, and multimodal biometric authentication. A thorough analysis of the state-of-the-art in piezoelectric energy harvesting was presented by Sezer and Koç 57 . This article addresses the fundamentals, components, and uses of piezoelectric generators, highlighting their development, drawbacks, and prospects. It also predicts a time when piezoelectric technology will power many electronics. The 2021 paper by Zhao et al. 58 examines the use of cellulose-based materials in flexible electronics. This section describes the benefits of these materials and the latest developments in intelligent electronic device creation, including biomimetic electronic skins, optoelectronics, sensors, and optoelectronic devices. This review sheds light on the possible drawbacks and opportunities for wearable technology and bioelectronic systems based on cellulose.

Leading edge of biomimetic sensing and electronics

This quadrant represents topics with both a high number of publications and a prominence percentile, indicating well-established and influential research areas (Quadrant 3—top right).

Strain sensor; flexible electronics; sensor

Figure  8 a highlights the progress of research on bioinspired innovations, particularly in the development of strain sensors and flexible electronics for adaptive sensing technologies. Initially, concentrated on health applications aligned with SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being), the focus has expanded. The integration of SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure) indicates a shift toward industrial applications, while the incorporation of SDG 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy) suggests a commitment to energy-efficient solutions. Additionally, the mention of SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities) and SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production) reflects the broadening scope to include urban sustainability and eco-friendly manufacturing practices.

Figure  8 b provides insight into the key phrases associated with this research topic, highlighting terms such as 'Bioinspired', 'Self-healing', 'Wearable Electronic Devices', 'Flexible Electronics', and 'Pressure Sensor'. These key phrases speak to the innovative approaches for creating sensors and electronics that are not only inspired by biological systems but also capable of seamlessly integrating human activity and environmental needs. The mention of 'Wearable Sensors' and 'Tactile Sensor' indicates a focus on user interaction and sensitivity, which is crucial for medical applications and smart infrastructure.

The top three articles with the most citations represent the cutting edge of this topic’s study. Chortos et al. 59 investigated how skin characteristics can be replicated for medicinal and prosthetic uses. Kim et al. 60 focused on creating ultrathin silicon nanoribbon sensors for smart prosthetic skin, opening up new possibilities for bionic systems with many sensors. A bioinspired microhairy sensor for ultraconformability on nonflat surfaces was introduced in Pang et al.'s 61 article, which significantly improved signal-to-noise ratios for accurate physiological measurements.

Cancer; photoacoustics; theranostic nanomedicine

Modern technologies such as photoacoustics, theranostic nanomedicine, and cancer research suggest that novel cancer diagnosis and therapy methods are highly needed. Figure  9 a traces the research focus that has evolved across various SDGs over time, commencing with SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being), which is indicative of the central role of health in biomimetic research. It then extends into SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure) and SDG 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy), illustrating the cross-disciplinary applications of biomimetic technologies from healthcare to the energy and industrial sectors.

Figure  9 b provides a snapshot of the prominent keywords within this research theme, featuring terms such as “photodynamic therapy”, “photothermal chemotherapy”, “nanocarrier”, and “controlled drug delivery”. These terms underscore the innovative therapeutic strategies that mimic biological mechanisms for targeted cancer treatment. 'Bioinspired' and 'Biomimetic Synthesis' reflect the approach of deriving design principles from natural systems for the development of advanced materials and medical devices. 'Theranostic nanomedicine' integrates diagnosis and therapy, demonstrating a trend toward personalized and precision medicine.

A study conducted by Yu et al. 62 presented a novel approach for synergistic chemiexcited photodynamic-starvation therapy against metastatic tumors: a biomimetic nanoreactor, or bio-NR. Bio-NRs use hollow mesoporous silica nanoparticles to catalyze the conversion of glucose to hydrogen peroxide for starvation therapy while also producing singlet oxygen for photodynamic therapy. Bio-NR is promising for treating cancer metastasis because its coating on cancer cells improves its biological qualities. Yang et al.'s 63 study focused on a biocompatible Gd-integrated CuS nanotheranostic agent created via a biomimetic approach. This drug has low systemic side effects and good photothermal conversion efficiency, making it suitable for skin cancer therapy. It also performs well in imaging. The ultrasmall copper sulfide nanoparticles generated within ferritin nanocages are described in Wang et al.’s 64 publication. This work highlights the possibility of photoacoustic imaging-guided photothermal therapy with improved therapeutic efficiency and biocompatibility. These highly referenced articles highlight the significance of biomimetic techniques in furthering nanotheranostics and cancer therapy.

Established biomimetic foundations

Here, there are topics with a greater number of publications but a lower prominence percentile, which may imply areas where there has been significant research but that may be waning in influence or undergoing a shift in focus (Quadrant 4—bottom right).

Metaheuristics; Fireflies; Chiroptera

This topic is a fascinating mix of subjects. Using Firefly and Chiroptera in metaheuristic optimization algorithms provides a bioinspired method for resolving challenging issues. The thematic progression of research papers suggests the maturation of biomimetic disciplines that resonate with several SDGs (Fig.  10 a). The shift from initially aligning with SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being) extends to intersecting with goals such as SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure), SDG 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy), SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities), SDG 13 (Climate Action), and SDG 15 (Life on Land). This diversification reflects the expansive utility of biomimetic approaches, from health applications to broader environmental and societal challenges.

The top keyphrases, such as 'Swarm Intelligence', 'Global Optimization', 'Cuckoo Search Algorithm', and 'Particle Swarm Optimization', are shown in Fig.  10 b highlights the utilization of nature-inspired algorithms for solving complex optimization problems. These terms, along with the 'Firefly Algorithm' and 'Bat Algorithm', underscore the transition of natural phenomena into computational algorithms that mimic the behavioral patterns of biological organisms, offering robust solutions in various fields, including resource management, logistics, and engineering design.

The three highly referenced metaheuristic publications centered around the “Moth Flame Optimization (MFO),” Salp Swarm Algorithm (SSA),” and Whale Optimization Algorithm (WOA).” The WOA, authored by Mirjalili and Lewis 65 , is a competitive solution for mathematical optimization and structural design issues because it emulates the social behavior of humpback whales. Inspired by the swarming behavior of salps, Mirjalili et al. 66 introduced the SSA and multiobjective SSA. This shows how well they function in optimizing a variety of engineering design difficulties. Finally, Mirjalili 67 suggested the MFO algorithm, which is modeled after the navigational strategy of moths and exhibits competitive performance in resolving benchmark and real-world engineering issues.

Bioprinting; three-dimensional printing; tissue engineering

The emphasis on sophisticated manufacturing methods for biological applications in this field suggests a keen interest in the nexus of biology and technology, especially in tissue engineering. As shown in Fig.  11 a, the topic's evolution encompasses Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that have transitioned over the years, including SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being), which is inherently connected to the advancement of medical technologies and tissue engineering for health applications. This research also touches upon SDG 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation) and SDG 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy), suggesting applications of bioprinting technologies in the environmental sustainability and energy sectors. The progression toward SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure) and SDG 15 (Life on Land) reflects a broader impact, where biomimetic principles are applied to foster innovation in industrial processes and contribute to the preservation of terrestrial ecosystems.

Key phrases emerging from the word cloud in Fig.  11 b, such as “Hydrogel”, “Biofabrication”, “Tissue Scaffold”, and “Regenerative Medicine”, highlight the specialized methodologies and materials that are inspired by natural processes and structures. Terms such as 'Three-Dimensional Printing' and 'Bioprinting' underscore the technological advancements in creating complex biological structures, aiming to revolutionize the field of tissue engineering and regenerative medicine.

Three widely referenced papers about advances in 3D printing—particularly in bioprinting, soft matter, and the incorporation of biological tissue with functional electronics—are described next. Truby and Lewis’s 68 review of light- and ink-based 3D printing techniques is ground-breaking. This highlights the technology's capacity to create soft matter with tunable properties and its potential applications in robotics, shape-morphing systems, biologically inspired composites, and soft sensors. Ozbolat, and Hospodiuk 69 provide a thorough analysis of “extrusion-based bioprinting (EBB).” The adaptability of EBB in printing different biologics is discussed in the paper, with a focus on its uses in pharmaceutics, primary research, and clinical contexts. Future directions and challenges in EBB technology are also discussed. Using 3D printing, Mannoor et al. 70 presented a novel method for fusing organic tissue with functioning electronics. In the proof-of-concept, a hydrogel matrix seeded with cells and an interwoven conductive polymer containing silver nanoparticles are 3D printed to create a bionic ear. The improved auditory sensing capabilities of the printed ear show how this novel technology allows biological and nanoelectronic features to work together harmoniously.

RQ3: Translation and commercialization

Biomimicry offers promising solutions for sustainability in commercial industries with environmentally sustainable product innovation and energy savings with reduced resource commitment 71 . However, translating biomimicry innovations from research to commercialization presents challenges, including product validation, regulatory hurdles, and the need for strategic investment, innovative financial models, and interdisciplinary collaboration 71 , 72 , 73 , 74 . Ethical considerations highlight the need for universally applicable ethical guidelines regarding the moral debates surrounding biomimicry, such as motivations for pursuing such approaches and the valuation of nature 75 .

