Policy from Scientific Publications from São Paulo Researchers: Analysis from the Overton Database

Policy interventions often aim to address complex challenges (e.g, the UN Sustainable Development Goals) requiring input from various stakeholders. Funding organizations are placing a greater emphasis on the longer-term socioeconomic impacts of research and promoting scientific collaboration across these dimensions, assuming it will fuel such returns. This study examined São Paulo publications that influence public policies using the Overton database in SciVal (Elsevier). The data suggests that São Paulo research may have a significant influence on public policies in Brazil and worldwide. To capture this influence, there should be an increase in international and corporate collaborations, as well as a need for joint actions with policy bodies to increase usage. Open Access did not influence use in public policies, but publishing in top journals was fundamental. Impact increased when publications were used in policy documents. There was a significant influence on themes related to climate change and its control, with major contributors including intergovernmental agencies such as the World Bank, FAO, and the United Nations, followed by the USA, UK, and Germany. Brazil appears in 8th place. This study is based on Scopus data, and Overton itself has limitations, which are discussed in the paper and which may cause bias in the interpretations.