Characteristics of the theses defended in stricto sensu graduate programs in Regional Development in the PLURD area

Abstract

The objective of this study was to identify the characteristics of the scientific production of the theses defended in Brazilian Stricto Sensu Postgraduate Programs (PPGs) in Regional Development, concentration area of Regional Urban Planning and Demography (PLURD) by CAPES. The exploratory and descriptive research was carried out through documentary and content analysis, with a quantitative approach. The data were collected on the Sucupira, Lattes platforms and on the programs' websites. The results of the research show that, since the first thesis, defended in 2005, there was a substantial and constant growth in volume until the year 2020. There was a concentration of theses defended in institutions of a community nature (59.41%) and located in the South region (77.49%) of the country. As for the profile of the authors, 54.98% are male, 70.29% have completed a master's degree in Development, Administration, Economics, Engineering and Education and 71.33% are graduated in Administration, Economic Sciences, Accounting, Law and Pedagogy. Regarding scientific production, the group of authors was responsible for the publication of 6,252 works in events, 3,013 articles in scientific journals, 1,450 book chapters and 575 books published or organized. There was also a high productivity of a smaller group of teachers, however, this productivity does not fit Lotka's Law. When observing the most prestigious themes in the titles and the most frequent keywords, it was noticed adherence to the theme Regional Development.

Keywords: Regional Development; Theses; Bibliometrics; PLURD.