Addressing these barriers requires interdisciplinary collaboration, targeted education, and training programs. Strategic investment in biomimicry research and development is also crucial. Encouraging an engineering mindset that integrates biomimicry principles into conventional practices and developing commercial acumen among researchers is essential for navigating the market landscape 76 . Securing sufficient funding is essential for the development, testing, and scaling of these innovations 76 .

Successful case studies illustrate that the strategic integration of biomimicry enhances corporate sustainability and innovation (Larson & Meier 2017). In biomedical research, biomimetic approaches such as novel scaffolds and artificial skins have made significant strides (Zhang 2012). Architecture benefits through energy-efficient building facades modeled after natural cooling systems (Webb et al. 2017). The textile industry uses biomimicry to create sustainable, high-performance fabrics 77 .

RQ4: Interdisciplinary collaboration

Agricultural innovations (sdgs 1—no poverty and 2—zero hunger).

Environmental degradation, biodiversity loss, poverty, and hunger highlight the need for sustainable agricultural methods to mimic natural ecosystems. This includes computational models for ecological interactions, field experiments for biomimetic techniques, and novel materials inspired by natural soil processes. Research can develop solutions such as artificial photosynthesis for energy capture, polyculture systems mimicking ecosystem diversity, and bioinspired materials for soil regeneration and water retention 28 . These innovations can improve sustainability and energy efficiency in agriculture, addressing poverty and hunger through sustainable farming practices.

Educational models (SDG 4—Quality education)

Integrating sustainability principles and biomimicry into educational curricula at all levels presents opportunities for innovation. Collaborations between educators, environmental scientists, and designers can create immersive learning experiences that promote sustainability. This includes interdisciplinary curricula with biomimicry case studies, digital tools, and simulations for exploring biomimetic designs, and participatory learning approaches for engaging students with natural environments. Designing biomimicry-based educational tools and programs can help students engage in hands-on, project-based learning 10 , fostering a deeper understanding of sustainable living and problem-solving.

Gender-inclusive design (SDG 5—Gender inequality)

Gender biases in design and innovation call for research into biomimetic designs and technologies that facilitate gender equality. This includes participatory design processes involving women as cocreators, studying natural systems for inclusive strategies, and applying biomimetic principles to develop technologies supporting gender equality. Bioinspired technologies can address women's specific needs, enhancing access to education, healthcare, and economic opportunities. Interdisciplinary approaches involving gender studies, engineering, and environmental science can uncover new pathways for inclusive innovation.

Inclusive urban solutions (SDG 11—Sustainable cities and communities)

Rapid urbanization challenges such as housing shortages, environmental degradation, and unsustainable transportation systems require innovative solutions. Methodologies include systems thinking in urban planning, simulation tools for modeling biomimetic solutions, and pilot projects testing bioinspired urban innovations. Research on biomimetic architecture for affordable housing, green infrastructure for climate resilience, and bioinspired transportation systems can offer solutions. Collaborative efforts among architects, urban planners, ecologists, and sociologists are essential 78 .

Peace and justice (SDG 16—Peace, justice and institutions)

Social conflicts and weak institutions necessitate innovative approaches that integrate political science, sociology, and biology. Methods involve case studies, theoretical modeling, and participatory action research to develop strategies for peacebuilding and institutional development.

This research provides a comprehensive exploration of the multifaceted dimensions of biomimicry, SDG alignment, and interdisciplinary topics, demonstrating a clear trajectory of growth and relevance. Interdisciplinary collaboration has emerged as a pivotal strategy for unlocking the full potential of biomimicry in addressing underexplored SDGs.

While answering RQ1, the interdisciplinary analysis underscores the significant alignment of biomimicry research with several SDGs. This reflects the interdisciplinary nature of biomimicry and its ability to generate solutions for societal challenges. The analysis of two thematic clusters revealed the broad applicability of biomimicry across various sustainable development goals (SDGs). The first cluster includes health, partnership, and life on land (SDGs 3, 17, and 15), highlighting biomimicry's potential in medical technologies, sustainability collaborations, and land management. The second cluster encompasses clean water, energy, infrastructure, and marine life (SDGs 6, 7, 9, and 14), demonstrating innovative approaches to clean energy generation, sustainable infrastructure, and water purification.

In response to RQ2, this study highlights emerging topics within biomimicry research, such as metaheuristics and nanogenerators, which reflect a dynamic and evolving field that is swiftly gaining attention. These topics, alongside sensors, flexible electronics, and strain sensors, denote evolving research objectives and societal demands, pointing to new areas of study and innovation. This focus on interdisciplinary topics within biomimicry underscores the field’s adaptability and responsiveness to the shifting landscapes of technological and societal challenges.

In addressing RQ3, biomimicry holds potential for sustainable innovation but faces challenges in commercialization. Biomimicry inspires diverse technological and product innovations, driving sustainable advancements (Lurie-Luke 84 ). Overcoming these barriers through strategic investment, training, interdisciplinary collaboration, and ethical guidelines is essential for unlocking their full potential.

For RQ4 , the recommendations are formulated based on underexplored SDGs like 1, 4, 5, and 10 where biomimicry could play a pivotal role.

Future research could apply generative AI models to this dataset to validate the findings and explore additional insights. While our current study did not explore this topic, we see significant potential for this approach. Generative AI models can process extensive datasets and reveal patterns, potentially offering insights into biomimetic research correlations. The interpretation required for context-specific analysis remains challenging for generative AI 36 , 37

Our study provides valuable insights, but some limitations are worth considering. The chosen database might limit the comprehensiveness of the research captured, potentially excluding relevant work from other sources. Additionally, while the combination of cocitation mapping and BERTopic modeling provides a powerful analysis, both methods have inherent limitations. They may oversimplify the complexities of the field or introduce bias during theme interpretation, even with advanced techniques. Furthermore, our use of citations to thematically clustered publications as a proxy for impact inherits the limitations of citation analysis, such as biases toward established ideas and potential misinterpretations 79 , 80 . Another limitation of our study is the potential for missing accurate SDG mappings, as multiple SDG mapping initiatives are available, and our reliance on a single, Scopus-integrated method may not capture all relevant associations. Consequently, this could have resulted in the exclusion of papers that were appropriately aligned with certain SDGs but were not identified by our chosen mapping approach. Given these limitations, this study provides a valuable snapshot for understanding biomimicry research.

Data availability

All data generated or analyzed during this study are included in this published article and its supplementary information files.

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Sustainable leadership and sustainable entrepreneurship: a systematic literature review

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• Published: 13 August 2024
• Volume 5 , article number  188 , ( 2024 )

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• Greice Kely Aragão Ribeiro 1 &
• João Leitão 2  

The article aims to assess the connection between sustainable leadership and sustainable entrepreneurship, by providing a framework based on the main findings of the clusters relating the effectiveness of that connection. Using the Web of Science databases and applying inclusion and exclusion criteria, 149 articles were retrieved and analysed. The bibliometric analysis was conducted using R-Studio software. The main findings unveil that sustainable leadership and sustainable entrepreneurship are interrelated concepts that play a key role in promoting responsible business practices and formulating solutions to contemporary socio-environmental challenges. The study’s main contribution lies in highlighting the importance of knowledge about sustainable leadership, sustainable entrepreneurship and their links. In practical terms, analysis of the connection between sustainable leadership and sustainable entrepreneurship reveals how the former plays an important role in promoting the latter, inspiring and supporting entrepreneurs in the adoption of sustainable practices, generating a positive socio-environmental impact as well as economic value for the firm. There is a need for more research on sustainable leadership, especially correlating its effectiveness in promoting sustainable entrepreneurship.

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1 Introduction

In recent years, the problematics of sustainability has aroused the interest of various groups in society, especially organisations. The most common definition of sustainability is the act of meeting present needs without jeopardising future generations, so that everyone has the necessary resources. That is, satisfying the needs of the current generation without compromising those of future generations [ 110 ]. There is a constant challenge to find mechanisms and strategies to optimize the process leading to a more sustainable world [ 41 , 63 , 64 ].

The relevance of the topics of sustainable leadership (SL) and sustainable entrepreneurship (SE) and their influences on organisations is increasingly evident. Organisational success and maximum performance depend on the role of leaders and entrepreneurs. Besides serving as a model for other employees, leaders and entrepreneurs are responsible for achieving a company’s vision and objectives [ 80 ].

The conceptualization of sustainable leadership arises from combining the concept of sustainable development with leadership [ 39 , 61 ]. The sustainable leader needs to create an appropriate organisational environment for sustainable develop to take place [ 30 , 36 ] and should focus on relationships inside and outside the company [ 2 ]. That is, the leader performs various roles simultaneously [ 2 , 77 ]. Sustainable leadership (SL) includes behaviour and practices that create lasting value for all stakeholders, including society, the environment and future generations [ 61 , 99 ]. Sustainable leadership goes beyond green transformational leadership and responsible leadership [ 61 ]. It means having the capacity for long-term decision-making, promoting systematic innovation, cultivating a loyal team of employees and providing high-quality products, services and solutions [ 10 , 61 ].

