We are pleased to inform the demographic community that the journal Stanovništvo, co-published by the Association of Demographers of Serbia, has been included in the Web of Science ESCI (Emerging Sources Citation Index) list as of December 2025. The WoS application, submitted in September 2024, was successfully completed under the leadership of the new editor-in-chief, Dr. Ivan Marinković, the former long-time secretary of DDS. This achievement confirmed that Stanovništvo has established itself as the leading demographic journal in the region.
This achievement is the result of a sustained effort that began in December 2018, when a web platform for editing and publishing the journal was launched using open-source OJS (Open Journal Systems) software. This system supports comprehensive editorial management from submission to publication of the content, facilitating the journal’s transition from print to a fully digital format and enabling evaluation by Web of Science. The project has been entirely volunteer-driven, led and developed by Vladimir Nikitović, Editor-in-Chief (2011-2024), at the initiative of the Consortium of Serbian Libraries for Unified Procurement (KoBSON).
Following the launch of the platform, the Editorial board of the journal implemented several key innovations:
- Broadening the journal’s thematic coverage, which involved further internationalizing the Editorial board and establishing well-defined editorial roles such as Deputy Editor-in-Chief, Section Editors, along with a larger technical team;
- Introducing English language proofreaders (including five years with native speakers) and design professionals;
- Relaunching thematic issues;
- Achieving independence from the National Library of Serbia for CrossRef content registration;
- Implementing automated similarity checks for submissions with iThenticate software;
- Adopting modern scientific publishing standards: adhering to COPE ethical guidelines, establishing policies for data availability and sharing, informed consent, and recognizing each co-author’s contribution per the CRediT taxonomy; adopting Creative Commons licensing;
- Introducing the Zotero style for Stanovništvo for reference formatting and a dedicated Word template for manuscript preparation;
- Establishing an additional archive for digital preservation through the PKP Preservation Network;
- Gaining inclusion in prominent citation services such as CEEOL, CNKI, DOAJ, EBSCO, and ERIH PLUS.
The digitization and modernization of the journal from 2018 to 2024 was led by then Editor-in-Chief Vladimir Nikitović and Deputy Editor-in-Chief Marko Galjak.
The new editorial team, led by Dr. Ivan Marinković, also has high goals, which have already been confirmed by its inclusion in the Web of Science. One of the most important, undoubtedly, will be obtaining an impact factor in this prestigious citation index, but no less important goal is the further improvement of technical standards and the process of editing and publishing the journal. The Executive board of DDS extends their full support and best wishes to the editorial team.
Published on December 29, 2025
