Evaluation of research in Spain : Bibliometric indicators used by major spanish research assessment agencies

One of the most important current applications of bibliometrics is assessment of research, and bibliometric indicators can be considered as tools for the evaluation of the scientific productivity of a researcher, a department or a whole institution. Taking this as a starting point, our main goal is to check who is setting the patterns for scientific output evaluation in Spain in the area of biomedical sciences and to observe what indicators are being used to carry out these assessments. We also review the main indicators developed by the bibliometric and informetric disciplines, analyse their pros and cons and propose a list of the most accurate indicators for biomedicine, depending of the specific research assessment needs.