The search for starbursts galaxies in COSMOS database by a tailored procedure that uses the photometry from SUBARU, results in 220 targets at z<0.5. The typical mass of the starburst is 10^8 and its distribution is similar to that of the quiescent galaxies in the survey at the same redshift range. From the detailed analysis of the galaxies images using the HST, the star forming clumps are characterized. The galaxies are of three different kinds, Snot, Snot and diffuse light and multiple knots. The mass of the knots are typically one order of magnitude below that of the host galaxy and the clumps in multiple knot galaxies are bigger the closer they are to the center. The sSFR however does not change with the particular position of the burst in their host galaxy, which suggests a similar process independently of their location. This result applies also to the galaxies at the largest z range (0.9). Our interpretation is that the star formation is happening at all possible locations on the galaxy discs, possibly from gas accreted from the halo or the IGM, with clumps which grow as they spiral and get to the centermost regions. Our previous work on nearby SF -tadpole galaxies of similar mass reported metallicity drops coinciding with the location of the burst what we have interpreted as SF driven by cold flows. Our results in COSMOS would be consistent with a similar interpretation and a scenario in which medium mass disks are growing by gas accretion that show up as scattered starbursts knots.