A call to authors :: Publishing veterinary medicine articles in English language

Distinguished Readers,

It is my pleasure after serving almost 9 years as Editor-in-Chief of the Veterinarska stanica journal to have the opportunity to address you with an introductory note containing significant information on the publication of another issue of this journal. This address creates a number of special feelings in me, especially those of responsibility, gratitude and faith in the progress of our journal. In particular, it provokes a sense of responsibility towards the future of the veterinary profession in general, as without publications information can only be disseminated by word of mouth, and such words quickly fade away and fall into oblivion. On the other hand, the written word represents a record of human knowledge and skills, and leaves a permanent trace. Thus, publishing is an activity whose value is priceless. Despite the fact that Croatia has a thousand years of civilisation behind it, it is still basically a society with a low average level of education, which is supported by the statistic that the percentage of Croatian citizens with a university degree is in single figures. This emphasises the fact that publishing activities in general have a deeper and, if I may say, invaluable importance for the prosperity of such a society, so that it can avoid stagnation and regression. A society that has stagnated is a society without a future, but we are a society with a long, rich history and tradition of knowledge, which certainly provides the foundation and prerequisite for an optimistic and prosperous future.
Such a vision of the future is what closely connects us all.

A modern and progressive society is based on knowledge, which means that higher education and scientific research have become an imperative in the social development of individuals, communities and the nation as a whole, including its cultural and economic progress. Today, more than ever, any form of education or scientific and professional research involves the continuous exchange of information and ideas which may lead to new opportunities. Scientific projects and individual scientific research and practice, as well as participation at numerous prestigious scientific and professional conferences, have resulted in a multitude of high-quality and significant scientific and professional papers. However, all these endeavors and extraordinary efforts and knowledge will remain without any real impact if these papers are not published either in national or international academic or professional journals, textbooks, manuals, monographs, bibliographies or other scientific and professional books and works. Again, this is proof that the written word, the record of human knowledge and skills, leaves traces which remain permanently. This is what makes publishing activities in general invaluable.

The journal Veterinarska stanica has a long and rich tradition. It was founded upon the suggestion of Nikola Fiolić, DVM, PhD on 1 September 1970. The fundamental purpose of the journal was to publish papers that are primarily of interest to doctors of veterinary medicine in the field, others working in veterinary clinics, and all veterinarians who carry out activities in other scientific and professional institutions and organisations. The goal of the journal was to inform the veterinarians, but also the broader professional and scientific community regarding the development and achievements of the veterinary profession and science in Croatia. At the beginning, the journal was designed as a professional bulletin, but it has evolved and today rightly bears the name of a scientific and professional journal, with an increasing emphasis on its scientific aspect. The quality of the journal has been maintained, and although it has sometimes unfortunately stagnated it has also improved. New editions have been edited, and since 1987 each article has also contained a summary in English.
Articles are selected for publication after evaluation through a peer-review process by leading national and foreign experts and scientists from various fields of veterinary medicine and related fields. This has allowed the journal to be included in referral databases such as: CAB Abstracts, Index Veterinarius, Veterinary Bulletin, Global Health and Vetmed Resource.

After difficulties in finding financial resources and maintaining its regular and timely publication during 2008, publication of Veterinarska stanica was nearly stopped. However, since 1 January 2009, the journal has had a new publisher in the shape of the Croatian Veterinary Institute (CVI) in Zagreb. This was primarily due to the enthusiasm and understanding of its former director Professor Željko Cvetnić, DVM, PhD, who recognised the value and significance of Veterinarska stanica in Croatian veterinary medicine, and its long and rich tradition. Despite the not insignificant financial resources required to publish each edition of the journal, he had the faith and vision necessary to do the right things and make right and timely decisions. I strongly believe that the future will show how significant a role Professor Cvetnić has played and what he has actually done for Veterinarska stanica and Croatian veterinary publications, and so for the veterinary profession and science as a whole in Croatia. CVI taking over the publishing of the journal has resulted in changes in the membership of the editorial board and team. The journal has been redesigned and the number of pages increased. Veterinarska stanica is still intended for scientists, experts in the field of veterinary medicine and related sciences, and veterinary practitioners, and is still distributed to almost 1 400 addresses both in the country and abroad. The journal is published six times per year with many interesting topics for veterinary and related professions. At the same time, which in my opinion is very important, the full texts of all articles since 2009 (volume 1, year 40) are available online on the website of the CVI.

