  Aims. We introduce two methods to identify false-positive planetary signals
in the context of radial-velocity exoplanet searches. The first is the
bi-Gaussian cross-correlation function fitting, and the second is the
measurement of asymmetry in radial-velocity spectral line information content,
Vasy.
  Methods. We make a systematic analysis of the most used common line profile
diagnosis, Bisector Inverse Slope and Velocity Span, along with the two
proposed ones. We evaluate all these diagnosis methods following a set of
well-defined common criteria and using both simulated and real data. We apply
them to simulated cross-correlation functions created with the program SOAP and
which are affected by the presence of stellar spots, and to real
cross-correlation functions, calculated from HARPS spectra, for stars with a
signal originating both in activity and created by a planet.
  Results. We demonstrate that the bi-Gaussian method allows a more precise
characterization of the deformation of line profiles than the standard bisector
inverse slope. The calculation of the deformation indicator is simpler and its
interpretation more straightforward. More importantly, its amplitude can be up
to 30% larger than that of the bisector span, allowing the detection of
smaller-amplitude correlations with radial-velocity variations. However, a
particular parametrization of the bisector inverse slope is shown to be more
efficient on high-signal-to-noise data than both the standard bisector and the
bi-Gaussian. The results of the Vasy method show that this indicator is more
effective than any of the previous ones, being correlated with the
radial-velocity with more significance for signals resulting from a line
deformation. Moreover, it provides a qualitative advantage over the bisector,
showing significant correlations with RV for active stars for which bisector
analysis is inconclusive. (abridged)
