The international scientific visibility : the case of the research in veterinary medicine in Mozambique

Abstract

A survey was conducted on the scientific visibility of Mozambican researchers in the area of Veterinary Medicine. Visibility is described as having one's papers readily and widely accessible and being cited by others. The main source to identify Mozambican authors who have published abroad is the ISI Web of Science, and this source also provided information on citations received. The period examined for citations was 1993 to 2002. The study makes use of Schott's conception of central and peripheral countries, itself based on Shils, to perceive Mozambique’s place in relation to other countries.

Results identified five Mozambican authors who qualified for the study, and who published a total of 19 papers, which received 63 citations. All of those papers were written in collaboration with foreign authors, which makes it difficult to attribute visibility of those papers solely to the Mozambican authors. The study raises the question about scientific policies for developing countries, considering that all kinds of partnership with developed countries may contribute to international visibility, but, at the same time other issues should be considered such as national interests and accessibility to texts published in international periodicals that are not always available within the country