From the periphery to global visibility: a scientometric study of the Technological University of Chocó

Purpose This study aims to evaluate the scientific production and visibility of the Technological University of Chocó (UTCH), an emerging higher education institution located in a peripheral region of the Colombian Pacific. By examining its academic output, the study seeks to contribute to the understanding of research development processes in emerging universities that are often underrepresented in scientometric analyses. Design/methodology/approach This study conducted a scientometric analysis using data retrieved from Scopus and Dimensions. Several indicators were examined, including publication volume, document types, collaboration networks, citation patterns, and keyword co-occurrence. Correlation analyses were applied to explore relationships between documents, citations, collaboration size, and h-index. Keywords were analyzed to identify both established and emerging research areas. Findings The results revealed a notable increase in UTCH scientific output, with 3,811 documents indexed in Dimensions and 259 in Scopus, predominantly original articles. Most of these articles are published in first-quartile (Q1) journals with an average impact factor of 5.7. Keyword co-occurrence identified themes such as biodiversity, conservation, medicinal plants, mining, and mercury, reflecting consolidated and emerging research lines. Significant correlations were found between documents and citations (Rs = 0.56), collaboration network size (Rs = 0.58), h-index (Rs = 0.70), and collaboration and citations (Rs = 0.62). Overall, the findings demonstrate the growing scientific reach and strengthening research capacity of UTCH. Research limitations/implications As this is a bibliometric analysis, biases may arise due to the rapid growth of scientific output. This makes it difficult to obtain accurate and timely total publication figures and to conduct fully representative comparisons. Although quality controls were applied to verify institutional affiliation, residual errors in the reviewed databases cannot be ruled out. Originality/value This study provides one of the first comprehensive scientometric evaluations of a peripheral emerging university in the Colombian Pacific region. It offers evidence of research consolidation processes in underrepresented academic contexts and establishes a foundation for future comparative studies of emerging universities. The insights generated contribute to a deeper understanding of how institutions in peripheral regions expand and strengthen their scientific production and visibility.