The first studies on sustainable entrepreneurship refer to the idea of joining the concepts of entrepreneurship and sustainable development, arguing that the notion of sustainable development is a significant opportunity for entrepreneurs and innovators [ 5 , 40 ]. From a perspective of sustainability, sustainable entrepreneurship is considered a means to achieve a more sustainable future [ 5 , 18 ] and to address complex social and environmental issues through implementing innovative solutions [ 5 , 90 ]. In this context, the sustainable entrepreneur should be open to opportunities related to sustainability, knowing how to build bridges between questions of sustainability and market needs [ 2 ].

Although there is a steady growth in the literature on sustainable leadership [ 14 , 16 , 29 , 30 , 36 , 39 , 47 , 48 , 49 , 61 , 67 , 76 , 80 , 99 ] and sustainable entrepreneurship [ 13 , 25 , 32 , 44 , 52 , 70 , 71 , 73 , 84 , 89 , 90 , 92 , 95 , 96 , 111 ], there are still significant gaps in the understanding of the association between leadership and entrepreneurship from a sustainability perspective. This gap highlights the need for in-depth research to clarify the interrelationship between these two fundamental concepts.

Given this scenario, this study aims to investigate the connection between sustainable leadership and sustainable entrepreneurship. Specifically, it seeks to answer the question: what is the nature of the relationship between sustainable leadership and sustainable entrepreneurship? Although some studies suggest that sustainable leadership acts as a mediator between social identity and strategic entrepreneurship, and that leadership and management practices, innovation, high quality and stakeholder consideration positively predict financial performance and sustainability in small entrepreneurial firms [ 61 , 97 ], detailed understanding of this dynamic is still limited. Therefore, this article sets out to fill this gap, contributing to a better understanding of how sustainable leadership can influence and enhance sustainable entrepreneurship. A summary of the literature is provided in the Appendix (see Table 11 ).

The article is structured as follows: the research methods section describes the approach to the systematic literature review, using the Web of Science database to obtain articles and the R-Studio (Biblioshiny) tool for data analysis. The results and discussion section makes a descriptive presentation of the articles selected and discusses the clusters identified, proposing a framework from reading of this work. The final section presents the conclusions, implications, limitations and future lines of research.

2 Research method

The study takes the form of a systematic literature review, to allow the maximum combination and critical, reflective and synthetic assessment of a large number of results regarding the subject studied [ 21 ].

Tranfield et al. [ 100 ] proposed a clear, reproducible methodology to summarise scientific research in a systematic review, aiming to produce reliable, impartial knowledge of a given topic. Carrying out the systematic literature review involves the following phases: planning the research; developing the research and presenting and discussing the results, being sub-divided as follows: defining the research question; choosing the data sources; selecting the key-words for the search; searching for, and storing the results; selecting articles from the abstract, according to inclusion and exclusion criteria; extracting data from the articles selected; assessing the articles; and summarising and interpreting the data [ 21 , 51 , 100 ].

2.1 Phase 1—Planning the research

Defining the research question, choosing the data sources and key-words for the search are fundamental steps in beginning a systematic review [ 21 ].

Here, the objective is to analyse selected scientific research on the subject of sustainable leadership and sustainable entrepreneurship, from the international publications available on the Web of Science (WOS) database.

Clarivate’s Web of Science (WoS) was chosen as the primary database because it is widely used and recognized for its extensive coverage of journals and articles that cover a wide range of research topics in different scientific fields [ 20 , 23 , 59 , 78 ]. Adding to the previous, it is also recognized as the most used multidisciplinary database for research on management and organizational topics, which makes it particularly suitable for this SLR [ 59 , 81 , 113 ].

The key-words for the search were in accordance with the research question defined: Leadership , Sustainable Leadership and Sustainable Entrepreneurship , extending those terms with an asterisk (*) .

2.2 Phase 2—Developing the research

Developing the research involves identifying and selecting academic articles, according to inclusion and exclusion criteria, followed by extraction of the data selected, assessing them carefully to create a synthesis of the information gathered [ 21 , 23 , 100 ].

To filter articles, the following criteria were used (Table  1 ): selected key-words, document type ( Article ), Web of Science categories ( Management—Business—Business Finance—Economics—Public Administration ) and languages ( English ).

Although the literature contains various articles addressing entrepreneurship, leadership and sustainability, this study adopted the selection criterion of articles addressing the relation between sustainable entrepreneurship and sustainable leadership. Therefore, studies that did not explicitly adopt this perspective were excluded.

In order to guarantee a perfectly transparent approach to the preparation of this SLR, the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) protocol were used [ 69 , 103 ]. Figure  1 summarises all the steps followed in the data-collection process.

PRISMA Diagram—Selection and analysis of articles. Source: Adaptation from [59, 78]

The initial search in the WoS database identified 1516 documents associated with the keywords of the topic studied. After applying inclusion and exclusion criteria, the number was reduced to 504 documents. A detailed analysis, which included a review of titles, keywords and abstracts, identified 149 potentially relevant scientific articles.

The data was extracted from the selected articles and exported in plain text (txt) and Excel spreadsheet (xls) formats to form the database. Bibliometric analyses were carried out using the R-Studio/Biblioshiny software tools, which integrate network analysis and bibliometric visualisation functions [ 8 , 105 ]. The conceptual structure that represents relationships between concepts or words in publications was used to form clusters, using R-Studio's factor analysis (Biblioshiny). This made it possible to identify, in map form, the articles that contribute most to the topic and the most cited [ 94 ].

3 Results and discussion

Analysis of the results is the third phase of the systematic literature review process, with synthesis and interpretation of the data [ 21 , 51 , 100 ]. This section presents and analyses the results found using R-Studio (Biblioshiny) software for the bibliometric analyses.

3.1 Descriptive data analysis

Turning to the bibliometric analysis, the synthesis of the bibliographic data of the selected articles shows that the average document citation is 42, 97, in a universe of 379 authors, with a co-authorship index of around 2, 81. Figure  2 represents annual scientific production and average citation of articles per year.

Scientific production and average citation per year

A constant growth in publications on the topic is observed from 2007 to 2023, increasing more from 2018, with 2021 and 2022 having 28 and 27 articles, respectively, on sustainable leadership and sustainable entrepreneurship, emphasizing the topical nature of the subject.

The articles published in 2007 had an average annual citation of 42, 16, showing the relevance of these studies for new research in the following years. Also standing out are the articles published in 2010 and 2011, which had an average annual citation of 27, 41 and 25, 81 respectively.

Table 2 shows the fifteen most cited articles in total, providing information on the author and year of publication, the methodology used, the total number of citations (TC), the journal, the ABS Journal Guide 2021 (AJG2021) ranking, the impact factor (IF) and the publisher house of the journal.

Table 3 shows the most relevant publishing sources. The most prominent journals are Business Strategy and the Environment (BSE) with 10,74% and Small Business Economics: An Entrepreneurship Journal (SBEJ) with 4,7% of the 149 articles selected, in a universe of 77 journals. Of the other 62 journals, 52 have only one publication and 10 have 2 publications each.

Table 4 shows the most prolific authors on the subject, considering the number of articles published by each. The author’s impact is calculated by the H index conceived by Hirsch as a way of characterising scientific production and the researcher’s impact. It is obtained by the H number of publications cited by the author having at least H citations [ 27 , 42 , 94 ].

Figure  3 presents the word cloud. This is a graphic representation of the authors’ key-words appearing most frequently in the articles, based on application of Zip’s law [ 27 , 94 ].

The first five terms of sustainable entrepreneurship (59), sustainability (25), entrepreneurship (23), sustainable development (18) and sustainable leadership (10) were followed by leadership (7 ) and smes (5), confirming the effectiveness of the string. Although occurring less frequently (4) than the other terms, also indirectly related to the subject are: entrepreneurial ecosystem, entrepreneurial ecosystems, entrepreneurial intention, innovation, motivation, sustainable, triple bottom line and university. Other terms indicate the subject’s association with other areas: climate change, corporate sustainability, education for sustainable entrepreneurship, entrepreneurial orientation, firm performance, start-ups, sustainability orientation, sustainable entrepreneurial intentions, sustainable performance, transformational leadership and others .

Figure  4 shows the evolution and growth of the key-words in the period 2007–2023. Of the articles analysed here, the words of “sustainability” and “entrepreneurship” already appeared in 2007. The first studies related to the topic of sustainable entrepreneurship appeared in 2010. Sustainable leadership appears from 2014 onwards, while sustainable development emerges in 2017.

Growth of key-words

Evolution and growth of the key-words is noted from 2018, especially sustainable entrepreneurship, while references to sustainable leadership are still scarce.

3.2 Cluster analysis

To form clusters, the conceptual structure representing the relations between concepts or words in a set of articles was adopted, using the factor analysis of R-Studio (Biblioshiny) software. This identifies, in map form, the articles contributing most to the subject and the most cited. The diagram identifies the link between the topics and the documents [ 94 ].

The study used the bibliometric techniques of Multiple Correspondence Analysis, Field (Abstracts) and N-Grams(Unigrams), resulting in five clusters from the 149 articles selected [ 8 ].

Figure  5 maps the most cited documents, as the most representative articles in the conceptual structure of sustainable leadership and sustainable entrepreneurship.

