Interdisciplinarity is considered the best way to face practical research topics since synergy between traditional disciplines has proved very fruitful. Studies on interdisciplinarity from all possible perspectives are increasingly demanded. Different interdisciplinarity measures have been used in case studies but, up to now, no general interdisciplinarity indicator useful for Science Policy purposes has been accepted. The bibliometric methodology presented here provides a general overview of all scientific disciplines, with special attention to their interrelation. This work aims to establish a tentative typology of disciplines and research areas according to their degree of interdisciplinarity. Interdisciplinarity is measured through a series of indicators based on Institute for Scientific Information (ISI) multi-assignation of journals in subject categories. Research areas and categories are described according to the quantity of their links (number of related categories) and their quality (with close or distant categories, diversity, and strength of links). High levels of interrelations between categories are observed. Four different types of categories are found through cluster analysis. This differentiates "big" interdisciplinarity, which links distant categories, from "small" interdisciplinarity, in which close categories are related. The location of specific categories in the clusters is discussed.

This paper sets forth a general methodology for conducting bibliometric analyses at the micro level. It combines several indicators grouped into three factors or dimensions which characterize different aspects of scientific performance. Different profiles or "classes" of scientists are described according to their research performance in each dimension. A series of results based on the findings from the application of this methodology to the study of CSIC scientists in Spain in three thematic areas are presented. Special emphasis is made on the identification and description of top scientists from structural and bibliometric perspectives. The effects of age on the productivity and impact of the different classes of scientists are analyzed. The classificatory approach proposed herein may prove a useful tool in support of research assessment at the individual level and for exploring potential determinants of research success.

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The study of journal authorship and editorial board membership from a gender perspective is addressed in this paper following international recommendations about the need to obtain science and technology indicators by gender. Authorship informs us about active scientists who contribute to the production and dissemination of new knowledge through journal articles, while editorial board membership tells us about leading scientists who have obtained scientific recognition within the scientific community. This study analyses by gender the composition of the editorial boards of 131 high-quality Spanish journals in all fields of science, the presence of men and women as authors in a selection of 36 journals, and the evolution of these aspects from 1998 to 2009. Female presence is lower than male presence in authorship, editorial board membership and editorship. The presence of female authors is slightly lower than the presence of women in the Spanish Higher Education sector and doubles female presence in editorial boards, which mirrors female presence in the highest academic rank. The gender gap tends to diminish over the years in most areas, especially in authorship and very slightly in editorial board membership. Large editorial boards and having a female editor-in-chief are positively correlated with women presence in editorial boards. The situation of women in Spanish science is further assessed in an international context analysing a selection of international reference journals. The usefulness of journal-based indicators to monitor the situation of men and women in science and to assess the success of policies oriented to enhance gender equality in science is finally discussed.