Journal editors gathered in Skopje to discuss challenges and opportunities for society publishers

02 June 2025

Representatives of four geographical journals from Belgium, Bulgaria, North Macedonia and Serbia met in Skopje on 17th May to participate in a panel discussion tackling challenges and opportunities for society-led journals. The event was organized by the JBGS Managing Editor, Dr. Hristina Prodanova, under the program of this year’s European Association of Geographers (EUROGEO) conference, which took place at the Institute of Geography of the Ss. Cyril and Methodius University in Skopje, North Macedonia.

The panel discussion was built around the understanding that scientific publishing in the 21st century is facing many challenges threatening to affect the scientific integrity. Fraudulent practices of weak peer review, expensive publishing rates, fake co-authorship, and undeclared usage of AI tools are seen as barriers to scientific development among academics globally.

Invited panelists agreed that society-led journals could contribute to tackling these practices by promoting high-quality editorial processes, diamond open access, and early careers’ involvement. These opportunities were demonstrated through shared experience and talks on the four participating journals of geographical societies and institutions from Bulgaria, Belgium, North Macedonia and Serbia:

The conference panel provided a space for discussion and shared knowledge among journal editors across Europe and the Balkans, aiming to strengthen their cooperation and efforts towards promoting best publication practices. How the panelists reflected on the discussion read below:

“The panel session in Skopje highlighted how society journals, offering quality geographical research with no fees, can keep academic publishing open and ethical. Building shared tools, like a reviewer pool, is key to strengthening our journals together.”, said Dr. Alexandros Bartzokas-Tsiompras, Associate Editor of the European Journal of Geography.

“The panel discussion was a valuable platform for exchanging ideas and building connections across editorial communities. It underscored our shared commitment to advancing the quality, visibility, and impact of scholarly publishing. I’m encouraged by the energy and insights shared, and I look forward to continuing this dialogue.”, said Dr. Vladimir Zlatanoski, Editor-in-Chief of the Geographical Reviews—the journal of the Macedonian Geographical Society.

Our colleagues from the Geographical Institute “Jovan Cvijić” of the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts (SASA) shared that it was a real pleasure to exchange views with the editors of other journals, to identify the common challenges we face, and to discuss possible solutions.

“The panel was a valuable opportunity to recognize that many journals face similar challenges, particularly in finding reviewers. One key takeaway was the idea of establishing a shared reviewer database as a concrete step toward improving the peer-review process across our journals.”, said Dr. Ana Milanovic Pešić, and Dr. Suzana Lović Obradović, editors at the Journal of the Geographical Institute “Jovan Cvijić” SASA.

Members of the editorial team of the Journal of the Bulgarian Geographical Society from Bulgaria, United Kingdom, Spain and North Macedonia used the time spent in Skopje to meet and discuss about the journal development. Seven out of 42 members of the team were participating at the EUROGEO conference. Among them, recently appointed Deputy Editor-in-Chief Chad Staddon, Deputy-in-Chief Stoyan Nedkov, the Managing Editor Hristina Prodanova, Subject Editors Rafael de Miguel Gozales (President of EUROGEO), Tsvetan Kotsev, and Ivica Milevski, and the Copy Editor Vanya Stoycheva.

Looking forward to meeting you again and to continue our dialog and shared efforts for quality publishing in Geography.

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