Map of the most cited documents

Figure  6 maps the documents contributing most. Absolute contributions measure the weight of each document in the information summarised by the two axes, i.e., in the conceptual structure of sustainable leadership and sustainable entrepreneurship.

Map of the documents contributing most

Figure  7 shows the composition of the clusters formed, classifying them in ascending order of the most cited articles (TC) with the greatest contribution indices (Contrib©) of each article.

The five clusters formed addressing the relation between sustainable leadership and sustainable entrepreneurship are: (1) Heterogeneity of Contexts (2) Conceptual analysis (3) Entrepreneur and leader behaviour; (4) Instruments and motivations, and (5) Coverage of entrepreneurial sustainable leadership.

3.2.1 Cluster 1—Heterogeneity of contexts

This cluster includes 54 studies published between 2010 and 2023 representing a heterogeneity of sustainable leadership and sustainable entrepreneurship focused on contexts of variables that complement the process of interconnecting the topic. The main words highlighted in this cluster are: knowledge-sharing; frugal innovation; competitiveness practices; collectivist cultural values; sustainable entrepreneurial ecosystems; media availability; strategic framework and intellectual structure; SMEs (Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises); social capital and economic growth.

Table 5 shows the most cited articles (TC) and those that contributed the most (Article Contribution) to the cluster. The table also shows the methodology used, the theories applied, the research gaps, the limitations identified and the quality of the journal.

Kuckertz and Wagner [ 57 ] studied the influence of sustainability orientation on entrepreneurial intentions, taking business experience into consideration. They pointed out that business experience can moderate the relation between sustainability orientation and entrepreneurial intentions, influencing the transformation of those intentions into concrete actions. The results show that sustainability orientation has a positive impact on entrepreneurial intentions, especially among students with business experience, i.e., entrepreneurs with greater business experience may be more likely to translate their sustainability orientation in line with socio-environmental and economic principles. This corroborates the idea that attitude towards sustainability and social support have a significant impact on the sustainable entrepreneurial intentions of Serbian students [ 75 ].

Shepherd et al. [ 93 ] address the relation between personal values and assessment of entrepreneurial opportunities that can damage the environment. They observe that personal values can lead to a disconnection between concern about nature and assessment of entrepreneurial opportunities that cause damage. That is, by disengaging personal pro-environmental values cognitively, entrepreneurs (decision-makers) can in some circumstances perceive opportunities that harm the environment as highly attractive and therefore ready to be exploited. This disengagement of values can lead to decisions and behaviour that are not in keeping with environmental sustainability. Nevertheless, the sharing of sustainability-oriented knowledge can promote the development of sustainable entrepreneurial competences [ 72 ].

Ploum et al. [ 85 ] developed a validated framework of competences for sustainable entrepreneurship. The authors discovered six necessary competences for sustainable entrepreneurship: (1) critical, reflective thought, (2) systematic vision, (3) inter-disciplinary collaboration, (4) participation, (5) innovation and (6) leadership. Concerning this last competence, the authors argue that sustainable entrepreneurs need to be effective leaders to create and maintain sustainable and successful businesses. In another study, sustainable leadership of human capital has a positive impact on work results, mediated by knowledge-sharing behaviour [ 54 ].

Pinkse and Groot [ 84 ] studied the relation between sustainable entrepreneurship and corporate political activity in overcoming market barriers in the clean energy sector in Holland. These barriers faced by sustainable entrepreneurs include imperfect information, government intervention, monopoly power and deficient price mechanisms that strengthen the position of the dominant technology and the incumbents’ corresponding interests. They found that active corporate political activity can be an effective strategy to overcome these market barriers, that is, politically active sustainable entrepreneurs. Therefore, well-defined business strategies that incorporate sustainable aspects [ 101 ] and the availability of media [ 112 ] stimulate sustainable entrepreneurship.

Similarly, Park and Chung [ 79 ] explored how political leaders can learn from the past to improve the sustainability of their leadership in a pandemic situation. The authors developed a theoretical framework of policy implementation that combines collaboration between the public and private sectors (Public–Private Partnership or PPP) to cope efficiently with urgent crises such as COVID-19. In the particular case of South Korea, they concluded that rapid, effective management of crisis situations and public–private partnerships were essential in overcoming the pandemic. At the same time, collectivist cultural values moderate the relation with sustainable entrepreneurship [ 60 ] and social capital plays a crucial role in sustainable entrepreneurship during the COVID-19 crisis [ 58 ].

Iqbal and Piwowar-Sulej [ 48 ] explore how sustainable leadership can stimulate sustainable entrepreneurship, through heterogeneous sharing of knowledge in the context of frugal innovation. The authors propose a model for frugal innovation based on sustainable leadership and the sharing of heterogeneous knowledge, considering environmental, social and economic sustainability. The main findings are that sustainable leadership has a significant positive impact on the sharing of internal and external heterogeneous knowledge and that the latter has a mediating role in the relation between sustainable leadership and frugal innovation. Therefore, sustainable leadership promotes the diversified sharing of knowledge, identification of frugal innovation opportunities and the development of creative, sustainable solutions. Furthermore, learning is an important component in the regional context of sustainable entrepreneurship [ 82 ].

Jerónimo Silvestre et al. [ 50 ] state that what stimulates corporate sustainability, i.e., the need to satisfy stakeholders’ expectations, regulatory pressure and the need to manage risks and opportunities related to sustainability, are factors motivating companies to adopt sustainable practices. Dai et al. [ 24 ] add that the influence of corporate social responsibility (CSR), style of leadership and sustainable entrepreneurship have a significant impact on sustainable performance, mediated by organisational commitment. In another study, factors such as innovation, collaboration and sustainability are found to influence sustainable entrepreneurship [ 69 ].

3.2.2 Cluster 2—Conceptual analysis

Studies in this cluster address more methodologically the conceptual analysis of the topic. It includes 13 studies published between 2011 and 2023. The main words in this cluster are: sustainable entrepreneurship, innovation, conceptual structure, case study, connection with the organisation, sustainability challenges, and effective corporate entrepreneurship.

Table 6 shows the most cited articles (TC) and those that contributed the most (Article Contribution) to the cluster. The table also shows the methodology used, the theories applied, the research gaps, the limitations identified and the quality of the journal.

Schaltegger et al. [ 91 ] analysed the co-evolution of sustainable entrepreneurship, innovation and organisational transformation by analysing business models for sustainability. From this perspective of the business model with the theory of sustainable entrepreneurship, the authors analysed the co-evolution of business models for sustainable niche pioneers and conventional mass market players aiming to transform market sustainability. They concluded that business models are important for corporate performance in general and for corporate sustainability in particular. Similarly, the use of technological innovations, such as digital marketing, can help to create awareness about the entrepreneurial ecosystem [ 4 ].

Gray et al. [ 37 ] addressed the promotion of sustainable entrepreneurship in communities threatened by the climate, using a case study in Samoa. They observed how external factors and random events impact on recognition and exploitation of sustainable opportunities in such communities. In this scenario, they found that the main organisational capacities necessary to cope with exogenous shocks are: the capacity to adapt to cope with environmental and economic changes; innovation capacity to create business solutions and opportunities; and the capacity to collaborate, working with other organisations and stakeholders to face complex challenges. Therefore, awareness of adverse consequences and the entrepreneurial attitude influence the process of identifying sustainable opportunities [ 28 ].

Anbarasan and Sushil [ 6 ] studied the importance of stakeholders’ engagement in sustainable companies, presenting a conceptual framework and a case study in the ITC company. They examined what caused that company to remain firm in its sustainable development and one reason was the identification of factors that stimulate ITC’s vision of sustainability, i.e., the customer and the government, together with the triple bottom line (economic, social and environmental aspects). They illustrate how stakeholders’ engagement can stimulate sustainable entrepreneurship and how leadership can involve stakeholders in sustainability initiatives, with environmental conservation programmes, social inclusion and rural development. The resulting mutual benefits for the company and stakeholders include the creation of shared value and a strengthened market position for ITC. In another study, sustainable entrepreneurial orientation has a positive and direct relation with company performance, this being improved when mediated by the creation of functional value for the customer [ 22 ].

Kelley [ 53 ] explores the relation between sustainable corporate entrepreneurship and its evolution in the organisational context. The author describes how companies can develop their entrepreneurial capacity over time, adjusting and improving strategies, organisational structures and decision-making processes. In this scenario, the leader’s performance is essential to ensure inclusion of sustainability principles in these processes. The author stresses the importance of a solid connection between leadership and sustainable entrepreneurship. So, leaders must provide internal entrepreneurs with the necessary support and resources, allowing them to develop their sustainable ideas and projects. The findings reveal that sustainable corporate entrepreneurship requires organisations to create an environment that encourages and supports innovation, and that organisations must develop a culture of collaboration and trust between employees and administration in order to promote the entrepreneurial spirit. Organisations must also invest in resources and technology to let employees look for entrepreneurial initiatives. That is, firms must develop strategic objectives to orient entrepreneurs, a management structure to support their work and processes that inform assessment and decision-making.

