Peer-review process in journals dealing with chemistry and related subjects published in Serbia

A survey was conducted among editors of journals publishing in the field of chemistry, chemical technology and related topics in Serbia, aiming to collect information on their experience, problems and difficulties during peer-review process. Editors from 22 journals out of 27 that regularly published during 2015 replied. General data on journals were collected from responses obtained from editors-in-chief, whereas all editors (including sub-editors and section editors) participated in a questionnaire concerning peer-review procedure. Additionally, they were asked to evaluate quality of reports and attitude of reviewers, discuss present situation and suggest measures to improve peer-review process. The greatest problems encountered by editors in peer-review process can be summarized as follows: low rate of acceptance to review, low quality of reports, sometimes due to the reviewer's bias or their inability to properly understand the review process. A method used to search for reviewers does not substantially influence the quality of reports. Editors agree that introduction of On-Line processes and creation of precise instructions for reviewers, education of potential reviewers, as well as social, public and professional recognition and appreciation of reviewers' work, are the most important measures to improve the quality of the peer-review process and, consecutively, the quality of published articles and journals

A survey on publishing policies of the Journal of the Serbian Chemical Society - On the occasion of the 80th volume

Journal of the Serbian Chemical Society (JSCS) is the scientific journal of the Serbian Chemical Society and this year is celebrating 85 years of its publishing and the 80th volume. After so many years of publishing, the idea of the Editorial Board of the JSCS was to investigate the opinion of the authors, reviewers and Sub-Editors concerning the journal and whether their evaluation and suggestions could aid in its improvement. Questionnaires were sent to the three investigated groups as an e-mail link. The responses were analyzed and only the most general and the most important data are presented in this article. The grades, comments and suggestions showed that most of the contributors are satisfied with the present handling and publishing policy of the JSCS, but certain technical aspects should be improved. After a thorough inspection of the data, the Editorial Board decided to introduce a fully automatic on-line system, to speed-up the peer review process, to improve the Instructions to Authors and Reviewer's Report Form. All these novelties commenced from the beginning of March 2015

Efficiency in managing peer-review of scientific manuscripts - Editors' perspective

The purpose of this paper is to introduce a model for measuring the efficiency in managing peer-review of scientific manuscripts by editors. The approach employed is based on the assumption that the editorial aim is to manage publication with high efficiency, employing the least amount of editorial resources. Efficiency is defined in this research as a measure based on 7 variables. An on-line survey was constructed and editors of journals originating from Serbia regularly publishing articles in the field of chemistry were invited to participate. An evaluation of the model is given based on responses from 24 journals and 50 editors. With this investigation we aimed to contribute to our understanding of the peer-review process and, possibly, offer a tool to improve the efficiency in journal editing. The proposed protocol may be adapted by other journals in order to assess the managing potential of editors

Characterisation of the binding of dihydro-alpha-lipoic acid to fibrinogen and the effects on fibrinogen oxidation and fibrin formation

A reduced form of the alpha-lipoic acid, dihydro-alpha-lipoic acid (DHLA) is a potent, naturally occurring antioxidant which can be consumed as food constituent or as supplement at doses up to 600 mg/day. DHLA has inhibitory effect on coagulation as it can reduce concentrations of some coagulation factors. In this study, a direct interaction between DHLA and fibrinogen, the main protein in coagulation, is described. Binding constant for DHLA/fibrinogen complex is of moderate strength (104) and interaction probably occurs in D regions of fibrinogen, as shown by docking simulations. Fibrinogen stability remains the same with only marginal structural changes in its secondary structure favouring more ordered molecular organisation upon DHLA binding. Fibrinogen with bound DHLA forms fibrin with thicker fibers, as measured by coagulation assay and is protected from oxidation to certain extent. Obtained results support beneficial effects of DHLA on fibrinogen and consequently on coagulation process, suggesting that DHLA supplementation may be indicated for persons with an increased risk of developing thrombotic complications, particularly those whose fibrin is characterised by increased oxidative modification and formation of thinner and less porous fibers. Also, DHLA in complex with fibrinogen can be located at site of injury where it may exert antioxidant effects.This is the peer-reviewed version of the article: International Journal of Biological Macromolecules, 2020, 147, 319-325, doi: [https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2020.01.098]The published version: [http://cer.ihtm.bg.ac.rs/handle/123456789/3378

Is there a need for systematic education on peer-reviewing in Serbia?

