Virology research in a Latin American developing country: a bibliometric analysis of virology in Colombia (2000–2013)

Abstract

Introduction: Bibliometric analysis demonstrates that the virology research in Latin America has increased. For this reason, the objective of this study was to evaluate Colombian publications on viruses and viral diseases in indexed journals during the period from 2000 to 2013. Methodology: The bibliographic data were collected from MedLine, SciELO, LILACS and Scopus databases. The database was constructed in Excel descriptive statistics. The SCImago Journal Rank (SJR) was evaluated using the SCImago Journal & Country Rank in 2013 and was used as an indicator of the quality of the journals used by the Colombian researchers. Results: The total number of papers published was 711, of which 40.4% were published in local journals, and 59.6% were published in foreign journals. Most (89.2%) were original papers. Moreover, 34.2% of the papers were published in collaboration with international researchers, with the United States being the most represented. Of the journals used, 85.6% had an SJR, and 14.4% did not. The median SJR of the papers was 0.789, and the median of the papers with international collaborators was higher compared to the SJR of the papers without international collaboration. Papers were most frequently published in journals whose categories were medicine (miscellaneous), virology, and infectious diseases. The viruses that appeared in the papers more frequently were HIV, dengue, and papillomavirus. Conclusions: This study provides data for use in research, health planning, and policy analysis as it relates to virology in Colombia and other developing Latin American countries.

Avian influenza in Latin America: A systematic review of serological and molecular studies from 2000-2015

“…In this study, the current knowledge on AIVs in Latin America was reviewed and several gaps of knowledge were identified. In addition, our review illustrates the strengthening of links between Latin American and non-Latin American research groups over time, which in a globalized world is required to strength science and is consistent with another bibliometric analysis published recently [38]. In our study, inter-institutional cooperation was observed in more than 80% of the publications analysed, a fact that is of great importance because multinational efforts are needed to understand the complexity of the ecology and epidemiology of AIVs [89].…”

“…At this point, the articles that did not meet the previously established criteria were excluded. As previously reported [38], two researchers independently selected the publications and filtered the information to enhance the methodological strength, and disagreements were resolved during public discussions with the research team.…”

Analysis of scientific production in spanish implantology

“…The mean number of signing authors per article was 2.04, a slightly lower figure than in other fields (8,9); this maybe due to the early start-date of the period analyzed (1988), since the number of signatures per article has grown annually. This progressive increase might be due to a growing need for larger numbers of participants in research initiatives in order to conduct innovative studies of quality, a tendency that has been observed in other specialized fields (7).…”

La virología, más necesaria que nunca

“…Los expertos en infecciones virales en Colombia contribuyen permanentemente a responder preguntas relacionadas con la emergencia de infecciones, muestra de lo cual es la publicación de más de 100 articulos al año sobre temas relacionados (21), por ejemplo, la descripción cada vez más profunda de los agentes patógenos existentes y de otros nuevos, el estudio de la evolución viral hacia una mayor virulencia, de la forma en que los viajes locales o internacionales y el comercio mundial afectan la dispersión de los virus, así como de los casos en los que los virus cruzan las barreras de las especies. Además, la relevancia creciente de las infecciones virales en veterinaria, dado su impacto en la producción pecuaria y en la convivencia con mascotas, merece especial atención.…”