Bibliometric analysis of aids literature in Latin America and the Caribbean

This work reports on the preliminary results of a bibliometric analysis of AIDS literature, as produced in or about Latin America and the Caribbean for the period 1980–1996. Two international and two regional secondary sources were used in order to obtain comparative analyses regarding for example, comprehensiveness of AIDS literature coverage and local/main frame visibility. Less than 1000 records were retrieved from each of the databases searched. Leading countries in AIDSLINE were Haiti, Brasil, Mexico and Puerto Rico. The distribution by year of publication showed a decrease in Haiti records, from 54 in 1983, to 4 in 1995. The rest of the countries either increased or maintained an average production throughout the years. Regional secondary information sources were less current and comprehensive in the field. Further lines of research are described by the authors.