Copyright in scientific works is protected in accordance with the Law on Copyright and Related Rights of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Each researcher automatically acquires copyright in their work at the moment of its creation, without the need for special registration. Upon publication of research results in journals or conference proceedings, part of the rights may be transferred to the publisher, in accordance with the terms of the publication agreement. In the event of a violation of copyright, the researcher may contact the University for advice and support.
At the same time, researchers are obliged to respect the copyright of others. Texts, tables, graphs, photographs, questionnaires, and other materials of other authors may not be reproduced or used without appropriate citation of the source and, where required, without prior written permission of the rights holder (e.g., for the reproduction of tables/images from published works or the use of protected instruments). Proper citation and clear identification of reproduced content constitute a fundamental measure for the protection against copyright infringement and for the preservation of academic integrity.
Authorship in scientific research shall reflect the actual contribution to the creation of the work. As a rule, authors are considered to be persons who have made a significant contribution to the conception of the research, the collection or analysis of data, the drafting of the manuscript and/or the critical revision of its content, who have approved the final version of the work, and who accept responsibility for its content. It is particularly important to avoid unacceptable practices such as “gift authorship” (including persons without actual contribution) or the omission of persons who have substantially contributed to the research.
The meaning of author positions in a scientific paper may vary by scientific field and journal; however, there are generally accepted interpretations that the first author is most often the researcher who has made the greatest contribution to the work. If two authors have made approximately equal key contributions, they may be indicated as co-first authors (“co-first authors”; “authors contributed equally,” etc.). Middle positions usually belong to authors with specific but more limited contributions (e.g., part of the analysis, data collection). In many disciplines, particularly in biomedical and natural sciences, the last author is often a senior researcher or group leader who directed the research and assumed scientific supervision (in some other fields, the order may be more conventional or even alphabetical). The corresponding author is the contact person who communicates with the journal during submission, peer review, and after publication and is most often the first or the last author. Due to differing practices, it is advisable that the research team clearly agree at the outset on authorship, order, and roles and, where necessary, document this through an author contribution statement.
The publication of scientific results represents an important step in building a researcher’s academic career. Papers may be published in different types of publications: conference proceedings, national and international journals. Researchers are advised to carefully select journals that are relevant to their field, that have scientific reputation, and that adhere to ethical publishing standards. When selecting a journal, it is important to verify whether the topic of the paper aligns with the journal’s “Aims & Scope,” which types of papers the journal accepts (original article, review article, case report, etc.), as well as the practical conditions of publication: instructions for authors, language, deadlines, average review time, and the usual requirements regarding the structure and style of the manuscript. Additional visibility of papers is ensured by journals indexed in international databases. The website of the University of East Sarajevo contains available information on scientific conferences and scientific journals organized or published by the constituent units of the University and categorized by the Ministry of Scientific and Technological Development and Higher Education of the Republic of Srpska, as well as a list of publications indexed in the citation databases Web of Science, Scopus, and SCIndeks–Serbian Citation Index.
Particular attention should be drawn to “predatory” journals that misuse the publication process for financial gain. Invitations to publish in “predatory” journals are usually received through messages indiscriminately sent to a large number of email addresses, and the publishers promise rapid publication of the paper (usually without rigorous peer review) in exchange for a publication fee (Article Processing Charges – APC) and provide false information about the journal’s impact factor and other bibliometric indicators. Publication in such journals may have a highly negative impact on a researcher’s career. In cases where researchers have doubts about the journal in which they should publish their work, it is recommended to consult a mentor, a senior colleague, the Vice Dean for Scientific Research/Artistic Work, or the office responsible for scientific research and artistic work at the University level.
The citation database Clarivate, after having used journal statistical data for years to compile the Science Citation Index (SCI), began publishing the Journal Citation Reports (JCR) in 1975 as part of the Science Citation Index (SCI) and the Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI). JCR provides quantitative tools for ranking, evaluating, categorizing, and comparing journals, and the impact factor is one of them. As of the JCR 2023 edition, the impact factor has been expanded to include journals indexed in the Emerging Sources Citation Index (ESCI) and the Arts & Humanities Citation Index (AHCI).
