Bibliometry of marine science and limnology publications (1979-2015) by the Centro de Investigación en Ciencias del Mar y Limnología (CIMAR), Universidad de Costa Rica

Abstract

Bibliometrics play a significant role in evaluating the scientific production of journals and research units such as universities and research centers. The present study aimed to analyze the scientific production of CIMAR (Center for Research in Marine Science and Limnology) from its foundation in 1979 to 2015. We ana-lyzed exclusively articles published in journals and selected those with at least one author affiliated to CIMAR. For the analysis, each article was classified according to the geographical study area, the topic of the investi-gation, ecosystem, and taxonomic group. We analyzed the following variables: year of publication, language, journal name, and authors. In this study, we analyzed the Bradford distribution, citations, the impact factor, and the quartiles of the journals where papers were published. During the study period, CIMAR produced a total of 791 publications: 624 articles, 90 book chapters or books, 48 booklets, and 34 special issues of the journal Revista de Biología Tropical(RBT). The number of publications showed an increasing trend during the study period, and most articles were written in English (58.3 %) and Spanish (41.7 %). A total of 128 journals were selected to publish CIMAR’s contributions. According to the Bradford method, the journal RBT is in Zone I (major productivity or concentration), with 49.8 % of the total scientific production. In relation to authorship, 22 authors with 12 articles or more are registered, and 80 % of the articles have been published by authors with a low (42 authors) and medium productivity level (44 authors). CIMAR published 81.6 % regarding marine topics and 18.4 % about limnology. Most of the articles (51.9 %) dealt with the Pacific of Costa Rica, 13.5 % with the Caribbean and 34.7 % referred to other study locations. The publications of CIMAR were mainly about ecol-ogy (33.3 %), taxonomy (24.5 %) and oceanography/meteorology (12.7 %). CIMAR has a highly trained and specialized staff that has gained experience and is contributing to the implementation and evaluation of Costa Rica’s science, technology and innovation policies through both interdisciplinary research and the development of institutional as well as professional capacities in a framework of dialogue and public-private agreements. Rev. Biol. Trop. 66(Suppl. 1): S1-S23. Epub 2018 April 01.