**4. Bibliometric analysis of the ZV and EJPH**

Data from a review of the ZV and EJPH publications were collected from the year 2003 to 2010 inclusive. Throughout the period analysed, the journal ZV was published as a quarterly. In the analysed eight-year period, 32 regular issues of the ZV were reviewed. The analysis included all original and review scientific papers; contributions published as editorials, letters to the editor, reports and necrologies were not included. 164 articles were reviewed in the analysed period. All articles included in the analysis had cited references. On average, 26.36 references were cited per article (Table 2).

During the period from 2003 to 2004, the journal EJPH was published four times a year; from 2005 onwards it was issued as a bimonthly, entirely published in English. In the analysed eight-year period, 44 regular issues or 711 articles were reviewed. All the 711 analysed articles from the EJPH cited references. With 22,080 references listed in the 711 articles, that is an average of 31.05 references per article (Table 2).

Since in Slovenia the Rules of Indicators and Criteria for Measuring Scientific and Technical Efficiency determine that a scientific paper must be at least four pages long, otherwise it is considered a short scientific contribution and is estimated only with 80% points, the analysis only included articles that were comprised of four or more pages.

#### **4.1 Results of the bibliometric analysis of the ZV and EJPH**

In the period 2003-2010, a total of 454 authors published 164 articles in the journal ZV. Table 2 shows the number of authors per year of publication and the number of authors per article in each year. Throughout the period analysed for the ZV, the ratio ranged between 2.3 and 3.3. Compared with the ZV analysis for the period 1992-2003 where the ratio ranged between 1.17 and 2.31 (Miholič, 2005), the ratio has increased, reflecting a trend also present in the world (Cronin et al., 2003; Cronin & Franks, 2006); namely, that the authorship of an article belongs to more than one author.

If we compare the results of the ZV with the results of the EJPH, where the ratio varies between 3.89 and 4.78 (in the period 2001-2005, the ratio ranged between 3.4 and 4.55) (Miholič, 2007) and the findings of the Radiology and Oncology analysis (in the period 1992- 2001, the ratio ranged between 2.51 and 3.93) (Musek et al., 2003), we can see that multiple authors are present in all journals, which shows that articles not only reflect teamwork on research projects, but also the collaboration of authors from various scientific disciplines. Multiple authors both increase the credibility of a research work and the possibility of cofinancing research projects.

In both the ZV and EJPH journals, the de Solla Price (1971) theory on separating articles into scientific and unscientific utilising the number of citations (scientific articles are those with between 10 and 20 citations, unscientific articles are those without citations), shows that all published articles were actually scientific articles. Similar results were also obtained at the Radiology and Oncology journal (in the period 1992-2001, there was an average of 18 references for each article) (Musek et al., 2003).


Legend:

384 Social Sciences and Cultural Studies – Issues of Language, Public Opinion, Education and Welfare

that are present in real social communities and the entire population. It considers in its scientifically founded proposals both the interests of a defined society and the actual

Everything is changing, so it is important to adapt to new conditions when we try to implement principles such as concern for the social conditions of life, an integrated approach to health care, and the importance of learning. The future must not repeat the past, but must spring from it. Social issues are not only a biological phenomenon, but are linked to the social sciences and culture that emphasise the importance of moral issues (Jakšić,

Data from a review of the ZV and EJPH publications were collected from the year 2003 to 2010 inclusive. Throughout the period analysed, the journal ZV was published as a quarterly. In the analysed eight-year period, 32 regular issues of the ZV were reviewed. The analysis included all original and review scientific papers; contributions published as editorials, letters to the editor, reports and necrologies were not included. 164 articles were reviewed in the analysed period. All articles included in the analysis had cited references.

During the period from 2003 to 2004, the journal EJPH was published four times a year; from 2005 onwards it was issued as a bimonthly, entirely published in English. In the analysed eight-year period, 44 regular issues or 711 articles were reviewed. All the 711 analysed articles from the EJPH cited references. With 22,080 references listed in the 711

Since in Slovenia the Rules of Indicators and Criteria for Measuring Scientific and Technical Efficiency determine that a scientific paper must be at least four pages long, otherwise it is considered a short scientific contribution and is estimated only with 80% points, the analysis

In the period 2003-2010, a total of 454 authors published 164 articles in the journal ZV. Table 2 shows the number of authors per year of publication and the number of authors per article in each year. Throughout the period analysed for the ZV, the ratio ranged between 2.3 and 3.3. Compared with the ZV analysis for the period 1992-2003 where the ratio ranged between 1.17 and 2.31 (Miholič, 2005), the ratio has increased, reflecting a trend also present in the world (Cronin et al., 2003; Cronin & Franks, 2006); namely, that the authorship of an