Bakry et al. [ 12 ] evaluate the effectiveness of innovation ecosystems in facilitating the adoption of sustainable entrepreneurship. They concluded that the benefits of such ecosystems in promoting sustainable entrepreneurship, besides favouring a climate for the creation and development of new firms, can include collaboration between firms, universities and other organisations to create innovative solutions to social and environmental problems together with the appropriate finance. The authors also point out that innovation ecosystems should allow stakeholders to exploit new entrepreneurial/innovative opportunities and access the resources and capacities necessary to do so. For that, they use the hierarchical decision model (HDM) to build a general ecosystem evaluation framework for entrepreneurship and innovation ecosystem strategies to increase the adoption of innovation in sustainable entrepreneurship. Corroborating this idea, according to Almansour [ 4 ], business training and firms can be more oriented to sustainability, promoting technological innovations. University firm incubators and entrepreneurial training in HEIs can also be more effective when aligned with the relevant sustainable development goals (SDG).

Kim et al. [ 55 ] developed a model of effective corporate entrepreneurship that emphasizes the importance of social responsibility and employees’ well-being. They proposed that a "humanitarian" approach to managing employees is a key antecedent to creating and maintaining an entrepreneurial orientation (EO). They also emphasized that human organisational practices ultimately lead to sustainable entrepreneurship and innovation in companies. The model proposed by the authors, called "Humane Entrepreneurial Framework" (HEF), highlights the importance of corporate social responsibility, ethical governance and environmental risk management as key elements for the success of effective, sustainable corporate entrepreneurship. That is, they suggest that the creation of high-performance work systems improves the human and social capital necessary to develop entrepreneurial orientation, leading to the desired entrepreneurial results. The HEF recognises that leadership is essential to orient corporate entrepreneurship towards sustainable practices, this being a critical factor for the model’s success.

3.2.3 Cluster 3—Entrepreneur and leader behaviour

This cluster contains quantitative and qualitative research on the topic, including 23 studies published between 2012 and 2023. The main words in this cluster are: sustainable entrepreneurship, entrepreneurial behaviour, leadership, sustainability, ecosystem, stakeholder, corporate social responsibility, sustainable development, entrepreneurial intention and sustainable business.

Table 7 shows the most cited articles (TC) and those that contributed the most (Article Contribution) to the cluster. The table also shows the methodology used, the theories applied, the research gaps, the limitations identified and the quality of the journal.

Rodgers [ 87 ] studied sustainable entrepreneurship practices in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), focusing on the relation between corporate social responsibility and environmental management, and providing valuable insights into the strategies real firms adopt to integrate sustainability in their operations and identify sustainable business opportunities. Furthermore, the author states that sustainable entrepreneurs adopt an innovative approach oriented to solutions, seeking ways to reduce the environmental impact, create sustainable products or services and engage with the local community. The conclusion is that SMEs that are concerned about sustainability pursue other objectives besides financial ones and are willing to go to great lengths to achieve them. Monetary measures are not absent, but they are strongly conditioned by the business’s ecological conscience. Other studies reveal a positive relation between entrepreneurial orientation and corporate social responsibility, with dynamic capacity being identified as a mediating factor in that relation [ 102 ] and a positive relation between entrepreneurial cognitions and orientation towards sustainability in business practices [ 1 ].

McSherry et al. [ 66 ] analysed the role of nursing managers, leaders and teachers in promoting excellence in nursing care. The authors describe how these health professionals can improve the image of nursing and create health environments that allow excellence in nursing care. They suggest adopting sustainable practices in care provision, encouraging innovation, providing training and professional development and promoting an organisational culture that values sustainability. Also to create healthcare environments, they propose genuine shared work partnerships and collaboration among nursing managers, leaders and educators and their associated organisations. In this way, sustainability in nursing can be achieved by implementing care practices that minimise the environmental impact and promote social equality.

McSherry et al. [ 66 ] also conclude that nursing leaders, managers and educators play a fundamental role in improving the image of nursing and ensuring the fundamental principles of dignity, respect, sympathy and patient-focused care are central in all aspects of nursing practice. They identify factors and key strategies that contribute to excellence in care, including effective leadership, support for the team, professional development, a culture of safety and patient participation.

Therefore, McSherry et al. [ 66 ] reinforce the importance of adopting a sustainable leadership approach to facilitate and support the front-line team to innovate and change, as nursing has a fundamental role in promoting health and well-being in people and communities. This is imperative to restore image and show that nurses care and are excellent at what they do. Adopting sustainable practices in healthcare, encouraging innovation, providing training and professional development and promoting an organisational culture valorises sustainability and professionals in the area of nursing.

Hanohov and Baldacchino [ 38 ] study the recognition of opportunities in the context of sustainable entrepreneurship, investigating how entrepreneurs identify and assess sustainable business opportunities. The research adopts an exploratory approach to understand the cognitive processes and strategies used by entrepreneurs to identify sustainable opportunities. They find that environmental awareness, identifying unmet needs, creativity in generating sustainable ideas and the capacity to assess the potential of sustainable business are important elements in this process. They also conclude that sustainable entrepreneurs’ knowledge about natural and communal environments, their motivation to create benefits both for themselves and others, as well as their entrepreneurial knowledge, influence the identification of sustainable opportunities. Moreover, the desire to work independently, personality traits and personal circumstances are sources of motivation, while previous work experience and past projects develop entrepreneurial knowledge.

In parallel, sustainable institutional entrepreneurship is influenced by internal and external factors, such as personal values, government regulations, support networks and strategic partnerships [ 33 ]. The factors stimulating sustainable entrepreneurial practices are found at the individual, organisational and institutional level: environmental awareness, regulatory pressures, the search for competitive advantage and adopting sustainable technologies [ 107 ].

Wagner et al. [ 106 ] explore academic programmes related to sustainable entrepreneurship and their impact on regional development, in a comparative study based on three cases in Germany. The results provide a more detailed vision of universities’ different roles, how knowledge spillovers are created and the opportunities, results and effects produced at the regional and global levels. The study demonstrates that, depending on the regional context, universities’ different configurations, paths and points of intervention can also improve sustainable business ecosystems. They underline that academic programmes related to sustainable entrepreneurship can also serve as research and innovation centres, promoting collaboration among students, lecturers and other stakeholders. That collaboration can result in developing innovative and sustainable solutions for the problems faced by local communities. Furthermore, programmes can act as facilitators of knowledge and technology transfer between academia and firms, supporting the growth of sustainable undertakings in the region and consequently regional development.

Suriyankietkaew [ 98 ] examines the effects of key determinants of leadership on business sustainability in entrepreneurial companies. The aim was to determine what business leaders can do to increase financial performance in the long term and improve stakeholder satisfaction, in this way contributing to long-term business sustainability. The author finds seven valid and reliable factors of leadership that were discovered as new, underlying constructs of leadership to examine business sustainability in small entrepreneurial firms in Thailand. These factors are trust, the team’s innovative orientation, a strong, shared vision, ethical and moral leadership, transformational leadership, authentic leadership and servant leadership. The results reveal three significantly positive factors or stimulants (trust, the team’s innovative orientation and a strong, shared vision) to improve two results of sustainability performance (financial performance and stakeholder satisfaction). Therefore, certain key determinants of leadership, such as a strategic vision, orientation towards sustainability and management skills, have a significant impact on business sustainability in entrepreneurial firms.

Arslan et al. [ 9 ] go deeper into the development of sustainable entrepreneurship in Oman through a qualitative approach with multiple stakeholders. They find that the nascent business ecosystem, bureaucracy and the lack of human capital (attraction and retention) seem to be significant challenges for business-people. They show that the lack of specific training programmes for the context and hesitation based on culture prevent following up sustainable entrepreneurship possibilities in Oman. The main findings are the importance of factors such as environmental awareness, collaboration among stakeholders and government support, which are fundamental for the development of sustainable entrepreneurship in that country. In another study, perception of the strength of sustainable entrepreneurial ecosystems in the dimensions of stakeholder theory and culture is important to promote sustainable entrepreneur [ 15 ].

Waris et al. [ 108 ] discuss entrepreneurial intention moved by sustainability among university students in Pakistan. The study reveals that university entrepreneurial support has a strong influence on attitude towards sustainable entrepreneurship and entrepreneurial self-efficacy. That is, positive environmental attitudes, knowledge about sustainability and entrepreneurship education have a positive influence on entrepreneurial intention stimulated by sustainability among these students. In fact, programmes of sustainable entrepreneurial orientation have a positive impact on students’ awareness and skills in relation to sustainable entrepreneurship [ 26 ].

3.2.4 Cluster 4—Instruments and motivations

Most studies in this cluster are qualitative and of conceptual analysis, followed by quantitative studies on the topic, in a total of 45 studies published between 2007 and 2023. The words standing out here are: sustainable entrepreneurship, environmental sustainability, innovation, entrepreneurial action, market imperfections, recognition of opportunity, convergent process model, perceived barriers, risks, ethics, value creation, entrepreneurial ecosystems, social solidarity economy, leadership, sustainable leadership, recognition and exploitation of opportunities, and sustainable entrepreneurship tactics.

Table 8 shows the most cited articles (TC) and those that contributed the most (Article Contribution) to the cluster. The table also shows the methodology used, the theories applied, the research gaps, the limitations identified and the quality of the journal.

