Progress of The Ukrainian Biochemical Journal thanks to Collaboration with RECOOP HST Association

Abstract

The article examines the impact of cooperation between The Ukrainian Biochemical Journal (UBJ) and the international association RECOOP HST on the journal’s development in 2019-2023. During this period, 324 articles were published in the journal. Most of them are written by Ukrainian authors (79.9%). Foreign authors (20.1%) are representatives of 15 countries. An online manuscript handling and reviewing system were implemented on the journal’s website, which increased the number of articles received by the editorial office and allowed for a more careful selection of manuscripts at the initial evaluation stage. As a result, the percentage of rejected manuscripts increased from 36.5 to 67.7%. RECOOP’s support has also played a key role in improving the quality of UBJ’s publications through the renewal of its editorial board and expanding its international reviewer base. In collaboration with RECOOP, eight special issues of UBJ were produced separately, including four themed issues. In total, 56 articles (110 citations) were published in these issues. The number of visitors to UBJ’s website almost tripled during the mentioned period. Currently, UBJ’s Scimago Scientific Journal Rank (SJR) for 2022/2023 is 0.169, the h-index is 20, and the Impact Score is 0.63. A conclusion is made that the cooperation with RECOOP contributed to the publication of better scientific articles, the involvement of highly qualified experts in the peer review process, and stricter adherence by the journal to the fundamental provisions and ethical standards, thereby leading to an elevation in UBJ’s rating and recognition in the global scientific arena. Keywords: COMET, increasing UBJ’s global visibility, project implementation, RECOOP, thematic issue, UBJ