If we compare the results of the ZV with the results of the EJPH, where the ratio varies between 3.89 and 4.78 (in the period 2001-2005, the ratio ranged between 3.4 and 4.55) (Miholič, 2007) and the findings of the Radiology and Oncology analysis (in the period 1992- 2001, the ratio ranged between 2.51 and 3.93) (Musek et al., 2003), we can see that multiple authors are present in all journals, which shows that articles not only reflect teamwork on research projects, but also the collaboration of authors from various scientific disciplines.

possibilities in it.

**4. Bibliometric analysis of the ZV and EJPH** 

On average, 26.36 references were cited per article (Table 2).

articles, that is an average of 31.05 references per article (Table 2).

only included articles that were comprised of four or more pages.

**4.1 Results of the bibliometric analysis of the ZV and EJPH** 

article belongs to more than one author.

2004).

r\* - ratio no. of authors / no. of articles

r\*\* - ratio no. of citations / article

Table 2. The number of authors and citations in the analysed articles, 2003-2010

In eight years, articles in both Slovenian and English were published in the journal ZV. Figure 1 shows the number of articles by individual years in Slovenian and English. Most of the articles in English were published by Slovenian authors. In 2003, four of the articles in English were by authors from the United Kingdom, Netherlands and Sweden, and three by authors from Slovenia. In 2004, one English-language article was by an author from Finland and one article by a Slovenian author. In 2005, the sole article in English was by a Slovenian author. In 2006, two articles in English were the result of international collaboration; one article was by authors from Slovenia and Germany, the other by authors from Slovenia and the United Kingdom. The authors of the remaining four articles were from Slovenia. In 2007, one article in English was by authors from Serbia, and five articles again by authors from Slovenia. In 2008 and 2009, all articles in English were by authors from Slovenia, while in 2010 one article was by authors from Albania, and one article was again the result of collaboration by authors from Slovenia and the Netherlands. All the remaining five articles in 2010 were again written by Slovenian authors. Publishing foreign authors in the journal ZV was more of an exception; the reason Slovenian authors published articles in English may well be the result of those articles being written and prepared for publishing in a foreign journal, then due to a possible rejection, the Slovenian authors decided to publish in local journals. The English-language articles published by Slovenian authors were the result

Scientific Publishing in the Field of Social Medicine in Slovenia 387

and in some countries (e.g. Italy) insist on publishing a national journal in the field of public health, since it is more natural to read articles in their native language, which most people

also prefer (McCarthy & Clarke, 2007; McCarthy & Paná, 2007).

Fig. 2. Authors by country of origin in the journal EJPH, 2003-2010

health care.

Figures 3 and 4 show the number of articles relative to the number of authors for each article in a particular year. The dispersion in Figure 3 for the journal ZV in comparison with the EJPH lets us conclude that the Slovenian journal has too few multi-author collaborations, a trend quite present with the journal EJPH and visible in Figure 4. One reason for this could be that the body of potential writers and researchers publishing in the Slovenian journal is smaller than that for the journal EJPH. Since Slovenia is a small country with a small body of scientists researching and publishing in a particular field, which is also apparent by the number of articles published in the ZV, we could reasonably expect that the collaboration of scientists with their colleagues abroad would be more present (Clarke et al., 2007). But unfortunately, it is not. Despite the knowledge that both journals have no restrictions accepting articles and that everyone may publish in the Slovenian journal, including English-language articles removing the language barrier. The cause can also lie with the smaller interest from both local and foreign non-Slovenian authors, since the Slovenian journal does not yet have large recognition, and publishing in the journal does not bring international visibility, or perhaps the reason lies in the insufficient international cooperation of Slovenian scientists with those abroad in the field of social medicine and

of research carried out at the local and state level, and not from studies resulting from international cooperation, with the exception of articles in 2006, which were published in collaboration with foreign researchers. Despite the fact that the article in 2010 originated by collaboration with a foreign researcher, it was the result of research related to health policy in Slovenia and not in the international arena.