Schaltegger and Wagner [ 92 ] analysed the categories and interactions between sustainable entrepreneurship and innovation in sustainability, proposing a framework for that relation. The framework was based on a typology of sustainable entrepreneurship, including social and institutional entrepreneurship and relating them to innovation in sustainability. Here, innovation in sustainability involves the development and implementation of new practices, products, processes and business models that aim to reduce the environmental impact, improve resource efficiency and satisfy consumers’ demands for more sustainable products and services. The findings suggest that the degree of orientation towards environmental or social responsibility in the firm is assessed based on environmental and social goals and policies, on the organisation of environmental and social management and communication of environmental and social questions. Moreover, the firm’s impact on the market is measured based on market quota, sales growth and competitors’ reactions. The authors also state that the managers of the main companies have been central in stimulating sustainable development with their innovations, that sustainable entrepreneurs and sustainability managers are shaping markets and society considerably. In this way, categories and interactions provide insights into how sustainable leadership and sustainable entrepreneurship can be applied in different contexts and sectors.

Dean and McMullen [ 25 ] develop a theory of sustainable entrepreneurship, proposing entrepreneurial actions to reduce the environmental degradation of global socio-economic systems. Through such actions, sustainable entrepreneurs seek to develop and implement solutions that minimize the environmental impact, including efficient use of resources, adopting clean technology and promoting sustainable production and consumption practices. Those actions contribute to preserving the environment and long-term sustainability. In this way, the theory highlights the importance of entrepreneurial motivation, the capacity to identify sustainable opportunities, obtaining resources and institutional support in promoting sustainable entrepreneurship. Briefly, these authors argue that relevant market failings concerning the environment represent opportunities to achieve profitability, while reducing economic behaviour that harms the environment.

Cohen and Winn [ 19 ] aimed to develop the argument that four types of market imperfection (inefficient firms, externalities, price mechanisms, information shortcomings and asymmetries) contribute to environmental damage and also provide significant opportunities to create radical technology and innovative business models. The authors underline that the sustainable entrepreneurship approach can be a competitive differential for entrepreneurs, letting them create an advantage in imperfect markets. They show these opportunities establish the basis for an emerging model of sustainable entrepreneurship, allowing founders to obtain entrepreneurial income while simultaneously improving local and global social and environmental conditions. Therefore, sustainable entrepreneurship emerges as a response to market failings and seeks to fill gaps in the supply of sustainable products and services. By providing sustainable products and services, sustainable entrepreneurs satisfy consumers’ growing demands for more responsible solutions, which can result in greater customer loyalty, brand-building and a competitive advantage in a business environment increasingly aware of sustainability.

Hockerts and Wüstenhagen [ 43 ] discuss the role of incumbents and new entrants in sustainable entrepreneurship. They highlight the distinction between incumbents, established firms that dominate in their industries, and new entrants, entrepreneurs entering existing markets with innovative proposals. The authors state that in the initial stages of an industry’s transformation to sustainability, new entrants are more likely than incumbents to seek opportunities related to sustainability. This is because new entrants have the advantage of being more flexible and open to sustainable innovations. Meanwhile, incumbents react to those new entrants’ activities by engaging in corporate sustainable entrepreneurship. This is due to incumbents having the advantage of resources, experience and influence in the market. In that relation, the authors discuss the importance of incumbents’ leadership to stimulate the transition to more sustainable practices and new entrants’ sustainable entrepreneurship in introducing more sustainable business models, developing ecologically correct products and services, and challenging established market practices. They stress that collaboration between incumbents and new entrants can encourage the change towards more sustainable practices. Incumbents can learn from the innovation brought by new entrants and incorporate more sustainable approaches in their operations. On the other hand, new entrants can benefit from incumbents’ experience and resources to scale up their sustainable initiatives.

Hoogendoorn et al. [ 44 ] studied the role of perceived barriers and risk in sustainable entrepreneurship, as faced by sustainable entrepreneurs in establishing their business due to the discrepancy between the creation and appropriation of private value and social value. According to the authors, barriers can include regulatory restrictions, lack of access to financial resources, lack of awareness of sustainable practices and resistance to change inside the organisation, all hindering sustainable entrepreneurs’ adoption of sustainable practices. Sustainable entrepreneurs perceive more institutional barriers than regular entrepreneurs when setting up a business. Concerning the perceived risks associated with sustainable entrepreneurship, no significant differences were found between sustainable and regular entrepreneurs in terms of attitudes to risk or perceived financial risks. Summarising, the authors conclude that sustainable entrepreneurs feel more disadvantaged by the perceived barriers, such as the institutional environment, and have a different attitude and perception of risk from regular entrepreneurs. In addition, sustainable entrepreneurs perceive more institutional barriers regarding the lack of financial and administrative support, and information when starting the business, and so are more likely to fear personal failure than regular entrepreneurs.

Long et al. [ 62 ] explored how to introduce responsible innovation in new firms developing innovations in agriculture, food or energy, being oriented towards sustainability. The study presented a specific tool to help new companies in the process of developing responsible innovation. That tool aims to give practical guidelines so that entrepreneurs can incorporate ethical, social and environmental considerations from the initial stages of setting up the business. In addition, how to incorporate the benefits of responsible innovation for sustainable entrepreneurship when new firms adopt responsible innovation practices to gain competitive advantages, such as greater acceptance in the market, a positive reputation among stakeholders and access to financing opportunities and strategic partnerships.

Andersén et al. [ 7 ] studied whether CEOs with an environmental orientation and environmentally friendly suppliers can stimulate small firm growth. They examined the relation between green purchasing capacities, the CEO’s environmental orientation and company growth. The results of 304 small Swedish manufacturing companies indicate a significant relation between green purchasing capacities (GPCs) and firm growth, that relation being moderated positively by the CEO’s environmental orientation. The authors found that supply partners sharing the same sustainable vision can provide resources and products/services aligned with the principles of sustainability, which can stimulate small firms’ growth. They also point out the importance of small companies for sustainable environmental development and how they can contribute to environmental sustainability through green purchasing practices.

3.2.5 Cluster 5—Coverage of sustainable entrepreneurial leadership

This cluster is formed mainly of quantitative (10) followed by qualitative studies (2) and literature reviews (2) on the subject, totalling 14 studies published between 2017 and 2023.

The main words in this cluster are: sustainable entrepreneurship, transformational leadership, sustainable leadership, sustainable performance, innovation, sustainable development, technological and market turbulence, pro-active sustainability strategy, environmental performance, creative self-efficacy, sustainable entrepreneurial competence, entrepreneurial intentions, orientation to the sustainable market.

Table 9 shows the most cited articles (TC) and those that contributed the most (Article Contribution) to the cluster. The table also shows the methodology used, the theories applied, the research gaps, the limitations identified and the quality of the journal.

Vuorio et al. [ 104 ] studied the stimulants of entrepreneurial intentions in sustainable entrepreneurship, i.e., the reasons for people wanting to become entrepreneurs. The authors conclude that attitudes to sustainability and the perceived attractiveness of entrepreneurship increase entrepreneurial intentions oriented to sustainability. Moreover, attitudes to sustainability are positively impacted by altruism, while the perceived attractiveness of entrepreneurship is stimulated by the intrinsic and extrinsic rewards. From another perspective, the sustainability intention mediates the relation between behavioural control of sustainability and sustainable entrepreneurship [ 56 ] and there is a positive relation between competence in sustainable entrepreneurship and entrepreneurial intentions, in the educational context [ 52 ].

Carayannis et al. [ 17 ] explored the role of organisational artefacts and the impacts of routines on organisational change, policies, structure and performance, in the search for sustainable excellence. The authors conclude that organisational routines and artefacts play an important role in enabling and sustaining organisational intelligence, which is essential for corporate excellence and resilience. In that process, the acquisition of knowledge and learning competences shape and improve a company’s organisational intelligence, leading to robust competitiveness and sustainable entrepreneurship.

Burawat [ 16 ] examined the relations between transformational leadership, sustainable leadership, lean manufacturing processes and sustainable performance in industrial SMEs in Thailand. The author concluded that lean manufacturing has a partial mediating effect on the relation between transformational leadership and sustainable performance and between sustainable leadership and sustainable performance. In addition, the structural model is different in automobile and non-automobile companies, and different between firms that implement the lean programme for less than five years and over five years. Companies pay more attention to customer involvement with some attention to employee and supplier involvement. Managers give advice and exchange ideas with their followers instead of inspiring and giving opportunities to make decisions. For that reason, the article recommends that before initiating lean manufacturing practices, company managers should internalize the concept and the process of these practices. Only in this way will they have better results in operational, economic and sustainable performance.

Iqbal et al. [ 46 ] analysed the relation between sustainable leadership and sustainable performance in SMEs in China and India, proposing a model of innovation based on frugality for sustainable development in a context of technological and market turbulence. The findings allow the conclusion that frugal innovation has a mediating role in emerging markets and that technological and market turbulence has a significant moderating effect on the sustainable leadership-frugal innovation relation. However, the effect of sustainable leadership on frugal innovation did not vary for the different values of business bricolage. Therefore, the authors conclude that technological and market turbulence increases the impact of sustainable leadership practices on frugal innovation, this being an effective approach to promote sustainable development in turbulent environments.