I am proud to point out that in 2015, all 6 issues of the 46 th volume will be published without problems and on time. This is not only one of the basic requirements if authors are to have confidence in the possible publication of their work in the journal, but also one of the main conditions for the journal to be assessed for inclusion in leading indexed publications. This can be seen in the large number of papers received annually by the editors. There has not only been an increase in the number of papers received, but also an improvement in their quality, which is logical as only the best papers get through the peer-review process to be published. This is supported by the large number of compliments and positive comments that we receive daily from all areas of veterinary and related activities.
In addition, the journal is recognised at the regional level and beyond. As a result, the diversity in the nationality of authors is now more pronounced. I am proud that in recent years a remarkable number of papers have arrived from authors from various European countries, such as Macedonia, the United Kingdom, Albania, Ireland, Kosovo, France, Greece, Portugal, Serbia, Romania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Germany, Slovenia, Spain, Turkey, Russia and Poland, which undoubtedly proves the international standard and recognition of the journal, regardless of the language barrier.
However, I would like to emphasise that in addition to the requirement of regular and timely publication, which the journal must meet in order to be more easily included in prestigious indexed publications such as Scopus, SCI-Expanded and Current Contents, another important feature is the publication of articles in English or one of the World languages other. Since policies and opportunities in society are changing from one day to the next, it is important to be prepared for such changes, as this represents the main prerequisite for achieving high quality and competitiveness. Competitivenessat the national and particularly at the international level is of great importance in moving the journal closer to European and global quality and recognition.
Therefore, the decision to internationalise the journal is a necessary one. This means that we should be aware of the compatibility and comparability of our journal with journals around the world, but at the same time preserve its characteristics and recognition as a national journal. Accordingly, the editorial board has decided that starting from 1 January 2016 Veterinarska stanica will become bilingual and publish articles in either Croatian or English. This will open the way to entry into the exclusive company of leading indexed publications.

As English is widely used in our society, particularly in science, as a result of this decision we will not lose the fundamental purpose and scope of the journal, which is to provide veterinarians in the field and in scientific and professional institutions and organisations with an insight into new developments and achievements in the field of veterinary medicine and other related fields both in scientific terms and, perhaps more importantly, their possible application in veterinary practice. Despite all the troubles and problems that the journal has had, I can point out with great pleasure that the journal not only still exists but has reached a high scientific and professional standard, is recognised in many national and international communities, and has achieved remarkable success and received many awards.

There is no question that our plan and programme of continuous improvement of the journal is very ambitious, but I’m truly convinced that it is feasible, which will be to the great satisfaction of the editors, editorial board members, and I believe to all others who are in any way involved in Croatian veterinary publications, regardless of whether they are university teachers, scientists, experts out in the field or working in various institutions and organisations.

Before us is a time of great challenges and serious, perhaps crucial, years for all of us. This refers not only to veterinary journal work but the veterinary profession in general and society as a whole. Only through the desire to adopt up-to-date knowledge we can overcome the obstacles ahead. I think that it is also vital to safeguard our values, tradition and cultural heritage, and Veterinarska stanica is certainly part of this. We need to nurture and preserve, both for ourselves and even more so for the new generations, the cultural heritage which is represented by the publishing activity of a nation, which shows humanity in its diversity and uniqueness, and the protection of which is one of the important factors in the recognition, definition and affirmation of cultural identity.

Finally, I would like to emphasise that numerous authors, experts and scientists have interwoven their knowledge, efforts, work and experience in the printed issues and pages of this 46-year-old journal. They have all these years selflessly supported us in every way, thus enriching the quality of the journal.
I would sincerely like to thank all of them for their co-operation so far and give my sincerest wishes for the fruitful continuation of this co-operation in order to attain a prosperous future for the veterinary profession, science and society as a whole.