Fig. 1. The number of Slovenian and English-language articles published in the journal ZV, 2003-2010

Since EJPH is an international and multidisciplinary journal, the authorship of published articles belongs to a broader international circle of scientists (Figure 2). Over a period of eight years, authors from all continents, that is, from all over the world published in the journal. Only the most represented and recurrent countries of authors publishing articles in the EJPH in the period 2003-2010 are included in Figure 2. Throughout the entire analysed eight-year period, authors from the Netherlands were the most represented (38, 38, 40, 64, 50, 51, 49, 74). With the exception of one year, they are followed by the British (17, 66, 33, 39, 66, 48, 47), who did not published in 2003, the Spanish (26, 67, 42, 35, 40, 35, 32) who published nothing in 2010, and the Finns (11, 35, 39, 39, 49, 42, 47), who were without any publications in 2005. The Swedes also had many publications (24, 24, 35, 45, 36), except in 2006, 2009 and 2010, when they did not publish a single article. The Italians published (14, 53, 36) in 2003, 2005 and 2010, while the French (39), Germans (34) and Danes (24) had numerous publications only in one year. It is interesting that the majority of the most represented are scientists who come from countries where English is not the native language, with the exception of the United Kingdom, of course. The fact is that scientists strive for greater visibility, not only at the national level but also at an international level, which is why they choose to write and publish articles in English, even though it is not their native language. Despite this fact, scientific journals have a long tradition of publication,

of research carried out at the local and state level, and not from studies resulting from international cooperation, with the exception of articles in 2006, which were published in collaboration with foreign researchers. Despite the fact that the article in 2010 originated by collaboration with a foreign researcher, it was the result of research related to health policy

Fig. 1. The number of Slovenian and English-language articles published in the journal ZV,

Since EJPH is an international and multidisciplinary journal, the authorship of published articles belongs to a broader international circle of scientists (Figure 2). Over a period of eight years, authors from all continents, that is, from all over the world published in the journal. Only the most represented and recurrent countries of authors publishing articles in the EJPH in the period 2003-2010 are included in Figure 2. Throughout the entire analysed eight-year period, authors from the Netherlands were the most represented (38, 38, 40, 64, 50, 51, 49, 74). With the exception of one year, they are followed by the British (17, 66, 33, 39, 66, 48, 47), who did not published in 2003, the Spanish (26, 67, 42, 35, 40, 35, 32) who published nothing in 2010, and the Finns (11, 35, 39, 39, 49, 42, 47), who were without any publications in 2005. The Swedes also had many publications (24, 24, 35, 45, 36), except in 2006, 2009 and 2010, when they did not publish a single article. The Italians published (14, 53, 36) in 2003, 2005 and 2010, while the French (39), Germans (34) and Danes (24) had numerous publications only in one year. It is interesting that the majority of the most represented are scientists who come from countries where English is not the native language, with the exception of the United Kingdom, of course. The fact is that scientists strive for greater visibility, not only at the national level but also at an international level, which is why they choose to write and publish articles in English, even though it is not their native language. Despite this fact, scientific journals have a long tradition of publication,

in Slovenia and not in the international arena.

2003-2010

and in some countries (e.g. Italy) insist on publishing a national journal in the field of public health, since it is more natural to read articles in their native language, which most people also prefer (McCarthy & Clarke, 2007; McCarthy & Paná, 2007).

Fig. 2. Authors by country of origin in the journal EJPH, 2003-2010

Figures 3 and 4 show the number of articles relative to the number of authors for each article in a particular year. The dispersion in Figure 3 for the journal ZV in comparison with the EJPH lets us conclude that the Slovenian journal has too few multi-author collaborations, a trend quite present with the journal EJPH and visible in Figure 4. One reason for this could be that the body of potential writers and researchers publishing in the Slovenian journal is smaller than that for the journal EJPH. Since Slovenia is a small country with a small body of scientists researching and publishing in a particular field, which is also apparent by the number of articles published in the ZV, we could reasonably expect that the collaboration of scientists with their colleagues abroad would be more present (Clarke et al., 2007). But unfortunately, it is not. Despite the knowledge that both journals have no restrictions accepting articles and that everyone may publish in the Slovenian journal, including English-language articles removing the language barrier. The cause can also lie with the smaller interest from both local and foreign non-Slovenian authors, since the Slovenian journal does not yet have large recognition, and publishing in the journal does not bring international visibility, or perhaps the reason lies in the insufficient international cooperation of Slovenian scientists with those abroad in the field of social medicine and health care.

