Sustainable Development Research (SDR) is an international, peer-reviewed, open-access journal, published by IDEAS SPREAD in the United States. The journal accepts article submissions online or by e-mail.

Authors are encouraged to submit complete unpublished and original works, which are not under review in any other journals. SDR provides an academic platform for professionals and researchers to contribute innovative work in the field.

Focus and Scope

  • Challenges relating to sustainability
    • Air pollution and climate change
    • Water pollution and sanitation
    • Misuse of land
    • Desertification and drought
    • Industrial development and energy crisis
    • Toxic chemicals and hazardous and radioactive wastes
    • Population explosion and urbanization
    • Unsustainable patterns of production and consumption
    • Abandonment or loss of tradition, racial and national identity, culture, ethical standards, family solidarity, particularly during immigration or large-scale foreign cultural influence, and its impact on cultural or social sustainability
    • Impact of globalization on local, national and regional sustainability and stability
    • Degradation of ecosystems and species, and concomitant risks to human well-being
  • Socio-economic, scientific, and integrated approaches to sustainable development
    • Development and realization of national policies and international treaties for sustainable development
    • Implementation and monitoring of policies for sustainable development
    • Changing consumption and production patterns
    • Developments in cultural diversity, tradition, social systems, globalization, immigration, and settlement, and their impact on cultural or social sustainability
    • Ethical and philosophical aspects of sustainable development
    • Education and awareness of sustainability
    • Impact of safety, security and disaster management on sustainability
    • Health-related aspects of sustainability
    • System analysis methods, including life cycle assessment and management
    • Sustainable chemistry
    • Sustainable utilization of resources such as land, water, atmosphere, and other biological resources
    • New and renewable sources of energy
    • Sustainable energy preservation and regeneration methods
    • Land and aquatic ecosystem maintenance and biodiversity preservation
    • Quasi-environmental sustainability – short-term measures and their long-term effects
    • Effects of global climate change on development and sustainability
  • Other topics related to sustainability
    • Defining and quantifying sustainability
    • Measuring and monitoring sustainability
    • Sustainability tools
    • Applications of sustainability
    • Policies and laws relating to sustainability
    • Sustainability science

Peer Review Process

We use a double-blind system for peer review; both reviewers’ and authors’ identities remain anonymous. The submitted manuscript will be reviewed by at least two experts: one editorial staff member as well as one to three external reviewers. The review process may take 4-12 weeks.

a) Editor Assigns Reviewers
Reviewer Selection: The editor chooses reviewers based on their expertise in the relevant field. Reviewers are usually external experts who are knowledgeable about the topic of the manuscript. The reviewers are not given the author’s identity, affiliation, or other identifying details.
Conflict of Interest Check: Reviewers must disclose any potential conflicts of interest that might bias their review, such as previous collaborations with the authors or professional rivalry. If conflicts are detected, the editor assigns alternative reviewers.
b) Reviewing Process
Evaluation Criteria: Reviewers assess the manuscript’s originality, methodology, data quality, analysis, conclusions, and overall contribution to the field.
Feedback and Recommendation: Reviewers provide detailed comments, suggest necessary revisions, and recommend one of the following decisions: accept, minor revisions, major revisions, or reject.
c) Feedback to Authors
Anonymous Reviewer Comments: The editor consolidates and anonymizes the reviewers' comments. Authors receive this feedback without seeing the reviewers’ names or affiliations, along with specific editorial guidance for revisions if applicable.
Revision and Resubmission: Authors revise the manuscript based on the feedback and resubmit it. The revised manuscript may go through additional rounds of review if significant changes were made.
d) Final Editorial Decision
The editor weighs the reviewers’ comments and recommendations before making the final decision. This might involve further consultation with the reviewers if discrepancies exist in their evaluations.

Publication Frequency

2025, Quarterly, published in March, June, September and December

2024, annual, published in December

2023, annual, published in June

2022, semi-annual, published in June and December

Article Processing Charge

To cover the costs of the academic publisher for ensuring the normal operation, we charge an Article Processing Charges (APC). If your paper is accepted for publication, you will be asked to pay an Article Processing Charge (APC) of 300.00 USD/article.

Book Review, Study Protocol, Case Study,  Short Communication, Short Research Report (Within 2000 Words): 200.00(USD)

We accept Credit cards, PayPal, Bank Transfers, Wire transfers, Western Union, and Alipay.  Paypal is preferred. If you have any questions regarding payment, please do not hesitate to contact the editorial assistants.

If you need hard copies, please find the Journal store.

Index/List/Archive 

Open Access Policy

This journal provides immediate open access to its content on the principle that making research freely available to the public supports a greater global exchange of knowledge.

Copyright Policy

Copyright for this article is retained by the author(s), with first publication rights granted to the journal.
This is an open-access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution License .

Privacy Statement

The names and email addresses entered in this journal site will be used exclusively for the stated purposes of this journal and will not be made available for any other purpose or to any other party.

AI Usage Policy

Authors must disclose any involvement of AI tools in writing, analysis, or data processing within their manuscripts. This disclosure should include specific details about the AI tools, algorithms, or models utilized.

Content Review & Editing:
All content generated with AI tools must undergo thorough author review and editing to ensure quality, accuracy.

AI Role Specification:
Authors should clearly specify the tasks performed by AI tools and their impact on the research and writing process. This includes detailing where and how AI was utilized in the creation of the manuscript.

Authorship Integrity:
Authors are responsible for all content, including AI-generated sections, and should not attribute authorship to AI tools. AI tools should not be listed as co-authors or contributors.

Data Analysis Transparency:
If AI is used for data analysis or chart generation, authors must declare its usage and explain the methodology employed.

Ethical Consideration:
Maintain transparency regarding AI usage and address any ethical issues related to AI-generated content. Uphold ethical standards throughout the research process to ensure integrity.

Authors are encouraged to use AI tools to enhance their research but must adhere to these guidelines to ensure ethical and transparent use of AI tools in academic publishing.