title: [Concepts, confusions and contradictions on the impact factor in Colombia].
abstract: Latin American scientists are making tremendous efforts to conduct good-quality research worthy of being published internationally. However, Colciencias, an entity created to support this research in Colombia, introduced scienciometric evaluations which had been re-evaluated elsewhere some time ago, based on measurements of aspects such as the ill-termed "impact factor". Even more serious is that the aforementioned government office is unaware that measures are based on debated mathematical principles, placing Colombian science at imminent risk of suffering from an academic yatrogeny of irreparable consequences. Therefore, an urgent restructuring of the way in which Colombia's scientific production is to be evaluated is thus mandatory before these measures have a negative impact thereon.
authors.affiliation: Grupo Mediciencia, Universidad Nacional, Bogota, Colombia. feleones@gmail.com
authors.forename: Fidias E
authors.initials: FE
authors.lastname: Leon-Sarmiento
authors.forename: Jaime
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Bayona-Prieto
authors.forename: Martha E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Leon
mesh_terms: D015706:Bibliometrics; D003105:Colombia; D011643:Publishing / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*