388 Social Sciences and Cultural Studies – Issues of Language, Public Opinion, Education and Welfare

Scientific Publishing in the Field of Social Medicine in Slovenia 389

common for the latter two (EJPH, and Radiology and Oncology), which indicates that the articles reflect the teamwork on research projects as well as collaboration by authors from various scientific disciplines. Multiple authors increase the credibility of a research work, and the possibility of co-financing research projects. Studies worldwide have shown that the average number of authors per article in journals included in the Journal Citation Report

(JCR), rose from 1.83 in 1995 to 3.9 authors per article in 1999 (Cronin, 2001).

Fig. 5. Number of authors at the ZV and EJPH in the period 2003-2010

The citation analysis included all citations and references that authors listed at the end of

In the citation analysis we determined the following article characteristics in the journal:

**4.2 Citation analysis** 

citation age (Table 6).

their articles in the chapter Literature.

language of cited publications (Table 4),

citation of various sources of information (Table 5),

Fig. 3. Number of authors for each article at the ZV, 2003-2010

Fig. 4. Number of authors for each article at the EJPH, 2003-2010

Throughout the analysed eight-year period, a quarter of the articles at the journal ZV were written by a single author, almost 29% of the articles had two authors, slightly less than a quarter of the articles were written by three authors, and almost a quarter of the articles had more than three authors. For the EJPH, the ratio was different. Two-thirds of the articles had more than three authors, 16% of the articles had three authors, 14% of the articles had two authors, and only 4% of the articles were written by a single author (Figure 5).

If we compare the results of the journals ZV and EJPH (Figure 3, Figure 4) with the results from the journal Radiology and Oncology (Musek et al., 2003), multiple authors are more

Fig. 3. Number of authors for each article at the ZV, 2003-2010

Fig. 4. Number of authors for each article at the EJPH, 2003-2010

Throughout the analysed eight-year period, a quarter of the articles at the journal ZV were written by a single author, almost 29% of the articles had two authors, slightly less than a quarter of the articles were written by three authors, and almost a quarter of the articles had more than three authors. For the EJPH, the ratio was different. Two-thirds of the articles had more than three authors, 16% of the articles had three authors, 14% of the articles had two

If we compare the results of the journals ZV and EJPH (Figure 3, Figure 4) with the results from the journal Radiology and Oncology (Musek et al., 2003), multiple authors are more

authors, and only 4% of the articles were written by a single author (Figure 5).

common for the latter two (EJPH, and Radiology and Oncology), which indicates that the articles reflect the teamwork on research projects as well as collaboration by authors from various scientific disciplines. Multiple authors increase the credibility of a research work, and the possibility of co-financing research projects. Studies worldwide have shown that the average number of authors per article in journals included in the Journal Citation Report (JCR), rose from 1.83 in 1995 to 3.9 authors per article in 1999 (Cronin, 2001).

Fig. 5. Number of authors at the ZV and EJPH in the period 2003-2010

#### **4.2 Citation analysis**

The citation analysis included all citations and references that authors listed at the end of their articles in the chapter Literature.

In the citation analysis we determined the following article characteristics in the journal:


Scientific Publishing in the Field of Social Medicine in Slovenia 391

year articles monographs congresses other articles monographs congresses other 2003 274 143 6 15 1097 392 5 35 2004 227 163 18 44 1764 440 7 39 2005 287 107 19 43 2092 666 17 55 2006 368 138 19 51 2233 458 8 246 2007 285 112 12 36 2306 464 13 221 2008 482 105 11 60 2539 552 12 213 2009 479 84 22 63 2369 462 11 143 2010 401 167 20 63 2485 481 1 254 **total 2803 1019 127 375 16885 3915 74 1206**  Table 5. Number of cited publications relative to year and type of information source, 2003-

With the citation age analysis, we can usually ascertain how quickly an individual scientific discipline developed within a specified period of time. The use of literature and its citation varies among the scientific disciplines relative to the age of citations. We know, for example, that the fields of medicine and natural science use newer cited literature than the humanities

It is clear from Table 6 that most of the analysed articles, from both journals and by individual years, contained citations and references aged 0-10 years. At the journal ZV, in the period 2003-2010, on average a good third of the literature used in articles was in the 0-5 years age group (1,519 citations), with a similar portion present in the journal EJPH (7,642 citations). This was followed by a poor third of articles that had citations from the 6-10 years age group (1,341 citations), while the EJPH had a good third of citations from the 6-10 years age group (8,096 citations). Both journals, ZV and EJPH had 17% of articles with literature from the 11-15 years age group (766 citations at the journal ZV, 3,689 citations at EJPH). There were 9% of articles that had literature from the 16-20 years age group (419 citations); the same portion was seen with the journal EJPH with 1,854 citations. References older than 21 years were found in only 6% of the articles (279 citations) at the ZV, and 3% of articles

