**Scientific Publishing in the Field of Social Medicine in Slovenia**

Petruša Miholič1 and Dorjan Marušič

*1University of Primorska, Faculty of Mathematics, Natural Sciences and Information Technologies, Koper Slovenia* 

#### **1. Introduction**

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

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Science is cumulative. Science would not exist without the publication of research results. Publishing the results of scientific research is the basic characteristic of the process of scientific information and communication. The purpose of research in social medicine is to achieve enlightenment necessary for considered and effective health care. Social medicine covers the research of social factors that affect health or disease, examine interactions between medicine and society, and highlight social problems that affect health. Therefore, it is very important to publish results of research in the field of social medicine in an individual country, and by publishing in local scientific publications, enlighten the local professional public. Local experts who are aware of the research results can have more of an impact on the health in individual countries than foreign experts, especially if the studies performed are not the result of international cooperation, but the result of cooperation at the local (state) level. On the other hand, foreign experts and the international community should be reserved for presenting results of research at the international level, particularly at international conferences and congresses.

In a text that summarises the research of scientific communication up to the year 2000, it states that in a technological sense, scientific communication in recent decades has changed considerably due to the use of computers, electronic mail, digital libraries, the World Wide Web and the Internet (Borgman & Furne, 2002). But has this changed the behaviour of people involved in this process of scientific communication? Are we witnesses to revolution or evolution?

Bibliometrics is the exploration of the quantitative aspects of the production and the dissemination of written (scientific) information usage. Bibliometrics measures publications, patents, citations and other potential informative units or their properties, and uses them as the base for factors with which it measures and evaluates research, science and technology (Clarke et al., 2007; Costas et al., 2010; Južnič, 1998; Južnič, 1999; Takahashi-Omoe et al., 2009).

Bibliometrics provides a powerful set of tools and criteria for the study of structures and processes of scientific communication. Citation analysis, the most known bibliometric

Scientific Publishing in the Field of Social Medicine in Slovenia 377

international scientific journals. The reputation criterion for a scientific journal is the citation index. The difference is probably whether publication in a prestigious international journal

The scientific journal as a medium for the transfer of information was associated with the establishment and operation of the scientific societies in the 17th century. The first scientific journal appeared in Paris in 1665 under the name 'Le Journal des Sçavans' (Scholar's journal). As it said in the first issue, it was meant for those who do not have time to read books, but would nevertheless like to satisfy their desire for erudition. Among other things, the journal also covered anatomy. Three months later in London, the first issue of the scientific journal 'Philosophical Transactions', the newsletter of the Royal Society of London was published. The first authentic medical journal appeared in Paris in January 1679, entitled 'Nouvelles découvertes sur toutes les parties de la médecine' (New discoveries in all fields of medicine). The first English-language medical journal was 'Medicine curiosa: or, a variety of new communications in physick, chirurgery and anatomy', published in 1684. During the 18th century, 10 medical journals were being published, while by the 19th century, this figure rose to 436 titles. 'Lancet', one of the most important general international medical journals, started publication in 1823 and is still being published today. The publishing house Elsevier publishes the journal 'Lancet' once a week. As one of the most important general international medical journals, it publishes, summarises and evaluates achievements in clinical medicine. 'Lancet' is an important weekly journal for general practitioners from around the world. It has a very high impact factor; in 2010 it was 33.6 (25.8 in 2006). The journal publishes only about 5 percent of all received articles. Original articles, scientific reviews, editorials, book reviews, and case reports are published in the journal. In 2000, the independent journal 'Lancet Oncology', which covers the field of oncology, started with publication, a year later, 'Lancet Infectious Diseases' started covering the field of infectious diseases, and finally in 2002, 'Lancet Neurology', which covers the field of neurology began publishing. All three journals have an important place in the field they cover, although at the beginning they only published scientific reviews. All three journals have a high impact factor. In 2010, the journal 'Lancet Oncology' had an impact factor of 17.7 (10.1 in 2006), 'Lancet Infectious Diseases' 16.1 (11.8 in 2006), and 'Lancet Neurology' 21.6 (9.4 in 2006). In 1866, the 'Journal of Anatomy and Physiology' the first specialised journal started with publication (Marušić et al., 1996). For the majority of 300 years, scientific communication developed in the direction technologically determined by printing on paper, until electronic publishing

Over time, science increasingly developed, the number of scientists grew, and with them, the number of scientific publications. A single person (editor) could no longer cope with the selection of publications in a given publication. This led to the introduction of the peer review process. Experts from the specific subject matter the article described gave their views, comments, and reviews. Such reviews helped editors of scientific journals in deciding on the publication and the categorisation of each article. The peer review process has been developed to improve and enhance the quality of scientific information. Reviewing and

is really a sign of the publication quality.

appeared at the end of 20th century.

