Scientific production and most researched diseases in the Biological Sciences postgraduate programs in Brazil

This macro-level scientometrics study aimed to analyze the similarities and differences in the scientific communication patterns of the Brazilian postgraduate programs (BPPs) belonging to the Biological Sciences II field (BS2), as defined by Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES). Also, it was identified the most researched diseases and it was discussed their relationship with the needs of Brazilian public health considering the burden of disease (Disability-Adjusted Life Year - DALY, Brazil) estimated by the World Health Organization (WHO). Thus, the scientific production of the BS2’s sub-areas Biophysics, Biochemistry, Pharmacology, Physiology, and Morphology was evaluated from 2013 to 2016, through considering the citation impact, Impact Factor (Journal Citation Reports), and scientific collaboration. Data collected included formal information provided to CAPES by all BPPs through the Plataforma Sucupira as well as metadata from Web of Science documents. In addition, were employed the standardized Medical Subject Headings (PubMed) for the analysis of researched diseases. We concluded that the patterns of scientific communication in Biophysics, Biochemistry, Pharmacology, Physiology, and Morphology were predominantly different. Thus, there is a need to consider specificities among the five sub-areas in the evaluation process performed by CAPES. Different approaches are revealed by identifying the most frequently researched diseases and explaining the contributions of each sub-area for Brazilian public health.