In a review of the American Journal of Public Health for the period 2003-2005, authors also cited newer literature: half of the cited literature was 0-5 years old, and a good quarter of the

In their contribution, Musek et al. (2003) compared the results of the bibliometric analysis of the journal Radiology and Oncology for a ten-year period with a related international

cited literature was in the 6-10 years age group (Rethlefsen, 2005).

citation type citation type

ZV EJPH

2010

**4.2.3 Citation age analysis** 

(Mihajlov & Giljarevskij, 1975).

(799 citations) at the journal EJPH.

#### **4.2.1 Analysis of cited publication languages**

Authors who published in the ZV during the years 2003-2010, predominantly referenced literature in English, the second place was taken by literature in Slovenian, followed by literature in German and other languages such as Serbo-Croatian, Italian, and Swedish (Table 4). Similar results were seen in the period 1992-2003, when authors predominantly used literature in English, followed by Slovenian-language literature (Miholič, 20005). The portion of English-language literature was lower (63%) in the period 1992-2003, while the portion of literature in Slovenian was higher (32%) than in the past eight years (Miholič, 2005). In the analysed period 2003-2010, 78% of the cited literature is in English, 21% in Slovenian, while the portion of other languages is very low (1%). The portion of cited literature in English in the journal EJPH was higher (94%), with almost six percent in other languages, and less than one percent in Slovenian.


Table 4. Number of cited publications relative to the year and language of the cited publications, 2003-2010

#### **4.2.2 Analysis of the citation of various sources of information**

For the analysis of the citation of various sources of information, we separated the cited literature into articles, monographs, contributions from conferences, and other (grey literature, regulations, official journals, statistical publications and electronic publications). The analysis showed that during the analysed period, authors most frequently cited journal articles (65% at the ZV, 76% at EJPH), followed by monographs (24% at the ZV, 18% at EJPH), while the smallest portion of cited literature (11% at the ZV, 6% at EJPH) was from congresses and literature listed under 'other' (Table 5). Today, articles in scientific journals are one of the most important information sources in science. The advantage of articles over monographs is primarily their currency, since the publication of a specific monograph takes a lot longer than the publication of an article in a scientific journal.


Table 5. Number of cited publications relative to year and type of information source, 2003- 2010

#### **4.2.3 Citation age analysis**

390 Social Sciences and Cultural Studies – Issues of Language, Public Opinion, Education and Welfare

Authors who published in the ZV during the years 2003-2010, predominantly referenced literature in English, the second place was taken by literature in Slovenian, followed by literature in German and other languages such as Serbo-Croatian, Italian, and Swedish (Table 4). Similar results were seen in the period 1992-2003, when authors predominantly used literature in English, followed by Slovenian-language literature (Miholič, 20005). The portion of English-language literature was lower (63%) in the period 1992-2003, while the portion of literature in Slovenian was higher (32%) than in the past eight years (Miholič, 2005). In the analysed period 2003-2010, 78% of the cited literature is in English, 21% in Slovenian, while the portion of other languages is very low (1%). The portion of cited literature in English in the journal EJPH was higher (94%), with almost six percent in other

ZV EJPH

Table 4. Number of cited publications relative to the year and language of the cited

For the analysis of the citation of various sources of information, we separated the cited literature into articles, monographs, contributions from conferences, and other (grey literature, regulations, official journals, statistical publications and electronic publications). The analysis showed that during the analysed period, authors most frequently cited journal articles (65% at the ZV, 76% at EJPH), followed by monographs (24% at the ZV, 18% at EJPH), while the smallest portion of cited literature (11% at the ZV, 6% at EJPH) was from congresses and literature listed under 'other' (Table 5). Today, articles in scientific journals are one of the most important information sources in science. The advantage of articles over monographs is primarily their currency, since the publication of a specific monograph takes

**4.2.2 Analysis of the citation of various sources of information** 

a lot longer than the publication of an article in a scientific journal.

year slo eng other slo eng other 2003 69 365 4 0 1347 182 2004 128 312 12 0 2114 136 2005 143 318 5 0 2643 187 2006 113 450 3 17 2755 173 2007 74 366 5 0 2877 127 2008 115 539 4 0 3166 150 2009 120 528 0 0 2814 171 2010 173 473 5 7 3042 172 **total 935 3351 38 24 20758 1298** 

citation language citation language

**4.2.1 Analysis of cited publication languages** 

languages, and less than one percent in Slovenian.

publications, 2003-2010

With the citation age analysis, we can usually ascertain how quickly an individual scientific discipline developed within a specified period of time. The use of literature and its citation varies among the scientific disciplines relative to the age of citations. We know, for example, that the fields of medicine and natural science use newer cited literature than the humanities (Mihajlov & Giljarevskij, 1975).