Velika brzina stvaranja naučnih informacija u poslednjih nekoliko godina nameće potrebu za povećanjem broja stručnih recenzenata, posebno što recenziranje dobija novu dimenziju važnosti i u svetlu rastućeg broja prepoznatih plagijata i izmisljenih rezultata. Potencijalno rešenje potrebe za povećanjem broja recenzenata je sistematska edukacija doktoranada i mladih istraživača, posebno u zemljama razvoju. Prema podacima sa četiri državna univerziteta u Srbiji (u Beogradu, Novom Sadu, Nišu i Kragujevcu) i jednog privatnog univerziteta (Univerzitet Singidunum), postoji niz doktorskih kurseva koji studente obrazuju o načinu sprovođenja istraživanja, nekoliko o tome kako da pišu naučne publikacije, ali samo jedan od njih skromno osposobljava studente za recenziranje naučnih radova. Dakle, U Srbiji ogromni potencijal doktoranada i mladih istraživača nije pravilno prepoznat i usmeren ka stvaranju kvalifikovane populacije recenzenata. Sa idejom da doprinesemo svetskim trendovima na polju unapređenja recenziranja, predstavili smo pilot seminar na univerzitetima u Beogradu, Novom Sadu, Nišu i Kragujevcu u Srbiji u periodu od oktobra 2017. do aprila 2018. godine. Seminar u organizaciji Centra za promociju nauke obuhvatio je četiri predavanja koja su se bavila: (i) osnovnim aspektima procesa recenziranja, (ii) etičkim pitanjima, (iii) društvenim značajem i (iv) priznavanjem doprinosa recenzenata. Od ukupnog broja polaznika koji je iznosio 275, većina (84 %) se sastojala od doktoranada i mladih istraživača. Nakon seminara, učesnici su zamoljeni da izvrše test recenziju i popune anketu o kvalitetu seminara. Izveštaji o recenziji primljeni su od 82 osobe (od 275 polaznika). Od tri greške koje su namerno unete u tekst, sve greške primetilo je manje od 10 % ispitanika. Analiza ankete (160 odgovora) pokazala je da je 92% ispitanika izjavilo da su stekli nova znanja tokom seminara i ohrabrilo nastavak takve edukacije. Seminar je ponovljen 2019. g. na inicijativu Narodne biblioteke Srbije povodom globalnog događaja "Nedelja recenziranja 2019" i od anketiranih 105 novih polaznika, 94 % je iznelo stav o korisnosti obrazovanja o recenziranju i podržalo ideju o jačanju akademskih kompetencija za recenziranje kroz uvođenje obaveznog predmeta tokom doktorskih studija u Srbiji. Nadamo se da će se predstavnici akademske zajednice iz različitih naučnih disciplina pridružiti ovoj inicijativi i doprineti formiranju kurseva o recenziranju koji odgovaraju specifičnim potrebama svake naučne oblasti

Kako recenzirati naučni rad

A review process is a key factor which ensures reliable and accurate presentation of new, useful, and original scientific knowledge to the public. Despite of many shortcomings which this evaluation of scientific work has, it is still an indispensable part of the process of scientific publishing. Different types of reviews have emerged throughout history, but the essence of the process itself has remained unchanged: before publishing, scientific results are subjected to unbiased, competent, and reliable assessment of their validity and originality. Unfortunately, neither worldwide, nor in our country, there is systematic and institutionalized education for performing such responsible task. The knowledge on review process is taught by senior colleagues, or is acquired through personal experience over time. As each young scientist is a potential reviewer, this article Is primarily intended for young people, as a manual, instruction on how to review a scientific paper and what should be kept in mind when the review report is written. After the analysis of the review process, ethical principles to which a reviewer should adhere to are highlighted, and finally, article intends to answer a question: How to review a scientific paper critically, correctly, and objectively? At the end, it is suggested how the review report should look like.Postupak recenziranja je ključni element koji obezbeđuje pouzdano i tačno prezentovanje novog, korisnog i originalnog naučnog saznanja javnosti. I pored mnogih nedostataka koje ovakvo vrednovanje naučnog rada ima, ono je do danas nezamenjivi deo procesa publikovanja rezultata naučnih istraživanja. Tokom istorije razvijale su se različite vrste recenziranja, ali suština samog procesa je ostala nepromenjena: pre publikovanja rezultati se podvrgavaju nepristrasnoj, kompetentnoj i pouzdanoj oceni valjanosti, vrednosti i originalnosti. Nažalost, ni u svetu, a pogotovo kod nas, skoro da ne postoji sistematsko i institucionalizovano obrazovanje za obavljanje ovog odgovornog zadatka. Znanje i praksa se preuzimaju od starijih kolega, ili se stiču vremenom. Kako je svaki mladi naučnik potencijalni recenzent, ovaj tekst je namenjen pre svega mladima, kao priručnik, uputstvo kako recenzirati naučni rad i šta sve treba imati u vidu kada se piše recenzentski izveštaj. Nakon analize procesa recenziranja, u tekstu su istaknuti etički principi kojih se recenzent treba pridržavati, a zatim je pokušano dati odgovor na pitanje: Kako kritički, korektno i objektivno recenzirati naučni rad? Na kraju, sugerisano je kako recenzentski izveštaj treba da izgleda

