BIBLIOMETRIC ANALYSIS OF THE JOURNAL "ZDRAVSTVENO VARSTVO": 2003-2009

Background: Bibliometrics is a set of methods for systematical collection of texts and published data for further study and analysis. Bibliometric analysis of a scientific journal is to a great extent also analysis of the research field covered by that journal. We did bibliometric analysis of the journal Zdravstveno varstvo to assess its visibility and the role it plays in the scientific exchange of information. Methods: We reviewed 28 issues of the journal, published during a period of seven years. The contributions were studied by the following sections: editorials, original and review scientific articles, letters to the editor, book reviews and obituaries. Quanitative bibliometric analysis of Zdravstveno varstvo for the period 2003-2009 provided an objective view of the contents and development of the journal over the period studied. Results: As shown by the results obtained, the quality of publications has markedly improved over the past seven years. Multi-authored articles prevail. Journal articles are the most frequently cited source, followed by monographs (mostly in English); half of the sources quoted are less than five years old. Conclusions: The results suggest that both health care practice and research constitute a medical field that is very closely related to social sciences; it approaches the fields of medicine, health care and health as social phenomenons. The inclusion of Zdravstveno varstvo in the Expanded Social Science Index (SSCI) in 2009 is not a coincidence but a result of the committment of editors to reach the goal they had set in the past.