**2. Scientific communication and publishing** 

method, has not only consolidated its supremacy, but is also developing and using the possibilities offered by digital libraries and links in the world wide web, and is co-shaping webometrics (Mur & Južnič, 2006).

The evaluation of scientific publications is very difficult. The most valid and objective assessment of a work would be the response from a wide group of experts who would obtain the work after its publication and inclusion in the global flow of information. A method, which would contribute to the evaluation of published works, is a citation analysis. The amount of references to an article, as a measure of its quality, has initiated further research of citations. The results of these studies are ideas that the frequency of references to scientific articles can be used as a criterion in their evaluation, as an aid for decision-making in research work management in the evaluation of scientific journals, in the selection of a journal best for publishing an article, and in assessing the success or research work of individuals and groups. We must realise that citation analysis measures only the response a work would trigger in the global scientific community and with it the quality of research work, but not the assessment of the entire activity.

Monitoring and dissemination of scientific achievements is an essential element of any research work. Impact is of crucial importance to scientific publications that in the process of scientific communication publish the results of research. Scientists contribute to this visibility with their publications. The result of the language barrier is the lesser visibility and impact of publications. Therefore, in scientific publishing, English has replaced other languages and has become the international language of scientific communication. The growing pressure of co-financiers on academic and research organisations in assessing their work leads to publication in high-profile international journals and often has the opposite effect on scientific communication in the local language.

The impact of a local scientific journal, which does not lag behind an international journal in terms of quality, in an international area, is possible only if it is concurrently published in English. This maintains professional terminology, enables greater international exposure for the contributors, including greater number of received citations, and according to the criteria of the Slovenian Research Agency (ARRS), higher quality publications. According to the results of analyses, we could expect greater financial support by the agency on local tenders for co-financing publishing of scientific journals, which would provide financial cover for translating articles into English. In Slovenia, it is important to ensure the highest quality of research. Since research work is linked to public funds, it commits researchers to present their results correctly (Demšar & Boh, 2006). The Rules of Indicators and Criteria for Measuring Scientific and Technical Efficiency used by the Co-operative online bibliographic system and services (COBISS) are used for monitoring research results in Slovenia. The system COBISS can monitor research achievements of each individual researcher, allowing us to evaluate their research results. Even though bibliometric indicators, including quoting, never constitute the sole criteria for evaluating the quality of research work, they do play an important part. Therefore it is essential to highlight all of its properties, especially in interdisciplinary areas.

The effort invested by an author in the preparation of a publication, is the same for a publication in an international or a local scientific journal. Regardless of where the research work is actually published, the authors more frequently choose to publish in prestigious

method, has not only consolidated its supremacy, but is also developing and using the possibilities offered by digital libraries and links in the world wide web, and is co-shaping

The evaluation of scientific publications is very difficult. The most valid and objective assessment of a work would be the response from a wide group of experts who would obtain the work after its publication and inclusion in the global flow of information. A method, which would contribute to the evaluation of published works, is a citation analysis. The amount of references to an article, as a measure of its quality, has initiated further research of citations. The results of these studies are ideas that the frequency of references to scientific articles can be used as a criterion in their evaluation, as an aid for decision-making in research work management in the evaluation of scientific journals, in the selection of a journal best for publishing an article, and in assessing the success or research work of individuals and groups. We must realise that citation analysis measures only the response a work would trigger in the global scientific community and with it the quality of research

Monitoring and dissemination of scientific achievements is an essential element of any research work. Impact is of crucial importance to scientific publications that in the process of scientific communication publish the results of research. Scientists contribute to this visibility with their publications. The result of the language barrier is the lesser visibility and impact of publications. Therefore, in scientific publishing, English has replaced other languages and has become the international language of scientific communication. The growing pressure of co-financiers on academic and research organisations in assessing their work leads to publication in high-profile international journals and often has the opposite

The impact of a local scientific journal, which does not lag behind an international journal in terms of quality, in an international area, is possible only if it is concurrently published in English. This maintains professional terminology, enables greater international exposure for the contributors, including greater number of received citations, and according to the criteria of the Slovenian Research Agency (ARRS), higher quality publications. According to the results of analyses, we could expect greater financial support by the agency on local tenders for co-financing publishing of scientific journals, which would provide financial cover for translating articles into English. In Slovenia, it is important to ensure the highest quality of research. Since research work is linked to public funds, it commits researchers to present their results correctly (Demšar & Boh, 2006). The Rules of Indicators and Criteria for Measuring Scientific and Technical Efficiency used by the Co-operative online bibliographic system and services (COBISS) are used for monitoring research results in Slovenia. The system COBISS can monitor research achievements of each individual researcher, allowing us to evaluate their research results. Even though bibliometric indicators, including quoting, never constitute the sole criteria for evaluating the quality of research work, they do play an important part. Therefore it is essential to highlight all of its properties, especially in

