The Challenge of Publishing More and Better: Enhancing Scholarly Impact

Abstract

The motivation for this review stems from the establishment of the Institute for Research on Agricultural Production, Environment, and Health (IIPAAS) within the Faculty of Agricultural Sciences at the National University of Lomas de Zamora (UNLZ), formalised on August 25, 2015, by Resolution CAA/146. IIPAAS was conceived as an interdisciplinary institute aimed at promoting interactions among research groups affiliated with our Faculty. The primary institutional goal was its application to become an Associate Center of the Scientific Research Commission of the Province of Buenos Aires (CIC), a strategy designed to strengthen research activities and establish a direct link with a governmental science and technology agency. In 2016, IIPAAS qualified as one of the 29 new Associate Centers of the CIC, alongside two institutes from the UNLZ Faculty of Engineering (Industrial Engineering and Technology and Education).

Throughout this process, a framework was established for data collection, reflection, and introspection regarding the scientific and technological knowledge generated within our institution. This included examining the dissemination of such knowledge to society and the value placed on publications by the scientific and technological system as a key indicator of productivity.

As a result of this analysis, various strengths, opportunities for improvement, and research gaps were identified, which both IIPAAS and the FCA-UNLZ are positioned to address. We hope this review serves as a baseline and a starting point for future multidimensional, more comprehensive, and exhaustive analyses concerning the challenge of increasing both the quantity and quality of research output.