It is clear from Table 6 that most of the analysed articles, from both journals and by individual years, contained citations and references aged 0-10 years. At the journal ZV, in the period 2003-2010, on average a good third of the literature used in articles was in the 0-5 years age group (1,519 citations), with a similar portion present in the journal EJPH (7,642 citations). This was followed by a poor third of articles that had citations from the 6-10 years age group (1,341 citations), while the EJPH had a good third of citations from the 6-10 years age group (8,096 citations). Both journals, ZV and EJPH had 17% of articles with literature from the 11-15 years age group (766 citations at the journal ZV, 3,689 citations at EJPH). There were 9% of articles that had literature from the 16-20 years age group (419 citations); the same portion was seen with the journal EJPH with 1,854 citations. References older than 21 years were found in only 6% of the articles (279 citations) at the ZV, and 3% of articles (799 citations) at the journal EJPH.

In a review of the American Journal of Public Health for the period 2003-2005, authors also cited newer literature: half of the cited literature was 0-5 years old, and a good quarter of the cited literature was in the 6-10 years age group (Rethlefsen, 2005).

In their contribution, Musek et al. (2003) compared the results of the bibliometric analysis of the journal Radiology and Oncology for a ten-year period with a related international

Scientific Publishing in the Field of Social Medicine in Slovenia 393

scoring provided by the rules, the researchers should endeavour to publish in Slovenian, to inform colleagues of their research results in Slovenian, and not only strive for international

Results of a quantitative analysis of the journals ZV and EJPH for the period 2003-2010, showed that throughout the period analysed, more sources were cited per article in the EJPH (31.05) than in the ZV (26.36). The portion of articles with more than one author is increasing in both journals. Both journals obtained similar results: material published in English was predominantly cited; articles were cited the most, followed by monographs. The results force us to consider that the research and technical field of health care is undoubtedly a medical field that has strong characteristics of social science as it deals with medicine, health care and health as a social phenomenon. The methods used in health care are close or even identical to those in social science, which is reflected in the manner of research and publication. Research in the field of health care has to be assessed and evaluated differently than research in other fields of medicine, e.g. in clinical medicine. Because this concerns Slovenian-language publications in the sole Slovenian journal (and the very existence of the journal for this field on Slovenian territory), they are evaluated

Comparison of the results of bibliometric analysis of the Slovenian Journal of Public Health - Zdravstveno varstvo (ZV) and the European Journal of Public Health (EJPH) for the period 2003-2010, has led as to the conclusion that the ZV is not behind EJPH. Therefore, Slovenian scientists could also publish the results of their research projects as scientific papers in local scientific journals. The difference in publication is that publishing in EJPH brings greater exposure and a greater number of received citations, which every author wants, yet scientists should have an interest in maintaining local scientific journals and informing the

According to analyses, we can conclude that the impact of local journals in an international context is only possible if they are concurrently published in English. Therefore, greater international exposure can be assured for the authors' contributions, which increases the authors' interest in publishing in local journals. In the future, an initiative is expected of the Slovenian Research Agency, as a financier to numerous studies carried out by Slovenian scientists, to publish research in the form of articles, such as e.g. Open Access (OA). Examples in this area are the two largest financiers of research in the field of medicine: the American National Institute of Health and the British Welcome Trust, which require from scientists that a version of their research is available in OA. This approach reliably contributes to promoting public access to publications and the faster flow of information and knowledge to other scientists in electronic form. Finally, it also affects the transparency

In Slovenia, the initiative for open access to data was presented very late, in 2009. To this day (October 2011), there still has not been any significant shift in the right direction. Since the storage of publications and data from publicly funded research in open access repositories is not required by funding bodies or by research institutes, only a very small portion of publications from Slovenian researchers is openly accessible via the World Wide Web. Consequently, Slovenia and its researchers do not share in the proven benefits of open access to publications and data: the country in terms of better utilisation of public resources,

local professional public of their findings, and not just in scrambling for citations.

exposure and recognition.

differently and have different weight.