The effort invested by an author in the preparation of a publication, is the same for a publication in an international or a local scientific journal. Regardless of where the research work is actually published, the authors more frequently choose to publish in prestigious

webometrics (Mur & Južnič, 2006).

work, but not the assessment of the entire activity.

effect on scientific communication in the local language.

interdisciplinary areas.

international scientific journals. The reputation criterion for a scientific journal is the citation index. The difference is probably whether publication in a prestigious international journal is really a sign of the publication quality.

#### **2. Scientific communication and publishing**

The scientific journal as a medium for the transfer of information was associated with the establishment and operation of the scientific societies in the 17th century. The first scientific journal appeared in Paris in 1665 under the name 'Le Journal des Sçavans' (Scholar's journal). As it said in the first issue, it was meant for those who do not have time to read books, but would nevertheless like to satisfy their desire for erudition. Among other things, the journal also covered anatomy. Three months later in London, the first issue of the scientific journal 'Philosophical Transactions', the newsletter of the Royal Society of London was published. The first authentic medical journal appeared in Paris in January 1679, entitled 'Nouvelles découvertes sur toutes les parties de la médecine' (New discoveries in all fields of medicine). The first English-language medical journal was 'Medicine curiosa: or, a variety of new communications in physick, chirurgery and anatomy', published in 1684. During the 18th century, 10 medical journals were being published, while by the 19th century, this figure rose to 436 titles. 'Lancet', one of the most important general international medical journals, started publication in 1823 and is still being published today. The publishing house Elsevier publishes the journal 'Lancet' once a week. As one of the most important general international medical journals, it publishes, summarises and evaluates achievements in clinical medicine. 'Lancet' is an important weekly journal for general practitioners from around the world. It has a very high impact factor; in 2010 it was 33.6 (25.8 in 2006). The journal publishes only about 5 percent of all received articles. Original articles, scientific reviews, editorials, book reviews, and case reports are published in the journal. In 2000, the independent journal 'Lancet Oncology', which covers the field of oncology, started with publication, a year later, 'Lancet Infectious Diseases' started covering the field of infectious diseases, and finally in 2002, 'Lancet Neurology', which covers the field of neurology began publishing. All three journals have an important place in the field they cover, although at the beginning they only published scientific reviews. All three journals have a high impact factor. In 2010, the journal 'Lancet Oncology' had an impact factor of 17.7 (10.1 in 2006), 'Lancet Infectious Diseases' 16.1 (11.8 in 2006), and 'Lancet Neurology' 21.6 (9.4 in 2006). In 1866, the 'Journal of Anatomy and Physiology' the first specialised journal started with publication (Marušić et al., 1996). For the majority of 300 years, scientific communication developed in the direction technologically determined by printing on paper, until electronic publishing appeared at the end of 20th century.

Over time, science increasingly developed, the number of scientists grew, and with them, the number of scientific publications. A single person (editor) could no longer cope with the selection of publications in a given publication. This led to the introduction of the peer review process. Experts from the specific subject matter the article described gave their views, comments, and reviews. Such reviews helped editors of scientific journals in deciding on the publication and the categorisation of each article. The peer review process has been developed to improve and enhance the quality of scientific information. Reviewing and

Scientific Publishing in the Field of Social Medicine in Slovenia 379

The online WoS provides access for three citation index databases SCI, SSCI and A & HCI to virtually all researchers. Data from 1970 onwards is included, and the databases are regularly updated. This means that what Adamič (1993) pointed out years ago, that the original purpose of this database, which is a base for citation analysis, is to link articles of related content through citations and allow efficient searching, has even more importance since. Evaluation of the success of a research work was at the time a secondary use, even though today, it is the most common and well known. He also points out that, because of the large differences in citations of articles between individual fields of medicine, it does not make sense to compare the citation of authors, research groups or institutions from different fields. One should only compare two equals. Such a comparison, especially in medicine, is practically impossible in a small country like Slovenia, as we do not have numerous research centres engaged with the same subject. Consequently it is necessary to always view comparisons of an international scope. The citation indices combined in WoS are losing their monopoly and exclusiveness (Scopus, Google Scholar, to name only two of the most famous competing tools), but nevertheless remain of paramount importance as the basis for the data employed in various bibliometric analyses. Especially in view of who their operators are. Elsevier, the largest publisher of scientific journals owns Scopus, which includes over 16,000 scientific journals and covers medicine (it fully covers the Medline database, which WoS does not), chemistry, physics, mathematics, engineering, biotechnology and ecology very well. It even has greater coverage of sociology, psychology and economics than WoS. The current advantage of using WoS rather than Scopus is that it has much more extensive archives, covering a longer period, and includes the arts and humanities. Another advantage of using WoS over Scopus is that it has tradition and, due to the long years of use, is very well established among scientists. Though, it is most likely due to competition that WoS has started to extend its own