From another angle, Iqbal et al. [ 47 ] study sustainable leadership, frugal innovation and environmental performance based on upper echelons theory. This theory of leadership states that organisational leaders’ cognitive and ideological characteristics influence organisational results through strategic choices. The authors discovered that frugal innovation partially and positively mediates the effect of sustainable leadership on environmental performance.

Javed et al. [ 49 ] studied the relation between sustainable leadership and employees’ innovative behaviour, focusing on the mediating role of creative self-efficacy. They found that the effect of sustainable leadership on creativity in the workplace is essential, revealing that creative self-efficacy mediates the relation between sustainable leadership and employees’ innovative behaviour.

Awan and Khan [ 11 ] examined the moderating role of sustainable leadership in purchaser-supplier relations and in supply chain performance. They found that sustainable leadership mediated positively the relation between the purchaser-supplier relation and supply chain performance. They indicated that four aspects of sustainable leadership (going beyond one’s own interests, speaking enthusiastically, a focus on training and teaching and seeing new ideas about sustainability matters) improve individually the firm’s social performance. Therefore, relations between companies are contingent and cannot be generalised, and managers must continuously explore the best approaches to improve sustainability performance.

Han and Niu [ 37 ] studied the relation between sustainable entrepreneurship orientation, sustainable market orientation and radical innovation of green products for sustainable performance (environmental, social and economic) in Chinese sport goods manufacturers. The findings suggest that such organisations should revise their organisational strategies, incorporating the elements of sustainability in their objectives. Moreover, sustainable entrepreneurship orientation and sustainable market orientation are associated positively with radical innovation of green products and sustainable performance. Consequently, innovation in green, radical products increases the elements of sustainable development, i.e., it increases the capacity to reduce the environmental impact, contribute to social well-being and generate profit and economic growth. In other words, innovation in green processes mediates the relation between green entrepreneurial orientation, pro-active sustainability strategy and environmental performance [ 31 ].

4 Framework

The framework is a conceptual map, a tool helping to identify additional search terms in searching the literature; clarifying thought on the structure of the literature review in preparing to write the review; and understanding theories, concepts and relations among them [ 88 ]. Each framework bears the particularity of each researcher’s understanding of the subject, and can be modified as the search advances, serving as references for systematic reviews [ 88 ]. The framework used in this study (Fig.  8 ) is an adaptation of those used by Marasco [ 65 ], Pokharel and Mutha [ 86 ] regarding the naming and classification of groups of analysis.

Considering the research question here: what is the connection between sustainable leadership and sustainable entrepreneurship, Fig.  8 presents the framework and the main findings of the clusters relating the effectiveness of that association. The connection between sustainable leadership and sustainable entrepreneurship can be considered a partnership of positive results.

Considering the clusters, sustainable leadership can play an essential role in promoting sustainable entrepreneurship in various contexts: frugal innovation [ 45 , 46 , 48 ]; innovation [ 62 ]; sustainable competitiveness practices in SMEs [ 34 ]; international culture [ 60 ], agricultural start-ups [ 3 ]; media availability [ 112 ]; institutional co-evolution [ 109 ]; performance in clean technology companies [ 74 ]; communities threatened by climate [ 35 ]; stakeholder engagement [ 6 , 83 ]; innovation ecosystems [ 12 ]; promoting excellence in nursing care [ 66 ]; identifying opportunities [ 38 ]; regional development [ 106 ]; exploiting opportunities in imperfect markets [ 19 ]; creative self-efficacy [ 49 ].

Furthermore, sustainable leadership has a fundamental role in stimulating corporate entrepreneurship, promoting environmental orientation, in business incubators and other business sectors. The association between sustainable entrepreneurship and sustainable leaders creates an environment that favours the adoption of sustainable business practices considering economic, environmental and social aspects. This promotes a sustainable organisational culture of training and collaboration among employees, involving and engaging stakeholders in the decision-making process and implementation of those sustainable practices.

Therefore, sustainable leadership can provide strategic orientation, support and collaboration for local entrepreneurs, helping them to face climate challenges and develop businesses that are socially and environmentally responsible, thereby contributing to communities’ resilience and sustainability. This stimulates an organisational culture that promotes creativity and innovation, encouraging employees to identify and exploit sustainable business opportunities. In this way, innovation ecosystems provide a platform where entrepreneurs, leaders and other actors can interact, collaborate and promote sustainable entrepreneurship through internalization of that concept. This makes it possible to achieve effective and sustainable corporate entrepreneurship.

From another angle, sustainable leadership can enable nursing professionals to engage in sustainable entrepreneurship, aiming to achieve better results for patients, the nursing team, the health organisation and the environment. Here, sustainable leaders play a fundamental role by giving direction and support to entrepreneurs in the quest for sustainable opportunities. That contributes to creating businesses that not only generate profit but also have a positive impact on society and the environment. In synthesis, the link between sustainable leadership and sustainable entrepreneurship is essential to stimulate the development of innovative, sustainable solutions that create value for both the organisation and society as a whole.

Table 10 presents the suggestions from studies based on each cluster found in this research.

5 Conclusion, implications and limitations

The article studies the relation between sustainable leadership and sustainable entrepreneurship through a systematic review of the scientific literature. From the Web of Science database, using inclusion/exclusion criteria, 149 articles were retrieved and analysed, performing a bibliometric analysis using R-Studio software.

From the results obtained, sustainable leadership and sustainable entrepreneurship are two inter-connected concepts with a fundamental role in promoting responsible business practices and seeking solutions to current socio-environmental challenges. The studies show that sustainable leadership has an important role in creating an environment favouring sustainable entrepreneurship, by promoting sustainable values and practices in organisations, since leaders can be agents of change, inspiring and motivating entrepreneurs to follow a sustainable business path [ 25 , 29 , 30 , 48 , 49 , 52 , 67 , 68 , 76 , 80 , 85 , 95 , 97 , 111 ].

Sustainable entrepreneurial leadership plays an important role in the sustainable growth of companies, integrating responsible environmental and social practices into all activities, promoting innovation and efficiency through the adoption of green technologies and environmentally conscious management practices. Sustainable entrepreneurial leadership makes it possible to create an organisational culture that values social and environmental responsibility, actively engaging all stakeholders, such as customers, suppliers, local communities and investors. By ensuring that sustainable business practices are recognised and valued, the sustainable entrepreneurial leader promotes sustainable, balanced and lasting growth.

By focusing on the connection between sustainable leadership and sustainable entrepreneurship, it is stated that these two constructs are connected with the following Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Footnote 1 :

a) Sustainable leadership:

SDG5: Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls.

Target: 5.1 End all forms of discrimination against all women and girls everywhere.

Indicator(s): 5.1.1 Whether or not legal frameworks are in place to promote, enforce and monitor equality and non‑discrimination on the basis of sex.

SDG 8: Decent work and economic growth, targeted to the promotion of sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all, by developing a responsible exercise of leadership.

Target: 8.3 Promote development-oriented policies that support productive activities, decent job creation, entrepreneurship, creativity and innovation, and encourage the formalization and growth of micro-, small- and medium-sized enterprises, including through access to financial services.

Indicator(s): 8.3.1 Proportion of informal employment in total employment, by sector and sex.

b) Sustainable entrepreneurship:

SDG9: Build resilient infrastructure, by promoting inclusive and sustainable industrialization and fostering innovation.

Target: 9.2 Promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and, by 2030, significantly raise industry’s share of employment and gross domestic product, in line with national circumstances, and double its share in least developed countries.

Indicator(s): 9.2.1 Manufacturing value added as a proportion of GDP and per capita/9.2.2 Manufacturing employment as a proportion of total employment.

SDG10 Reduce inequality within and among countries.

Target: 10.2 By 2030, empower and promote the social, economic and political inclusion of all, irrespective of age, sex, disability, race, ethnicity, origin, religion or economic or other status.

Indicator(s): 10.2.1 Proportion of people living below 50 per cent of median income, by sex, age and persons with disabilities.

SDG12: Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns.

Target: 12.2 By 2030, achieve the sustainable management and efficient use of natural resources.

Indicator(s): 12.2.1 Material footprint, material footprint per capita, and material footprint per GDP/12.2.2 Domestic material consumption, domestic material consumption per capita, and domestic material consumption per GDP.

The analysis reveals that the majority of research focuses predominantly on sustainable entrepreneurship in detriment of sustainable leadership. Thus, it is recommended that further research be conducted into sustainable leadership, with particular emphasis on its effectiveness in promoting sustainable entrepreneurship. This approach aims to fill one of the gaps identified in the existing literature.

6 Theoretical and practical implications, and limitations

The results obtained give rise to some implications. From a theoretical point of view, this study reveals the existence of an intrinsic connection between sustainable leadership and sustainable entrepreneurship. The principles underlying sustainable leadership tend to foster entrepreneurship and positively influence entrepreneurial attitudes towards sustainability, thus promoting sustainable development.

From a practical perspective, the interrelationship between sustainable leadership and sustainable entrepreneurship shows how the former tends to promote, inspire and support entrepreneurs in adopting sustainable practices. This dynamic not only generates a positive socio-environmental impact, but also contributes to the creation of economic value for the company. Sustainable leadership involves integrating environmental and social objectives into the economic logic of the business, creating value for both the company and society. In addition, sustainable leadership encompasses entrepreneurial actions that overcome barriers to the efficient functioning of environmental resource markets, promoting economic and ecological sustainability.