of fund usage for the researches.

journal Neoplasm. The results of the bibliometric analysis of Radiology and Oncology for the period 1992-2001 showed a constant number of articles per year, predominated by multiauthor articles. In the journal Radiology and Oncology, citations in English were in first place, followed by citations in German and Slovenian, then other languages such as Croatian, French, Italian and Czech. Articles were the most cited, followed by monographs, congress contributions and grey literature. In 1992, a quarter of the citations in the journal Radiology and Oncology were from the 0-5 year age group, while in 2001 the portion increased to 42.3%. In the period 1992-2001, the portion of citations from the 6-10 years age group ranged between 24.8 and 30.6%. The portion of articles with citations from the 11-15 years age group decreased in the analysed period from 21.5% in 1992 to 13.3% in 2001; similarly, the portion of articles with citations from the 16-20 and over 20 years age group decreased in the period 1992-2001. The data shows a greater use of newer literature in recent years.


Table 6. Number of cited publications relative to the year and age of cited sources, 2003-2010

### **5. Conclusion**

Apart from the financial support provided by the agency, the evaluation of Slovenian scientific journals is of vital importance. Professional bodies (scientific councils for individual areas) evaluate Slovenian scientific journals, and based on their quality place them on a list of journals not included in international bibliographic databases, while they are taken into account for the categorisation of scientific publications. Based on the Rules of Indicators and Criteria for Measuring Scientific and Technical Efficiency Slovenian scientific journals and the publications in them are considered by scientific performance. Such evaluating and scoring in the researchers' bibliographies allows for the preservation of issues and the influx of higher quality scientific articles in Slovenian scientific journals that are published in Slovenian. Despite a journal not being internationally acclaimed, due to the

journal Neoplasm. The results of the bibliometric analysis of Radiology and Oncology for the period 1992-2001 showed a constant number of articles per year, predominated by multiauthor articles. In the journal Radiology and Oncology, citations in English were in first place, followed by citations in German and Slovenian, then other languages such as Croatian, French, Italian and Czech. Articles were the most cited, followed by monographs, congress contributions and grey literature. In 1992, a quarter of the citations in the journal Radiology and Oncology were from the 0-5 year age group, while in 2001 the portion increased to 42.3%. In the period 1992-2001, the portion of citations from the 6-10 years age group ranged between 24.8 and 30.6%. The portion of articles with citations from the 11-15 years age group decreased in the analysed period from 21.5% in 1992 to 13.3% in 2001; similarly, the portion of articles with citations from the 16-20 and over 20 years age group decreased in the period 1992-2001. The data shows a greater use of newer literature in recent

ZV EJPH

16-20 years

citation age citation age

0-5 years

6-10 years 11-15 years

16-20 years

>21 years

>21 years

2003 181 150 48 24 35 519 604 260 139 7 2004 197 117 63 27 61 563 906 458 316 7 2005 180 131 86 29 42 751 1135 514 414 16 2006 200 192 95 72 12 993 1099 457 244 152 2007 149 134 93 66 3 1079 1100 498 173 154 2008 203 213 130 59 54 1373 1128 518 164 133 2009 213 207 120 65 43 1160 992 466 204 163 2010 196 197 131 77 50 1204 1132 518 200 167 **total 1519 1341 766 419 279 7642 8096 3689 1854 799**  Table 6. Number of cited publications relative to the year and age of cited sources, 2003-2010

Apart from the financial support provided by the agency, the evaluation of Slovenian scientific journals is of vital importance. Professional bodies (scientific councils for individual areas) evaluate Slovenian scientific journals, and based on their quality place them on a list of journals not included in international bibliographic databases, while they are taken into account for the categorisation of scientific publications. Based on the Rules of Indicators and Criteria for Measuring Scientific and Technical Efficiency Slovenian scientific journals and the publications in them are considered by scientific performance. Such evaluating and scoring in the researchers' bibliographies allows for the preservation of issues and the influx of higher quality scientific articles in Slovenian scientific journals that are published in Slovenian. Despite a journal not being internationally acclaimed, due to the

years.

year

**5. Conclusion** 

0-5 years

6-10 years 11-15 years scoring provided by the rules, the researchers should endeavour to publish in Slovenian, to inform colleagues of their research results in Slovenian, and not only strive for international exposure and recognition.

