Abstract

ARENCIBIA JORGE, Ricardo et al. Specialization Patterns in the Cuban national health research. Rev Cubana Salud Pública [online]. 2012, vol.38, suppl.5, pp.734-747. ISSN 0864-3466.

Introduction: scientometric studies use relative indicators for the thematic characterization of scientific production, in order to identify the strengths and weaknesses of a country in a knowledge domain. Objective: the use of specialization patterns for the thematic characterization of the Cuban scientific production in health indexed by Scopus during the 1996-2010 period. Methods: descriptive study. The total number of documents covered by Scopus as well as the productivity and the annual growth rate were compiled. The thematic specialization index of the scientific production was estimated. Results: the thematic specialization index of the Cuban scientific production in health achieved higher levels than those of the Latin American region and the world. The highest indexes went to thematic domains where Cuba shows important health indicators. The published research papers in national journals covered by Scopus have a decisive influence on the specialization index of the main studied thematic categories. Conclusions: health sciences in general, and particularly the public health, have a leading role in the Cuban scientific production.

Keywords : Scientometrics; bibliometric indicators; specialization index; health sciences; public health; Cuba.

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