Purpose This bibliometric review aimed to examine research trends in sustainability assessment instruments in higher education in the Web of Science database from the earliest year covered by the dataset through the first half of 2025. Design/methodology/approach This qualitative study used a content analysis approach. Data were coded in the following categories: trends by year, instrument origin country, instrument emphasizing the sustainability dimension, specific aspects of sustainability, instrument type, measured construct, psychometric quality and validation evidence of instruments, response types, scale point, participants type, participant grade level and faculty affiliation. Findings Most of the studies used adapted instruments to assess constructs such as knowledge, attitude and behavior and a limited number of studies used adopted instruments. Nearly half of the studies measured the attitude construct, while complex constructs like sustainability competencies were targeted minimally. Few studies included participants such as academic, administrative and support staff. Originality/value This study presents empirical evidence of research trends, gaps and future directions regarding sustainability assessment instruments employed in higher education settings.
Budak et al. (Fri,) studied this question.