All countries, where the language of publication is not English, have the problem of visibility of their scientific contributions. This is also similar in Croatia, where an analysis was carried out that included 13 journals in the field of biomedicine published in the English language. Six journals were examined that are at the cutting edge of scientific publishing in Croatia. All six journals have been published for at least twenty years and all were published in English prior to 1995. Scopus indexed all six journals even before they started publishing in English in their entirety. After the journals started publishing in English, international visibility (they analysed indices in Medline, Scopus and WoS) was noticeable only with two journals (Croatian Medical Journal and Neurologia Croatica), while only one of the analysed journals (Croatian Medical Journal) managed to increase citation with international visibility. The analysis results showed that changing the publication language brings positive changes, including, international visibility of the journal, an international editorial board, increased publication of foreign authors, all of which are the basis for visibility and the integration of local authors into the global circle of scientific

Tensions have arisen among the various participants in scientific communication (Odlyzko, 1997). To ensure their existence, scientists as authors must publish; publishers market their journals and set high prices, while libraries cannot increase their procurement costs, and

assortment of journals.

communication. (Pulišelić & Petrak, 2006)

evaluation is necessary and beneficial for all those involved in scientific communication, as it helps science develop better and more successfully. Editors choose to work with reviewers from the field covered by the scientific journal. Usually, articles are reviewed by two or three reviewers. Articles that pass through the peer review process are categorised into three basic groups: original scientific article, scientific review paper, and preliminary note. Reviewers assess the quality of the article according to the criteria used by the scientific journal. Their assessment decides whether the article will be published or not. Scientists involved in scientific communication know which scientific journal has higher standards. Publishing a work in such journals is more difficult, but such publication is a guarantee for the high quality of the article, and consequently the impact of the article. This system of peer review provides scientists with access to exemplary scientific information. (Hebrang Grgić, 2004)

Publishing in the field of scientific communication has only really developed after World War II, primarily for natural sciences (Čuk, 2001), with the other scientific disciplines following. Scientific societies are no longer able to follow the great growth and changes in scientific communication, so publishing has continued by publishing houses. Publishers organise the evaluation of scientific articles by peer reviews, they edit and issue journals, and provide for their distribution. A trend of merging is present in publishing due to increased competition and lowering costs. The greater portion of published scientific periodicals is held by a relatively small number of publishers. After merging with the American publisher Harcourt General in 2001, the publisher Reed Elsevier had a 20 percent market share and issued around 1,700 individual scientific journal titles. Merging also increases the profit of publishers, allowing control over the intellectual production of universities in the western world. The contracts that the authors of scientific articles conclude with publishers dictate that these remain at the publishers' disposal another 80 years after their death. Research and studies are funded by universities; scientists research and publish their results and provide peer review of publications, while the copyrights, and thus the earnings are relinquished to the publishers.

In 1958, Dr Eugene Garfield borrowed 500 dollars from the bank and founded the Institute for Scientific Information (ISI) in Philadelphia. Current Contents of Chemical, Pharmaco-Medical & Life Science was their first collection, which included 286 journals. In 1961, on behalf of the National Institutes of Health (the funding body of research work in the world, which funds research in the field of biomedicine), the first citation index - Genetics Citation Index was composed. In 1964, the collection evolved into the Science Citation Index (SCI). The organisation quickly developed. By 1972, a million researchers worldwide were using the database. In 1978, two citation indices were printed, for the field of natural sciences (SCI) and for social sciences (Social Sciences Citation Index - SSCI). Since then, ISI has continuously grown and has remained the concept of documentation in the field of science (Južnič, 1999). In 1997, ISI launched a database with citation indices - Web of Science (WoS), which allows electronic access to the following databases: SCI-Expanded, SSCI, and Arts & Humanities Citation Index (A & HCI). After more than four decades of existence, the ISI database includes more than 16,000 international journals, books, and congress proceedings from the fields of science, social science, and humanities (Testa, 2003).

evaluation is necessary and beneficial for all those involved in scientific communication, as it helps science develop better and more successfully. Editors choose to work with reviewers from the field covered by the scientific journal. Usually, articles are reviewed by two or three reviewers. Articles that pass through the peer review process are categorised into three basic groups: original scientific article, scientific review paper, and preliminary note. Reviewers assess the quality of the article according to the criteria used by the scientific journal. Their assessment decides whether the article will be published or not. Scientists involved in scientific communication know which scientific journal has higher standards. Publishing a work in such journals is more difficult, but such publication is a guarantee for the high quality of the article, and consequently the impact of the article. This system of peer review provides scientists with access to exemplary scientific information. (Hebrang Grgić,

