Multi-authorship and its impact on the visibility of research from Puerto Rico

Abstract

The impact of the existence and nature of multi-authorship on the visibility of research results is a relevant issue in the framework of the monitoring and evaluation of scientific performance. Multi-authorship involving researchers from different institutions is a growing trend typical of today’s social, economic and political development and an expression of the so-called “internationalization of science”. This paper analyzes how the establishment of scientific relationships and the local or international nature of such relationships affect the visibility of the research results published by the community of researchers affiliated with Puerto Rican institutions. Multi-dimensional indicators and multivariate analysis techniques, specifically Factorial Correspondence Analysis (FCA), were used to analyze and represent the visibility of the papers published in mainstream scientific journals. The results of the study show that the establishment and furtherance of local and international co-authorship favour the visibility of the papers published and consequently can be regarded to be a valid strategy in the context of the research and development effort in Puerto Rico.