A bibliometric analysis of soil research in Brazil 1989–2018

Abstract

Bibliometric analysis are used by scientists around the world to understand the evolution and scientific contribution of a given area of knowledge, thus mapping the science produced and determining the trend in research topics. This article presents a bibliometric analysis of the performance and evolution of scientific research on soil science conducted in Brazil during the period 1989–2018, based on papers published in journals indexed in the Web of Science. According to this survey, Brazil currently occupies the 9th place in the global ranking of scientific production on soil science in the world, being responsible for 4.1% of the total published papers. Considering only the last decade (2009–2018), however, Brazil is at the 5th place in global ranking, with 5.2% of the total published papers (n = 19,216). The Brazilian institutions that contributed most to the set of publications on soil science were Empresa Brasileira de Pesquisa Agropecuária (Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation) (17.4%), followed by Universidade de São Paulo - USP (University of São Paulo) (15.4%), and Universidade do Estado de São Paulo - UNESP (São Paulo State University) (9.8%). The most commonly studied themes were “plant growth” (n = 1,649) and “nitrogen” (n = 1,222). In the last decade, however, owing to the importance given to climate change, studies considering the soil as a carbon reservoir (soil organic matter) have intensified. In general, the set of Brazilian publications on soil science can be divided into four main fields: a) chemistry of tropical soils, b) soil physical quality, c) biological nitrogen fixation, and d) soil organic matter dynamics. The USA was the country with the greatest scientific collaboration with Brazilian soil scientists. However, scientific cooperation between Brazil and Latin American countries was low. These results provide a basis for implementing new research projects and scientific collaborations that contribute to the development of soil science research in Brazil.