Publishing in the field of scientific communication has only really developed after World War II, primarily for natural sciences (Čuk, 2001), with the other scientific disciplines following. Scientific societies are no longer able to follow the great growth and changes in scientific communication, so publishing has continued by publishing houses. Publishers organise the evaluation of scientific articles by peer reviews, they edit and issue journals, and provide for their distribution. A trend of merging is present in publishing due to increased competition and lowering costs. The greater portion of published scientific periodicals is held by a relatively small number of publishers. After merging with the American publisher Harcourt General in 2001, the publisher Reed Elsevier had a 20 percent market share and issued around 1,700 individual scientific journal titles. Merging also increases the profit of publishers, allowing control over the intellectual production of universities in the western world. The contracts that the authors of scientific articles conclude with publishers dictate that these remain at the publishers' disposal another 80 years after their death. Research and studies are funded by universities; scientists research and publish their results and provide peer review of publications, while the copyrights, and

In 1958, Dr Eugene Garfield borrowed 500 dollars from the bank and founded the Institute for Scientific Information (ISI) in Philadelphia. Current Contents of Chemical, Pharmaco-Medical & Life Science was their first collection, which included 286 journals. In 1961, on behalf of the National Institutes of Health (the funding body of research work in the world, which funds research in the field of biomedicine), the first citation index - Genetics Citation Index was composed. In 1964, the collection evolved into the Science Citation Index (SCI). The organisation quickly developed. By 1972, a million researchers worldwide were using the database. In 1978, two citation indices were printed, for the field of natural sciences (SCI) and for social sciences (Social Sciences Citation Index - SSCI). Since then, ISI has continuously grown and has remained the concept of documentation in the field of science (Južnič, 1999). In 1997, ISI launched a database with citation indices - Web of Science (WoS), which allows electronic access to the following databases: SCI-Expanded, SSCI, and Arts & Humanities Citation Index (A & HCI). After more than four decades of existence, the ISI database includes more than 16,000 international journals, books, and congress proceedings from the fields of science, social

thus the earnings are relinquished to the publishers.

science, and humanities (Testa, 2003).

2004)

The online WoS provides access for three citation index databases SCI, SSCI and A & HCI to virtually all researchers. Data from 1970 onwards is included, and the databases are regularly updated. This means that what Adamič (1993) pointed out years ago, that the original purpose of this database, which is a base for citation analysis, is to link articles of related content through citations and allow efficient searching, has even more importance since. Evaluation of the success of a research work was at the time a secondary use, even though today, it is the most common and well known. He also points out that, because of the large differences in citations of articles between individual fields of medicine, it does not make sense to compare the citation of authors, research groups or institutions from different fields. One should only compare two equals. Such a comparison, especially in medicine, is practically impossible in a small country like Slovenia, as we do not have numerous research centres engaged with the same subject. Consequently it is necessary to always view comparisons of an international scope. The citation indices combined in WoS are losing their monopoly and exclusiveness (Scopus, Google Scholar, to name only two of the most famous competing tools), but nevertheless remain of paramount importance as the basis for the data employed in various bibliometric analyses. Especially in view of who their operators are. Elsevier, the largest publisher of scientific journals owns Scopus, which includes over 16,000 scientific journals and covers medicine (it fully covers the Medline database, which WoS does not), chemistry, physics, mathematics, engineering, biotechnology and ecology very well. It even has greater coverage of sociology, psychology and economics than WoS. The current advantage of using WoS rather than Scopus is that it has much more extensive archives, covering a longer period, and includes the arts and humanities. Another advantage of using WoS over Scopus is that it has tradition and, due to the long years of use, is very well established among scientists. Though, it is most likely due to competition that WoS has started to extend its own assortment of journals.

