Isabel Gómez Caridad is closely linked to the field of quantitative science studies, which she has devoted most part of her professional life, significantly contributing to the launch of Bibliometrics in Spain. Graduated in Chemical Sciences in Universidad Complutense de Madrid (1983), has developed a successful research career, with a strong international profile in CSIC. She is also interested in experimental research, to which she has devoted the first years of her scientific life in CSIC Instituto de Biología Celular. With her concern for the studies of scientific science and policy, to which she contributed in a second stage that began in Centro de Información y Documentación Científica (CINDOC) of CISC. Her experience in experimental research allowed her to get familiarized with characteristics, stages and difficulties of research in laboratory, what would be of great use for its subsequent stage focused on science studies.
Isabel’s interest in Scientometry, and more specifically for Bibliometrics, which studies science through mathematical and statistical analysis of scientific publications, began during the 1980s when this discipline was in its infancy and with limited activity focuses. She created, with Aida Méndez Miaja, a research group in CSIC that has been consolidated and deal with Bibliometry both from a descriptive approach, oriented towards advancing in the knowledge of scientific process; as evaluative, applied to science management and evaluation. Among her scientific contributions include: her efforts for the acquisition of valid and reliable indicators from different sources, her analysis about scientific magazines aimed at improving its quality and international dissemination; the study of scientific collaboration and its influence on research; and the development of indicators for the study interdisciplinarity in science. She soon perceived the use that bibliometric indicators could have in research management and evaluation and participated in different projects aimed at understanding the situation of research in Spain and Latino America. Aware of the advantages, but also of the limitations of indicators, she has helped to spread both its inadequate use and support the good practices in the discipline.
Isabel Gómez Caridad’s research activity has had a strong international orientation, favoured for her knowledge on different languages and driven by her science perception as a global phenomenon, beyond geographical and linguistic borders. Her active participation in the main congresses of the speciality and her scientific contributions in the main international magazines of the field allowed her to obtain a high recognition within the bibliometric community. She has stablished collaborations with other research groups, both in an out of Spain, and both with research purposes as teaching or scientific policy. She participated as co-editor in a monographic number dedicated to Spain in 1992 by the international magazine of Scientometry, the most emblematic one of the area; she was director of Revista Española de Documentación Científica during eight years and driving force and co-organizer of the International Society for Scientometry and Infometrics Conference (ISSI) held in Spain for the first time in 2007, which contributed to progress of the discipline in our country and international visibility of Spanish research. Currently associated research professor ad honorem in Science, technology and Society Department of Instituto de Filosofía.
María Badons
Science, Technology and Society Department, Instituto de Filosofía, CSIC (before at Centro de Información y Documentación Científica (CINDOC) of CSIC)
