The IEB was compiled with the aid of specialists at the academic library of Radboud University. Data were gathered from the databases of Google Scholar, OpenAlex, Web of Science, and Semantic Scholar. Search terms used were “integral ecology”, “ecología integral”, “ecologia integrale”, “ecologie integrale”, “ekologi integral”, and "integrale ökologie". Searches targeted source titles, keywords, and abstracts.

Metadata gathered by these means were incomplete, and had to be manually supplemented with the relevant bibliographical information. In cases where the metadata was too scarce to authenticate an item, it was removed from the collection. Multiply listed items were removed, as were those containing the relevant search terms without treating of integral ecology as such.

For our labelling system, we relied on the information afforded by the author, title, abstract, and bibliography of a given item. By means of this information, we first identified the approach to IE from which a source issued: the pontifical approach, rooted in the writings and pontificate of Pope Francis; the integral theory approach, based on the works of Ken Wilber and scholars at the California Institute of Integral Studies; the cosmic approach, which derives from the works of Thomas Berry and the Yale Forum of Religion and Ecology; or the integral liberation approach, drawing from the writings of Leonardo Boff. In cases where a source issued from none of these approaches, we labelled it independent.

Besides matters of provenance, sources were labelled according to content. Our labelling system contains fifteen general categories, of which the numbers one through ten refer to more or less distinct branches of thought and practice: theology, philosophy, education, politics, (sustainable) development, economics, science, law, spirituality and psychology, and media. Each of these branches has been further subdivided into themes. Our list is not intended to be exhaustive, it merely records the range of topics prioritised by the authors in our bibliography. Whereas some of our choices here may speak for themselves (like theology, philosophy, economics, politics, and law), other may require some clarification. 

The branch of “(sustainable) development” encompasses themes of sustainable and (integral) human development, urban development, and organizational development. We have included the theme of postcolonialism in this branch as well, as it tends to mark a critical response to a specific paradigm of development, at least within the context of integral ecology.

Instead of treating all branches as scientific disciplines, we have listed “science” as an equal amongst other branches of thought. It includes such subthemes as (the science of) ecology, systems theory, epigenetics, ethnography, and evolutionary anthropology. The theme of interdisciplinarity is included in this branch as well, as it addresses the relationship between the sciences themselves. Even though most items under the label Covid-19 are not about virology, specifically, they have been included here as they treat of interdisciplinarity with respect to the corona crisis. 

Spirituality and psychology have been grouped together in our system. This is because sources dealing with either topic overwhelmingly tend to emphasize matters of psychic transformation in the light of an integral ecology. Themes of ecological spirituality, deep ecology, therapeutics, and ecological conversion are treated in this branch.

Media, lastly, encompasses themes of artificial intelligence and social media, but also areas like art, communication, and design. In a later update of the bibliography, when more sources have been compiled, we may split this branch into two categories: Art and Technology. 

The list of labels is not intended to be exhaustive, and its structure may change over time. Its main purpose is to give users a sense of the thematic scope and breadth of the literature in the IEB.