Bullshit in the Sustainability and Transitions Literature: a Provocation

Abstract Research on sustainability and transitions is burgeoning. Some of this research helping to solve humankind’s most pressing problems. However, as provocation argues, up 50% the articles that are now being published in many interdisciplinary journals may be categorized “scholarly bullshit.” These typically engage with latest buzzword (e.g., circular economy), while contributing little none scholarly body knowledge topic. A typology bullshit” proposed which includes following archetypes: boring question scholarship, literature review reviews, recycled research, master thesis madness, activist rants. Since academic buzzwords, they also tend accumulate significant citations thus welcomed by journal editors. Citations matter metric-driven logic system, type sadly, unlikely decrease coming years.