The impact factor is a measure of the frequency with which articles are cited in a given year and is calculated by dividing the number of citations in the current year by the number of original articles published in that journal during the previous two years.
The value of the impact factor alone does not provide sufficient information about a journal, since impact factor values vary from one scientific field to another. Fields with smaller research communities will have fewer articles published each year and, as a result, may have fewer citations per article and a lower impact factor value. In contrast, fields in the natural sciences and biomedicine have the highest impact factor values due to larger research communities, higher publication rates, a greater number of co-authors, and more frequent citations. Therefore, it is best to compare the impact factor of a particular journal with the impact factors of other journals within the same scientific field or category.
Payment for publishing a paper in a scientific journal depends on the policy of the specific publisher and the publishing model. In many journals operating under a subscription model, authors usually do not pay publication fees, as the costs are covered by institutional and individual subscriptions. However, in the case of Open Access journals, an Article Processing Charge (APC) is often required, most commonly after the paper has been accepted, in order for the article to be freely available to all readers. There are also hybrid journals, in which Open Access is optional and is paid only if the author wishes the paper to be freely accessible. In certain cases, there may be additional costs, such as page charges or fees for printing color figures. For this reason, authors are advised to always consult the “Author Guidelines,” “Open Access,” or “Fees/APC” sections on the journal’s website prior to submission.
The University of East Sarajevo participates in the Institutional Open Access Program (IOAP) with the international Open Access publisher MDPI. All authors affiliated with the University of East Sarajevo are entitled to a 10% discount on publication costs (APC). These conditions apply as of November 1, 2025. In order to use the discount for publishing in MDPI journals, authors should use their institutional email address when submitting the paper. The system automatically recognizes the domain and offers the appropriate IOAP membership, which only needs to be confirmed. For additional information and support, authors may contact the competent office/library of the faculty/academy/institute.
When sharing or depositing a scientific paper, it is important to distinguish between versions of the manuscript, as rights and conditions of use depend on the publisher’s policy. A preprint is the version of the paper prior to peer review and acceptance; an Accepted Manuscript (postprint) is the final author version after peer review and acceptance (usually without the publisher’s layout and logo); while the Publisher PDF is the final publisher’s version published in the journal (with layout, page numbers, logo, etc.). Before posting a paper on a personal profile, in an institutional repository, or on other platforms, researchers are advised to verify the publisher’s policy regarding which version is permitted for sharing and whether an embargo period applies (e.g., a specified number of months after publication). Where permitted, the most common practice is to deposit the Accepted Manuscript version with a clear indication of the full bibliographic reference and a link/DOI to the published paper.
Research results may be presented to the general public through multiple channels. By depositing electronic versions of scientific publications affiliated with the University of East Sarajevo in the University’s digital repositories, the visibility and accessibility of research results are increased, which may contribute to greater impact and citation of papers. The University of East Sarajevo has established the institutional repository VASELJENA for Open Access publications (scientific papers, books, monographs, and others), as well as the Digital Repository of Doctoral Dissertations, in which electronic versions of defended doctoral dissertations are permanently preserved.
In addition to depositing papers in repositories, it is recommended that researchers create (if they have not already done so) and regularly update personal research profiles, primarily ORCID, Scopus Author ID, and Google Scholar, among others, in order for their works to be more easily discovered, correctly linked to the author, and more visible to the academic and wider public. Instructions for creating these research profiles are available on the University’s website. For the systematic recording of scientific research results, the University of East Sarajevo also uses its own platform eNIR–Scientific Research Records, which serves for the entry, review, and monitoring of scientific research outputs.
At the same time, results should preferably be presented through conferences (poster and oral presentations), and subsequently through formats intended for the wider public, such as a short news item on the website, a short video, social media posts, lectures, or media appearances.