[en] Studies designed to evaluate the publication and research trends of Third World countries in areas related to cattle reproduction in the tropics have shown a marked tendency for publication in such forms as national journals, proceedings, annual reports and theses, which are not readily available for evaluation and assimilation by the scientific community in general. This, coupled with the fact that reports are published preferentially in the native language of the country concerned, contributes to the limited impact of these studies at international level. In addition, research is concentrated on topics which require relatively simple methods important for establishing local reproductive parameters. With regard to the publication output of researchers, it was found that the majority publish only one document, with less than 3% producing more than ten, over a 15 year period. On average, researchers publish over a period of less than five years, indicating a lack of continuity in the research effort in this field. A detailed analysis of the research carried out in Mexico revealed a considerable degree of repetition of studies, as well as the publishing of duplicate results. (author). 14 refs, 1 fig., 4 tabs