[Overview of research in Chile by several epistemolometric indicators]

Scientific productivity in Chile was studied examining a data bank constructed with the publications indexed by the Institute for Scientific Information during 1987 and 1988. The bank excludes meeting abstracts and contains the full title of the published paper, the list of authors, addresses, field, and the nature of collaboration between two or more institutions. The articles were classified in different fields and tabulated according to the institution from which they originated. Although biology remains to be the more productive subject (26.5%) followed by medical sciences (23.9%) and chemistry (12.3%), articles in mathematics and physics continued their increase as in previous years. Using the scientometric indicators published by Braun et al., the impact of the research originated in Chile in biology, physics and mathematics was compared to that attained in Argentina, Brazil, Mexico and Venezuela. The role of the chilean National Research Fund and the output of the financed research projects were also analyzed. The successful results obtained during the first years in which the National Research Fund has been involved in the support of the scientific activity in Chile, confirms the need to strengthen its budget, according to the goals stated in the National Plan for Science and Technology for Development.