Abstract

 The level of efficiency regarding the production of published scientific research in 2015 for the 48 state universities of the Spanish education system is assessed. It is used a methodological approach based on output specifications of desirable outputs (total amount of published papers in Q1 journals) and undesirable outputs (non-cited publications). Relative measures are obtained under two efficiency schemes, natural and managerial. Results enable to identify certain management strategies to improve overall efficiency at publishing research of the Spanish university system. A higher allocation of budget resources among certain institutions would lead to efficiency gains for the system as a whole.