Results of a quantitative analysis of the journals ZV and EJPH for the period 2003-2010, showed that throughout the period analysed, more sources were cited per article in the EJPH (31.05) than in the ZV (26.36). The portion of articles with more than one author is increasing in both journals. Both journals obtained similar results: material published in English was predominantly cited; articles were cited the most, followed by monographs. The results force us to consider that the research and technical field of health care is undoubtedly a medical field that has strong characteristics of social science as it deals with medicine, health care and health as a social phenomenon. The methods used in health care are close or even identical to those in social science, which is reflected in the manner of research and publication. Research in the field of health care has to be assessed and evaluated differently than research in other fields of medicine, e.g. in clinical medicine. Because this concerns Slovenian-language publications in the sole Slovenian journal (and the very existence of the journal for this field on Slovenian territory), they are evaluated differently and have different weight.

Comparison of the results of bibliometric analysis of the Slovenian Journal of Public Health - Zdravstveno varstvo (ZV) and the European Journal of Public Health (EJPH) for the period 2003-2010, has led as to the conclusion that the ZV is not behind EJPH. Therefore, Slovenian scientists could also publish the results of their research projects as scientific papers in local scientific journals. The difference in publication is that publishing in EJPH brings greater exposure and a greater number of received citations, which every author wants, yet scientists should have an interest in maintaining local scientific journals and informing the local professional public of their findings, and not just in scrambling for citations.

According to analyses, we can conclude that the impact of local journals in an international context is only possible if they are concurrently published in English. Therefore, greater international exposure can be assured for the authors' contributions, which increases the authors' interest in publishing in local journals. In the future, an initiative is expected of the Slovenian Research Agency, as a financier to numerous studies carried out by Slovenian scientists, to publish research in the form of articles, such as e.g. Open Access (OA). Examples in this area are the two largest financiers of research in the field of medicine: the American National Institute of Health and the British Welcome Trust, which require from scientists that a version of their research is available in OA. This approach reliably contributes to promoting public access to publications and the faster flow of information and knowledge to other scientists in electronic form. Finally, it also affects the transparency of fund usage for the researches.

In Slovenia, the initiative for open access to data was presented very late, in 2009. To this day (October 2011), there still has not been any significant shift in the right direction. Since the storage of publications and data from publicly funded research in open access repositories is not required by funding bodies or by research institutes, only a very small portion of publications from Slovenian researchers is openly accessible via the World Wide Web. Consequently, Slovenia and its researchers do not share in the proven benefits of open access to publications and data: the country in terms of better utilisation of public resources,

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**21** 

*Japan* 

Akiyoshi Yonezawa *Nagoya University,* 

**Japan's University Education in Social Sciences** 

Japanese society is currently facing high pressure with the structural change of global economics and politics. In 2010, Japan slipped from the 2nd to 3rd in terms of Gross Domestic Product (GDP), replaced by China. In 2011, the biggest earthquake and tsunami in recorded history to hit the Eastern part of this country took place, and was followed by the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, which is expected to result in long term damage. Based on its strong social capital, most of the country had already returned to a usual life by the end of 2011. However, the cost for the recovery is adding significant pressure to the national budget, which is already burdened by a huge debt of more than 200% of its GDP. Faced also with the on-going ageing population phenomena, it is a necessity for Japan to strengthen its linkage with neighbouring countries, most of which are

Under these circumstances, the Japanese higher education system requires drastic change. On the 21st of November, 2011, the Japanese government implemented a policy review on university reform, and opened up all the discussion and results through an internet-based web-TV system. In the beginning of the discussion, a result of a public opinion poll by Asahi Shimbun was introduced. The data indicated that 63% of the respondents did not think that Japanese universities could foster globally viable human resources, and 64% did not think that Japanese universities could foster human resources required by the industry and society. At the same time, the result of the university rankings 2011/2012 by *Times Higher Education* was also introduced as grounds for questioning the international viability of Japanese universities. In that table, only two out of 780 Japanese universities (the University of Tokyo and Kyoto University) are ranked within the top 100. During the session, social sciences and humanities were treated as a weak point in the international recognition of

Education and research activities in the social sciences, and most especially in the humanities, are by nature highly imbedded in the context of a national language. Except for some specialized academic fields, such as economics and international relationships, faculty members have been trained primarily through post-graduate education in Japan. The main language in which their education and research is conducted is Japanese. Nonetheless, growing trends toward globalization are exerting increasing pressure to transform this linguistic tendency. After the financial crisis in 2008, industry started to request Japanese

**1. Introduction** 

recognized as emerging economies.

Japanese university education and research.

**and Humanities Under Globalization** 

