title: The First Mediterranean Seminar on Science Writing, Editing and Publishing, Sarajevo, December 2-3, 2016.
abstract: The First Mediterranean Seminar on Science Writing, Editing & Publishing (SWEP 2016) was held in Sarajevo, Bosnia & Herzegovina from 2nd to 3rd December 2016. It was organized by Academy of Medical Sciences of Bosnia and Herzegovina, running concurrent sessions as part of its Annual Meeting titled " "Days of AMNuBiH - Theory and Practice in Science Communication and Scientometrics". Hotel Bosnia in the city centre was the chosen venue. On the first day, nineteen presentations on various issues of science writing and publication ethics were delivered by speakers from Croatia, Serbia, Macedonia, Albania, Bosnia & Herzegovina and the UK (Asim Kurjak, Milivoj Boranić, Doncho Donev, Osman Sinanović, Miro Jakovljević, Enver Zerem, Dejan Milošević, Silva Dobrić, Srećko Gajović, Izet Mašić, Armen Yuri Gasparyan, Šekib Sokolović, Nermin Salkić, Selma Uzunović, Admir Kurtčehajić, Edin Begić and Floreta Kurti). Each presentation had a take-home message for novice and seasoned authors, encountering numerous problems in non-Anglophone research environment. Lecturers, who were internationally recognized editors of regional journals, generously shared their experience of adhering to the best ethical guidance. Elegant presentations by Srećko Gajović (Editor-in-Chief of the Croatian Medical Journal) and Armen Yuri Gasparyan (past Chief Editor of the European Science Editing) showcased their accomplishments that strengthened ties between authors from all over the world. Gasparyan reflected on educational resources of editorial associations, such as the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) and the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), and called not just to declare the adherence to, but also to enforce their ethical guidance in daily practice. Editors of Medical Archives, Croatian Medica Journal, Vojnosanitetski Pregled, Psychiatria Danubina, Acta Informatica Medica, Materia Socio-Medica, The Donald School Journal of Ultrasound in Obstretics and Gynecology, Acta Medica Saliniana and Medicinski Glasnik presented their editorial strategies aimed at attracting best authors and resolving problems with authorship, conflicts of interest, and plagiarism. Topical education on science writing and editing was considered as an inseparable part of continuing professional development in biomedicine. Armen Yuri Gasparyan (UK) was offered an opportunity to interact with more than 70 participants, attending the SWEP 2016 on the second day. The lecturer talked about author contributions, disclosures of conflicts of interests, plagiarism of ideas and words, research performance and impact indicators, and targeting ethical journals. Topics were presented in a way to help non-Anglophone authors, reviewers and editors avoid common ethical problems. Dr Gasparyan stressed the importance of regularly arranging such meetings across Balkan and Mediterranean countries to eradicate plagiarism and other forms research misconduct. The organizers of the SWEP 2016 awarded selected keynote speakers with certificates of lifetime achievement in journal editing, and decided to run the Seminar annually with support of Balkan and Mediterranean editors and publishers. The SWEP 2016 marked a turning point in the process of regional developments since all attending editors opted for nurturing enthusiasm of the organizers and launching the Mediterranean Association of Science Editors and Publishers (MASEP). The Seminar was a great success with its impressive scientific and social activities. It attracted more than 100 students, researchers, editors, and publishers from Bosnia & Herzegovina and neighbouring countries. Proceedings, in the form of short reports, were published in Acta Informatica Medica and archived in PubMed Central. New friendships were forged between regional experts in editing and young specialists during those unforgettable two days of intensive discussions and informal interactions (a-y).
authors.affiliation: Faculty of medicine, University of Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina.
authors.forename: Izet
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Masic
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Medicine, University "Ss Cyril and Methodius", Skopje, Republic of Macedonia.
authors.forename: Doncho
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Donev
authors.affiliation: Faculty of medicine, University of Tuzla, Bosnia and Herzegovina.
authors.forename: Osman
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Sinanovic
authors.affiliation: University of Zagreb School of Medicine, Zagreb, Croatia.
authors.forename: Miro
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Jakovljevic
authors.affiliation: Faculty of medicine, University of Tuzla, Bosnia and Herzegovina.
authors.forename: Enver
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Zerem
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Science, University of Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina.
authors.forename: Dejan B
authors.initials: DB
authors.lastname: Milosevic
authors.affiliation: Croatian Institute for Brain Research, University of Zagreb School of Medicine, Zagreb, Croatia.
authors.forename: Srecko
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Gajovic
authors.affiliation: Teaching Trust of the University of Birmingham, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Armen Yuri
authors.initials: AY
authors.lastname: Gasparyan
authors.affiliation: Faculty of medicine, University of Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina.
authors.forename: Sekib
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sokolovic
authors.affiliation: University Clinical Center, Tuzla, Bosnia and Herzegovina.
authors.forename: Nermin
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Salkic
authors.affiliation: Institute for Health and Food Safety, Zenica, Bosnia and Herzegovina.
authors.forename: Selma
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Uzunovic
authors.affiliation: Faculty of medicine, University of Defence, Belgrade, Serbia.
authors.forename: Silva
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Dobric
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Medical Technical Sciences, University of medicine, Tirana, Albania.
authors.forename: Floreta
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Kurti
authors.affiliation: Faculty of medicine, Sarajevo School of Science and Technology, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina.
authors.forename: Edin
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Begic
authors.affiliation: ZU Blue Polyclinic, Tuzla, Bosnia and Herzegovina.
authors.forename: Admir
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kurtcehajic
keywords: scientific work; visibility of scientific sources