Social and Scientific Relevance of Systems Engineering Undergraduate Theses in Latin America

Abstract

The main objective of this research is to contribute with a methodology based on data science techniques that allows the identification of undergraduate Latin American Systems Engineering theses that have social and scientific relevance. The Sustainable Development Goals promulgated by the UN with a view to 2030 research guidelines capable of influencing society. Hence, the importance of having a tool that allows obtaining indicators related to the research’s scientific and social relevance. We might wonder if it is possible to identify, through a systematic methodology, Systems Engineering undergraduate Latin American theses whose approach has scientific and social relevance. To answer this question free access repositories from 21 Latin American countries were used, and the search for System Engineering undergraduate theses published between 2015 and 2022 was restricted. We used scrapping and crawling techniques to demonstrate the social and scientific relevance, considering the title, the abstract, and the keywords of the analyzed theses as sources. After applying these techniques, the collected data were stored in a dataset. To enhance our search methodology, we implemented language-based filters, and we narrowed down the results by including only titles with keywords mentioned in the selection criteria. We then utilized the Google Scholar search engine and the SERP API to gather version and citation metrics. This approach in order to search for undergraduate theses with social and scientific relevance proved effective. However, we observed significant heterogeneity in the research areas pursued across various Latin American countries, reflecting diverse regional priorities. At the same time, this diversity presents opportunities to direct research efforts toward achieving social impact. Our findings provide a foundational understanding to guide the development of theses aligned with priorities of social development and sustainability.