The study has several limitations. One lies in the use of a single database, Web of Science, as others could be included, to increase understanding of the subject.

See Table  11

Data availability

No datasets were generated or analysed during the current study.

For further details about the SDGs, targets and indicators please consult:

https://sdgs.un.org/goals

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Acknowledgements

The authors acknowledge the highly valuable comments and suggestions provided by the editors and reviewers, which contributed to improving the clarity, focus, contribution, and scientific soundness of the current study.

The Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (Grants and NECE—UIDB/04,630/2020) provided financial support for this study.

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Ribeiro, G.K.A., Leitão, J. Sustainable leadership and sustainable entrepreneurship: a systematic literature review. Discov Sustain 5 , 188 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s43621-024-00383-3

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Why Dropping the E in DEI Is a Mistake

• Enrica N. Ruggs
• Oscar Holmes IV

The Society for Human Resource Management’s decision to remove “equity” from its DEI framework sets a dangerous precedent that flies in the face of decades of research.

The Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) has decided to remove “equity” from its inclusion, equity, and diversity (IE&D) framework, now promoting “inclusion and diversity” (I&D) instead. This decision sets a dangerous precedent that flies in the face of decades of research about DEI in the workplace. It undermines efforts to create equitable workplaces and ignores the vital role of equity in fostering fairness and addressing systemic barriers faced by marginalized groups. Instead of scaling back their focus on equity, companies should: 1) Commit to achievable equity goals; 2) Implement and track evidence-based DEI policies and practices; and 3) Establish accountability and transparency.

Recently, the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), a leading voice of HR professionals, announced that it was abandoning the acronym “IE&D” — inclusion, equity, and diversity — in favor of “I&D.”

• Enrica N. Ruggs , PhD is an associate professor of management in the C. T. Bauer College of Business at the University of Houston. She is a workplace diversity scholar who conducts research on reducing discrimination and bias in organizations and improving workplace experiences for individuals with marginalized identities.
• Oscar Holmes IV , PhD, SHRM-SCP is an associate professor of management at Rutgers University-Camden and the creator and host of the podcast Diversity Matters . In his research he examines how leaders can maximize productivity and well-being by fostering more inclusive workplaces.

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Where the world’s largest companies stand on nature

Nature’s health, like climate change, is now recognized as an urgent global risk. 1 The global risks report 2022, 17th edition , World Economic Forum, January 11, 2022. In purely economic terms, half of all economic activity is moderately or highly dependent on natural capital —the world’s stock of natural assets. 2 Nature risk rising: Why the crisis engulfing nature matters for business and the economy , World Economic Forum, January 19, 2020. Governments and intergovernmental organizations are increasingly calling attention to the nature crisis, 3 “Nature positive” language was included during the most recent G7 and G20 meetings, at the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26), and by the Network for Greening the Financial System (NGFS), representing 114 central banks and financial supervisors. while a growing number of businesses are making pledges related to biodiversity or becoming “nature positive.” 4 Under the Finance for Biodiversity Pledge, 103 financial institutions have committed to set targets on their impacts on nature and periodically report on progress. At the same time as COP26, nearly 100 high-profile UK companies committed to becoming “nature positive,” joining companies such as GSK and Holcim. See also, “A Global Goal for Nature: Nature Positive by 2030,” Nature Positive, accessed August 2022. Industry-led organizations, such as the Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD) , are setting the framework for how businesses report and act on nature-related risks and opportunities. 5 Others, such as the Science Based Targets Network (SBTN), which created the gold standard for target setting for carbon, are developing guidelines to help companies set science-based targets for nature.

Nature-related commitments remain low

About the authors.

This article is a collaborative effort by Julien Claes, Ivo Erben, Duko Hopman , Kartik Jayaram , Joshua Katz , and Tucker Van Aken, representing views from McKinsey’s Sustainability Practice.

Companies are in the early stages of committing to a broad set of nature-related goals (Exhibit 1). A high-level review of the Fortune Global 500 companies shows that most companies have climate-related targets (83 percent) or at least acknowledge climate change (an additional 15 percent). 6 This review includes 460 of the Fortune Global 500 companies, as there was not sufficient public information to determine the goals of 40 companies. Across other dimensions of nature, however, targets and acknowledgements are far lower (see sidebar, “Our methodology”).

Our methodology

Several studies have looked at the consistency and quality of company commitments to protect against biodiversity loss, 1 Integrating biodiversity into a risk assessment framework , Moody’s, May 26, 2021; Prue Addison et al., “Are corporate biodiversity commitments consistent with delivering ‘nature-positive’ outcomes? A review of ‘nature-positive’ definitions, company progress and challenges,” preprint, SocArXiv, July 23, 2022. but this review sought to understand how leading companies around the world are considering nature across multiple dimensions. This review used the planetary boundaries framework, developed by the Stockholm Resilience Centre, as the basis of the dimensions of nature used. 2 “For sustainable business, ‘planetary boundaries’ define the new rules,” Global Commons Alliance, November 18, 2020.

To identify commitments for each company, our team conducted an open-ended press search, reviewed publicly available statements, and leveraged company filings. Search terms included the words outlined in the chart above as the starting point but also included close synonyms (for example, for biodiversity loss, “habitat,” “ecosystem,” and other terms), as well as individual judgment. For each company, we categorized each dimension of nature based on whether our review revealed the presence of a target and the company’s acknowledgment of its importance, an acknowledgement of importance alone, or no target or meaningful acknowledgment at all, as further described below. Forty companies were excluded due to a lack of data.

• Target. The company has set a quantified, time-bound, and outcome-oriented target across the entire organization. A commitment to spend a certain dollar amount without a target outcome and/or time period did not count as a target. The quality and materiality of the targets were outside the scope of this review.
• Acknowledgement. The company refers to that dimension of nature and either acknowledges its importance or reports ad hoc steps or initiatives it has taken to mitigate nature loss, without specifying a concrete goal.
• None. The company does not meaningfully mention the dimension at the corporate level.

This analysis should be considered directionally, as not all companies adhered to clear reporting standards, and data availability were often sparse. It is also possible that the press review missed targets or acknowledgements.

For instance, although 51 percent of companies acknowledge biodiversity loss in some way, only 5 percent have set quantified targets in addition to that acknowledgment. Meanwhile, some dimensions of nature, such as soil nutrient pollution, show up much less frequently in public acknowledgements. This may not be surprising—while decades of experience have helped companies understand how to address climate change, corporate understanding of nature is still nascent.

There is no standardized approach to measuring natural capital and ecosystem services, 7 The TNFD nature-related risk and opportunity management and disclosure framework: Beta v0.2 , Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures, June 2, 2022. and many companies may not know what steps to take beyond simply acknowledging the challenge. This potential explanation is echoed by our own experience working with clients globally on sustainability topics: while corporate leaders increasingly acknowledge the importance of nature, limited understanding of how to structurally and responsibly engage on the topic of nature degradation prevents many from making quantified commitments.

Considering all dimensions of nature

Among companies that have nature-related targets, most are only considering one dimension of nature—most often climate.

Another cut of the same data highlights the fact that, among companies that have nature-related targets, most are only considering one dimension of nature—most often climate (in a context of natural climate solutions). Sixteen percent of the Fortune Global 500 have set targets against three or more dimensions of nature, and no companies have targets against the six dimensions we looked at in this analysis (Exhibit 2). While one explanation for this could be that companies focus on what matters most in relation to their activities, expectations are rising: for example, the initial guidance of the Science-Based Targets for Nature (SBTN) initiative suggests that companies have “a comprehensive understanding of [their] impacts and dependencies on nature.” 8 “Science-Based Targets for Nature: Initial Guidance for Business,” Science-Based Targets Network, September 2020.

Some sectors are ahead of others in setting targets

A sector-level cut of the data reveals that, as a proportion of the overall sector, transportation leads on overall target setting (Exhibit 3). This is likely due to a combination of the sector facing climate transition risks , regulatory focus on transportation sector carbon emissions, 9 For instance, 75 percent of countries that have submitted nationally determined contributions (NDCs) as part of their Paris Agreement commitments have transportation sector targets; Cornie Huizenga and Karl Peet, “Transport and climate change: How nationally determined contributions can accelerate transport decarbonization,” NDC Partnership, accessed August 2022. and a shift to renewable energy , among other factors. And although the sample is small, agriculture leads on setting three or more targets, likely due to increased attention to water and nutrient pollution concerns, in addition to climate , compared with other sectors.

Looking ahead to this year’s UN Biodiversity Conference (COP 15), governments will agree to a new set of goals for nature to ensure that “the shared vision of living in harmony with nature is fulfilled.” 10 Biodiversity Conference (COP 15) Overview, United Nations Environment Programme, accessed August 2022. Now is the time to consider what will be needed to spur broad and effective nature-based action among companies. Corporate leaders will need to understand the shape of the challenge ahead, risks to their operations and opportunities for business building, what the key targets are, and what actions their companies can take.

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