Scientific production in latin american psychology: An analysis of research in different countries

Science production is one of the critical factors for country development. In Latin America, science development indicators in terms of publications and impact are traditionally far from the standards in countries with further scientific and technological development. These indicators, both in general and in Psychology, were evaluated in this study, through an analysis of Latin-American productivity of scientific articles between 1996 and 2008 in Scopus and Web of Science databases. Macro-trends that guided the development of science and Psychology in countries and institutions were identified, as the scientific impact of the publications. Results suggest that Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, Chile and Colombia have the best indicators in terms of production and impact, both in science and Psychology. Chile, Argentina and Brazil are the most productive countries per million inhabitants.