All countries, where the language of publication is not English, have the problem of visibility of their scientific contributions. This is also similar in Croatia, where an analysis was carried out that included 13 journals in the field of biomedicine published in the English language. Six journals were examined that are at the cutting edge of scientific publishing in Croatia. All six journals have been published for at least twenty years and all were published in English prior to 1995. Scopus indexed all six journals even before they started publishing in English in their entirety. After the journals started publishing in English, international visibility (they analysed indices in Medline, Scopus and WoS) was noticeable only with two journals (Croatian Medical Journal and Neurologia Croatica), while only one of the analysed journals (Croatian Medical Journal) managed to increase citation with international visibility. The analysis results showed that changing the publication language brings positive changes, including, international visibility of the journal, an international editorial board, increased publication of foreign authors, all of which are the basis for visibility and the integration of local authors into the global circle of scientific communication. (Pulišelić & Petrak, 2006)

Tensions have arisen among the various participants in scientific communication (Odlyzko, 1997). To ensure their existence, scientists as authors must publish; publishers market their journals and set high prices, while libraries cannot increase their procurement costs, and

Scientific Publishing in the Field of Social Medicine in Slovenia 381

invited to participate in the evaluation; authors who are already established in the international scientific community should be invited to participate in the editorial committee; authors who are already recognised and have published in journals with impact

In recent years, a great progress of the ZV has been noticed compared with previous years. This is most likely due to the efforts of the editors and editorial board desiring to increase the quality of the journal with stricter peer review processes and compliance with standards for journal publication. Based on the registration for mass media in 2003 and the annual applications for co-financing the publication of periodicals, the Slovenian Research Agency (ARRS) has been co-financing the publication of the ZV since 2003. The share co-financed by

In 2009 the journal ZV was included in the SSCI-Expanded list indexed in WoS, and in 2010

By raising the quality and increasing the impact of the journal ZV in professional circles, motivation and interest to publish in the ZV will grow among experts in the field of public health. This was also confirmed by the bibliometric analysis for the period 2003-2009 when compared with the analysis results for the period 1992-2003 (Miholič, 2005, 2010). With the inclusion of the ZV into SSCI-Expand, the motivation for local authors to publish is greater, as according to the Rules of Indicators and Criteria for Measuring Scientific and Technical Efficiency, publishing is worth points, which the authors will need for scientific and research success in Slovenia. The more points the authors earn, the higher they rank, and the more chances they have with tenders for co-financing research projects by ARRS. Results of a quantitative analysis of the ZV 2003-2009 showed that, throughout the period analysed, more sources were cited per individual article (26.36) than in the period 1992-2003 (14.17). The share of articles with more than one author was also higher in the period 2003-2009 (between 2.3 and 3.3) than in the period 1992-2003 (between 1.17 and 2.31). Both analyses showed similar results: the predominantly cited material was published in English; articles were the most cited, followed by monographs. Comparative analysis of the periods 1992- 2003 and 2003-2009 showed that more material in English was cited in the latter (63%, 78%), more articles were cited (56%, 65%), followed by monographs (33%, 23%). The authors cited

The EJPH is a multidisciplinary journal covering the fields of public health, social medicine, epidemiology, research in the field of health care, management, ethics, the law and economics of health care, ecology, and the field of sociology. The EJPH has been indexed in citation indices since 1999 (Table 1). Up to 2004 it was published four times a year, and in 2005 it began publication as a bimonthly journal. The journal publishes original scientific papers, articles covering current topics, book reviews, news, letters to the editor, and event announcements. The journal has a section for discussion and polemics on current topics of public health, especially concerning countries of the European Union. The journal is indexed by the following important databases: CAB Abstracts, CINAHL, Current Contents / Clinical

ARRS is quite modest, and does not even cover half the printing costs in one year.

was also included into the CAB Abstracts and Global Health databases.

mostly newer sources from the last five years (47.7%, 38.4%).

Medicine, EMBASE, PubMed, and Science Citation Index.

**2.2 European Journal of Public Health (EJPH)** 

factors should be invited to write for the journal.

scientists as readers are deprived. Yet it is scientists as authors who can decide in which journal to publish their work, their decision affected by the reputation of the journal, which usually has a high price.

Höök (1999) wrote that the increasing number of medical articles is not closely related to the increasing number of scientists in medicine, but in most countries is dependent on the scientific policy. Most doctors in university hospitals publish due to the phenomenon of 'publish or perish'. At times he wonders if there is hope that the flood of scientific information will not suffocate us. All that scientists can do is to raise the quality of scientific publishing. Authors should write and write their articles, and if they discover that they have not written anything new or important, they should rather abandon or bin their work. If scientists in small countries decide to publish their best papers in journals with high impact factors, then the fate of local journals is very grim. The result of not publishing the best articles is the lowering quality of local journals. In the long-term this spells the stagnation of locally published scientific journals.

#### **2.1 Slovenian Journal of Public Health – Zdravstveno Varstvo (ZV)**

In June 1962 the first issue of the journal ZV came out, as a professional newsletter with a clear programme: the dissemination of the scientific basis for implementing Slovenian (preventive) health policy and enlightening the wider and primarily the medical professional public with the evaluations, analyses and results of sociomedical research, (Kramberger, 1992).

