Normalized results of Latin America's mycological visibility: are they a good proxy of potential impact?

Abstract

In the context of scientific research, a valid sociopolitical argument of evaluation is the impact of studies. Scientists and policy makers tend to differ on their opinion about the role of science to prioritize collective needs, and the social validation of scientific activities has become a leverage tool for both parties. In this context, we wondered whether or not simple online queries could be used as tools to address potential scientific impact, which in the case of fungal research in Latin America, might allow the visualization of patterns that otherwise are obscured by gross scientific productivity.