Two decades of the Latin American Journal of Aquatic Mammals (LAJAM): A bibliometric review for the period 2002 – 2022

We conducted a retrospective bibliometric analysis of the Latin American Journal of Aquatic Mammals (LAJAM), the scholarly publication of the Latin American Society of Specialists of Specialists in Aquatic Mammals (SOLAMAC) for the last 20 years. The goal was to describe the state of the research, trends, changes, and priorities to provide a deeper context for future studies on these taxa in Latin America. We analyzed 278 publications between 2002 – 2022 (there were no published issues between 2012 – 2014), by 688 authors and from 26 countries. Odontocetes were the best represented taxa, led by Tursiops truncatus, Pontoporia blainvillei, and Sotalia spp., followed by an otter (Pteronura brasiliensis) and a Mysticete (Megaptera novaengliae). Co-word analysis within publications reflected research focus on particular species (e.g., P. brasiliensis and T. truncatus), regions (e.g., southern Brazil and Peru) and topics (e.g., distribution, population, sexual dimorphism). Most of the studies were conducted in Brazil, Argentina, and Uruguay, whereas research from the Caribbean was limited in the sample. We found an increasing trend in the number of publications by females as first authors over the years, who also increased in the number of citations across the study. Several types of organizations were involved in the publications, dominated by academic institutions, mainly in Brazil. Many authors shifted institutions over the first half of the study, and publications from non-governmental organizations maintained an important role throughout the study. We identified eight clusters within the authorship network, where six belonged to Brazilian authors; however, cluster connectivity was mediated mainly by authors from countries like Brazil and Uruguay, changing across the years. Finally, the pattern and trends found here seem to adequately reflect the development of the field, in terms of efforts and collaborative networks in South America and Mexico during the last three decades.