In 2003, the new editorial board of the ZV set new content objectives. The basic concept of the journal remains the same. The journal discusses public health and primary health care; it encourages the publication of papers on public health issues and the development of public health, particularly in Central and Southeastern Europe. The contributions are divided into two basic categories. The first group of contributions includes editorials, review and research articles and short reports. The other contributions include technical reports, letters to editors and news. Special attention is dedicated to a better peer review process, which is inspired by the criteria that apply in all reputable journals. The most prominent local and foreign experts are invited to participate. They decided that by 2003, the journal will be published concurrently in Slovenian and English. In this way, they wish to continue to cultivate Slovenian professional terminology, but also allow foreign authors to publish contributions in the journal that could be read even by experts who are not familiar with the Slovenian language. From 1962 to 2002, the journal ZV was issued infrequently as a monthly, since 2003, the ZV has recorded regular publication with four issues annually (Švab, 2002).

As the publisher of the ZV, one of the objectives of the National Institute of Public Health is that the journal should be included in the SSCI in the coming years. Indexing in SSCI will show the visibility of the journal ZV, and thus the visibility of the contributions of our authors abroad. To achieve this objective, the following is necessary: the journal must be published in accordance with international standards; the contributions should also be in English and thus accessible to a wider circle of experts; the journal must be accessible over the Internet; it must be published regularly; special attention should be dedicated to a better and stricter peer review process - the most prominent local and foreign experts should be

scientists as readers are deprived. Yet it is scientists as authors who can decide in which journal to publish their work, their decision affected by the reputation of the journal, which

Höök (1999) wrote that the increasing number of medical articles is not closely related to the increasing number of scientists in medicine, but in most countries is dependent on the scientific policy. Most doctors in university hospitals publish due to the phenomenon of 'publish or perish'. At times he wonders if there is hope that the flood of scientific information will not suffocate us. All that scientists can do is to raise the quality of scientific publishing. Authors should write and write their articles, and if they discover that they have not written anything new or important, they should rather abandon or bin their work. If scientists in small countries decide to publish their best papers in journals with high impact factors, then the fate of local journals is very grim. The result of not publishing the best articles is the lowering quality of local journals. In the long-term this spells the stagnation of

In June 1962 the first issue of the journal ZV came out, as a professional newsletter with a clear programme: the dissemination of the scientific basis for implementing Slovenian (preventive) health policy and enlightening the wider and primarily the medical professional public with the evaluations, analyses and results of sociomedical research,

In 2003, the new editorial board of the ZV set new content objectives. The basic concept of the journal remains the same. The journal discusses public health and primary health care; it encourages the publication of papers on public health issues and the development of public health, particularly in Central and Southeastern Europe. The contributions are divided into two basic categories. The first group of contributions includes editorials, review and research articles and short reports. The other contributions include technical reports, letters to editors and news. Special attention is dedicated to a better peer review process, which is inspired by the criteria that apply in all reputable journals. The most prominent local and foreign experts are invited to participate. They decided that by 2003, the journal will be published concurrently in Slovenian and English. In this way, they wish to continue to cultivate Slovenian professional terminology, but also allow foreign authors to publish contributions in the journal that could be read even by experts who are not familiar with the Slovenian language. From 1962 to 2002, the journal ZV was issued infrequently as a monthly, since 2003,

**2.1 Slovenian Journal of Public Health – Zdravstveno Varstvo (ZV)** 

the ZV has recorded regular publication with four issues annually (Švab, 2002).

As the publisher of the ZV, one of the objectives of the National Institute of Public Health is that the journal should be included in the SSCI in the coming years. Indexing in SSCI will show the visibility of the journal ZV, and thus the visibility of the contributions of our authors abroad. To achieve this objective, the following is necessary: the journal must be published in accordance with international standards; the contributions should also be in English and thus accessible to a wider circle of experts; the journal must be accessible over the Internet; it must be published regularly; special attention should be dedicated to a better and stricter peer review process - the most prominent local and foreign experts should be

usually has a high price.

locally published scientific journals.

(Kramberger, 1992).

invited to participate in the evaluation; authors who are already established in the international scientific community should be invited to participate in the editorial committee; authors who are already recognised and have published in journals with impact factors should be invited to write for the journal.

In recent years, a great progress of the ZV has been noticed compared with previous years. This is most likely due to the efforts of the editors and editorial board desiring to increase the quality of the journal with stricter peer review processes and compliance with standards for journal publication. Based on the registration for mass media in 2003 and the annual applications for co-financing the publication of periodicals, the Slovenian Research Agency (ARRS) has been co-financing the publication of the ZV since 2003. The share co-financed by ARRS is quite modest, and does not even cover half the printing costs in one year.

In 2009 the journal ZV was included in the SSCI-Expanded list indexed in WoS, and in 2010 was also included into the CAB Abstracts and Global Health databases.