Peer Review of Reviewers: The Author's Perspective

The aim of this study was to investigate the opinion of authors on the overall quality and effectiveness of reviewers' contributions to reviewed papers. We employed an on-line survey of thirteen journals which publish articles in the field of life, social or technological sciences. Responses received from 193 authors were analysed using a mixed-effects model in order to determine factors deemed the most important in the authors' evaluation of the reviewers. Qualitative content analysis of the responses to open questions was performed as well. The mixed-effects model revealed that the authors' assessment of the competence of referees strongly depended on the final editorial decision and that the speed of the review process was influential as well. In Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) analysis on seven questions detailing authors' opinions, perception of review speed remained a significant predictor of the assessment. In addition, both the perceived competence and helpfulness of the reviewers significantly and positively affected the authors' evaluation. New models were used to re-check the value of these two factors and it was confirmed that the assessment of the competence of reviewers strongly depended on the final editorial decision

Physicochemical characterisation of dihydro-alpha-lipoic acid interaction with human serum albumin by multi-spectroscopic and molecular modelling approaches

The binding of a popular food supplement and well-known antioxidant, dihydro-alpha-lipoic acid (DHLA) to human serum albumin (HSA) was characterised. The binding was monitored by several spectroscopic methods together with the molecular docking approach. HSA was able to bind DHLA with moderate affinity, 1.00±0.05×104 M-1. Spectroscopic data demonstrated that the preferential binding site for DHLA on HSA is IIA (Sudlow I). Both experimental and molecular docking analysis identified electrostatic (salt bridges) and hydrogen bonds as the key interactions involved in DHLA binding to HSA. Molecular docking confirmed that the Sudlow I site could accommodate DHLA and that the ligand is bound to the protein in a specific conformation. The molecular dynamic simulation showed that the formed complex is stable. Binding of DHLA does not affect the structure of the protein, but it thermally stabilises HSA. Bound DHLA had no effect on the susceptibility of HSA to trypsin digestion. Since DHLA is a commonly used food supplement, knowledge of its pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamic properties in an organism is very important. This study further expands it by providing a detailed analysis of its interaction with HSA, the primary drug transporter in the circulation

Dihydro-alpha-lipoic acid binds and protects fibrinogen from oxidation and affects fibrin formation

A reduced form of the alpha-lipoic acid, dihydro-alpha-lipoic acid (DHLA) is a potent, naturally occurring antioxidant that is found in higher amounts in plants like spinach, broccoli, potatoes, tomatoes, carrots, beets and rice. DHLA can be consumed as a food supplement as well, at doses up to 600 mg/day. DHLA has an inhibitory effect on coagulation as it can reduce concentrations of some coagulation factors. This study investigated a direct interaction between DHLA and fibrinogen, the main protein in coagulation and hemostasis. DHLA binds fibrinogen with a moderate straight. Calculated constant from spectrofluorimetric titration for DHLA/fibrinogen complex was 104 M -1. Fibrinogen stability remains the same with only marginal structural changes in its secondary structure favouring more ordered molecular organisation upon DHLA binding, as determined by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Coagulation assay showed that fibrinogen with bound DHLA forms fibrin with thicker fibres, as measured by coagulation assay and is protected from oxidation to a certain extent. Docking analysis showed that DHLA may bind fibrinogen in its D regions, which are directly involved in the fibrin formation. Obtained results support beneficial effects of DHLA on fibrinogen and consequently on coagulation process, suggesting that DHLA supplementation may be indicated for persons with an increased risk of developing thrombotic complications, particularly those whose fibrin is characterised by increased oxidative modification and formation of thinner and less porous fibres. Although further investigation is needed, our results suggest that DHLA in complex with fibrinogen can be located at the site of injury where it may exert antioxidant effects.45th FEBS Congress, Molecules of Life: Towards New Horizons, Ljubljana, Slovenia, July 3-8, 202

Atypical antipsychotic clozapine binds fibrinogen and affects fibrin formation

Clozapine is an atypical antipsychotic used for the treatment of schizophrenia. The prescribed target daily doses may reach 900 mg. Literature studies report a connection between clozapine usage and thrombosis development. Our in vitro study aimed to provide insight into molecular bases of this observation, investigating clozapine binding to fibrinogen, the main plasma protein involved in hemostasis. Fibrinogen/clozapine interaction was confirmed by protein fluorescence quenching, with an affinity constant of 1.7 × 105 M−1. Direct interactions did not affect the structure of fibrinogen, nor fibrinogen melting temperature. Clozapine binding affected fibrin formation by reducing coagulation speed and thickness of fibrin fibers suggesting that in the presence of clozapine, fibrinogen may acquire thrombogenic characteristics. Although no difference in fibrin gel porosity was detected, other factors present in the blood may act synergistically with altered fibrin formation to modify fibrin clot, thus increasing the risk for development of thrombosis in patients on clozapine treatment. ORAC and HORAC assays showed that clozapine reduced free radical-induced oxidation of fibrinogen. All observed effects of clozapine on fibrinogen are dose-dependent, with the effect on fibrin formation being more pronounced.This is the peer-reviewed version of the article: Gligorijević, N.; Vasović, T.; Lević, S. M.; Miljević, Č.; Nedić, O.; Nikolić, M. Atypical Antipsychotic Clozapine Binds Fibrinogen and Affects Fibrin Formation. International Journal of Biological Macromolecules 2020, 154, 142–149. [https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2020.03.119