Common challenges faced by early-career researchers in Latin American and small U.S. universities

ABSTRACT Early-career researchers from Spanish-speaking Latin American countries and small U.S. universities are underrepresented in international scientific databases. They have geographical importance, infectious disease endemicity, and exceptional researchers in microbiology, but these factors do...

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Main Authors: Daniela Cejas, Fatima Rodriguez Acosta, Juan Rivera-Correa
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: American Society for Microbiology 2025-06-01
Series:mBio
Subjects:
Online Access:https://journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/mbio.00238-25
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author Daniela Cejas
Fatima Rodriguez Acosta
Juan Rivera-Correa
author_facet Daniela Cejas
Fatima Rodriguez Acosta
Juan Rivera-Correa
author_sort Daniela Cejas
collection DOAJ
description ABSTRACT Early-career researchers from Spanish-speaking Latin American countries and small U.S. universities are underrepresented in international scientific databases. They have geographical importance, infectious disease endemicity, and exceptional researchers in microbiology, but these factors do not translate to representation in high-impact scientific publications. Many reasons could be involved, including financial burdens such as the inability to pay article processing charges. Additional teaching, institutional, and service responsibilities also highly influence their research productivity. Despite this, they are expected to publish high-impact articles, and their career development highly depends on it. There is an opportunity for global peer collaboration to tackle this inequity and uplift underrepresented scientists, which will ultimately provide benefits and sustainability to the global microbial sciences.
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spelling doaj-art-a28b41fccbe14a359eff22ff929b05222025-08-20T02:09:10ZengAmerican Society for MicrobiologymBio2150-75112025-06-0116610.1128/mbio.00238-25Common challenges faced by early-career researchers in Latin American and small U.S. universitiesDaniela Cejas0Fatima Rodriguez Acosta1Juan Rivera-Correa2Universidad de Buenos Aires, Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica, Buenos Aires, ArgentinaDepartamento de Microbiología, Instituto de Investigaciones en Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad Nacional de Asunción, San Lorenzo, ParaguayBiological Sciences Department, New York City College of Technology, City University of New York, New York, New York, USAABSTRACT Early-career researchers from Spanish-speaking Latin American countries and small U.S. universities are underrepresented in international scientific databases. They have geographical importance, infectious disease endemicity, and exceptional researchers in microbiology, but these factors do not translate to representation in high-impact scientific publications. Many reasons could be involved, including financial burdens such as the inability to pay article processing charges. Additional teaching, institutional, and service responsibilities also highly influence their research productivity. Despite this, they are expected to publish high-impact articles, and their career development highly depends on it. There is an opportunity for global peer collaboration to tackle this inequity and uplift underrepresented scientists, which will ultimately provide benefits and sustainability to the global microbial sciences.https://journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/mbio.00238-25Latin Americasmall U.S. universitiesearly-career researchers
spellingShingle Daniela Cejas
Fatima Rodriguez Acosta
Juan Rivera-Correa
Common challenges faced by early-career researchers in Latin American and small U.S. universities
mBio
Latin America
small U.S. universities
early-career researchers
title Common challenges faced by early-career researchers in Latin American and small U.S. universities
title_full Common challenges faced by early-career researchers in Latin American and small U.S. universities
title_fullStr Common challenges faced by early-career researchers in Latin American and small U.S. universities
title_full_unstemmed Common challenges faced by early-career researchers in Latin American and small U.S. universities
title_short Common challenges faced by early-career researchers in Latin American and small U.S. universities
title_sort common challenges faced by early career researchers in latin american and small u s universities
topic Latin America
small U.S. universities
early-career researchers
url https://journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/mbio.00238-25
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