By raising the quality and increasing the impact of the journal ZV in professional circles, motivation and interest to publish in the ZV will grow among experts in the field of public health. This was also confirmed by the bibliometric analysis for the period 2003-2009 when compared with the analysis results for the period 1992-2003 (Miholič, 2005, 2010). With the inclusion of the ZV into SSCI-Expand, the motivation for local authors to publish is greater, as according to the Rules of Indicators and Criteria for Measuring Scientific and Technical Efficiency, publishing is worth points, which the authors will need for scientific and research success in Slovenia. The more points the authors earn, the higher they rank, and the more chances they have with tenders for co-financing research projects by ARRS. Results of a quantitative analysis of the ZV 2003-2009 showed that, throughout the period analysed, more sources were cited per individual article (26.36) than in the period 1992-2003 (14.17). The share of articles with more than one author was also higher in the period 2003-2009 (between 2.3 and 3.3) than in the period 1992-2003 (between 1.17 and 2.31). Both analyses showed similar results: the predominantly cited material was published in English; articles were the most cited, followed by monographs. Comparative analysis of the periods 1992- 2003 and 2003-2009 showed that more material in English was cited in the latter (63%, 78%), more articles were cited (56%, 65%), followed by monographs (33%, 23%). The authors cited mostly newer sources from the last five years (47.7%, 38.4%).

#### **2.2 European Journal of Public Health (EJPH)**

The EJPH is a multidisciplinary journal covering the fields of public health, social medicine, epidemiology, research in the field of health care, management, ethics, the law and economics of health care, ecology, and the field of sociology. The EJPH has been indexed in citation indices since 1999 (Table 1). Up to 2004 it was published four times a year, and in 2005 it began publication as a bimonthly journal. The journal publishes original scientific papers, articles covering current topics, book reviews, news, letters to the editor, and event announcements. The journal has a section for discussion and polemics on current topics of public health, especially concerning countries of the European Union. The journal is indexed by the following important databases: CAB Abstracts, CINAHL, Current Contents / Clinical Medicine, EMBASE, PubMed, and Science Citation Index.

Scientific Publishing in the Field of Social Medicine in Slovenia 383

doctor Dr Andrija Štampar during the 1920's. Andrija Štampar based all medical fields related to population health (hygiene, epidemiology, and other) on social medicine and human health. He was the first major proponent of this modern principle. He worked in former Yugoslavia, and was also one of the founders of the World Health Organization

In Slovenia, we quickly followed the trends in preventive medicine by establishing the Central Institute of Hygiene, Ljubljana as early as 1923 (B. Pirc & I. Pirc, 1938), which became the National Institute of Public Health with the extensive network of regional

The aim of research in social medicine is to achieve enlightenment necessary for efficient and effective health care. Social medicine discusses health and health care based on the findings or results obtained from mass observation (Pirc, 1980). Health care is care for the health and progress of an entire regulated society, and for all social and economic activities that must accept this care as a task for the entire society, with each of them contributing in

The term 'social medicine' was first used by Jules Guérin in Paris in 1848. Guérin divided social medicine into social physiology, social pathology, social hygiene and social therapy

Here are some definitions of social medicine (Pirc, 1980) by the most famous authors in this field of medicine. The first definition is from 1904, formed by the first founder of social medicine, Alfred Grotjahn, and reads: '... as a descriptive science, it is the study of the conditions from which generalisation of the culture of hygiene, of communities, individuals and their descendants who live in local, temporal and social community, is dependent ... as a normative science, it is the study of measures which aim to achieve the generalisation of the culture of hygiene among all individuals and their descendants who live in the local,

In 1923, Prof Dr Andrej Štampar in his inaugural lecture as professor of hygiene and social medicine at the Medical Faculty in Zagreb defined social medicine as follows: '... science that deals with the study of interlinked social and pathological conditions in the life of the population, and with the development of measures of a social nature for improving human

In 1962, Radomir Gerič wrote in his book *Social medicine*: 'Social medicine means care by the community, the state, and society as a whole for the health and wellbeing of the entire population. Ultimately, this would mean that social medicine is the same as population

In 1962, Mervyn Susset and William Watson wrote in the book *Sociology in medicine*: 'Social medicine is thus a complex and important branch of medical science in that it attempts to capture the nature of social processes as well as their relationship complicated with health

From these definitions we can summarise that social medicine discusses disease and health from the perspective of society and its functions in health care relative to the social factors

(Švab, 2004).

institutions.

their field (Pirc, 1980).

(Jakšić, 1994).

health.'

health care.'

and disease.'

**3.1 Definition of social medicine** 

temporal and social community.'


Table 1. EJPH impact factor
