ANNIVERSARY OF THE JOURNAL "LAW - THEORY AND PRACTICE": 40 YEARS OF CONTINUOUS PUBLICATION

2024-04-18

We pride ourselves on the tradition of publishing scientific articles by both prominent and young authors. We're also proud of a tradition spanning four decades and striving to contribute to the affirmation of solutions in legislative, judicial, and administrative work through selected scientific articles, respecting the views of prominent experts in the field of law.

We are pleased that over the years, the quality of the journal has been actively improving; that we have systematically improved the parameters of editorial policy, the appearance, format of the journal, bibliometric parameters, the way we present it to the academic and professional audience, as well as to all interested readers, in line with current trends in science and regulations, and standards governing the field of editing, publishing, categorization, and ranking of scientific journals.

We are delighted to highlight the fact that the journal "Law - Theory and Practice," according to the categorization of scientific journals by domestic publishers for the year 2023, has been recognized as a national journal of international significance (category M24) in the scientific fields of Law and Political Science.

Today, "Law - Theory and Practice" is an open-access journal and has been indexed in 17 significant databases, including HeinOnline, ERIH PLUS, CEEOL, DOAJ, CrossRef, Publons, doiSerbia, and other databases. The journal is published quarterly, and scientific articles are published exclusively in English. The issues of the journal are chronologically listed and made available in the Serbian Citation Index. Digital copies of all published issues are archived not only in the Digital Repository of the National Library of Serbia but also in the digital library - Internet Archive.

Celebrating this beautiful jubilee on the occasion of 40 years of continuous publication of our scientific journal, it's a chance to reflect on the early days, as well as the years that followed, and highlight the deserving individuals and values that have contributed over time to the position the journal holds today.

 

The journal "Law - Theory and Practice" was launched in 1983 by the decision of the Provincial Committee for Education and Culture of Novi Sad. Based on the Opinion of the aforementioned Provincial Committee No. 413-716/83 dated November 8, 1983, the journal "Law - Theory and Practice" was classified as a category of professional publications exempt from general sales tax and special sales tax.

The first issue of the journal "Law - Theory and Practice" was published in 1984. The introductory word was written by Dr. Darinka Nedeljković. The article on the current topic "Responsibility Today" was authored by Boško Krunić, while views and opinions were contributed by Dr. Branko Petrić (on the topic "Combatting Economic Crime as a Factor of Economic Stabilization"), Todor Gajinov (on the topic "Legal and Social Issues of Real Estate Transaction Tax and Rights"), Dr. Tibor Varadi (on the topic "Strategy of Our Technological Development and Legal Frameworks of International Technology Transfer"), and Drago Damjanović (on the topic "Some Questions Regarding the Composition of the Collegial Management Body"). The first issue also included examples of legal practice from different institutions (constitutional courts, courts of associated labor, regular courts, and misdemeanor bodies), commentary on regulations in the field of pension and disability insurance, a review titled "Basic Principles of the Long-Term Economic Stabilization Program from 1983," and finally, legal bibliography.

The publisher of the first issue, and subsequent issues until 1991, was the Union of Associations of Lawyers of Vojvodina. From 1991 until 2008, the publisher of the journal was the association "Pravo" LLC, Novi Sad. From 2008 until today, the publishers of the journal have been jointly the Faculty of Law for Commerce and Judiciary in Novi Sad, University Business Academy, Novi Sad, and "Pravo" LLC, Novi Sad.

Until 2006, the journal was mostly published monthly. From 2006 to 2011, the journal was published as a double issue (six annual editions with dynamics 1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 7-8, 9-10, 11-12), from 2011 to 2020, the journal was published as a triple issue (four annual editions with dynamics 1-3, 4-6, 7-9, 10-12), and from 2020 until today, the journal has been published quarterly, with issues numbered 1, 2, 3, 4 for the current year. Over the 40 years of its publication, the journal "Law - Theory and Practice" has published a total of 267 issues.

The first editor-in-chief of the journal was Dr. Lajčo Klajn, a long-standing judge of the Constitutional Court of Vojvodina. Dr. Klajn served as the editor-in-chief until 1996. From 1996 to 2008, the editor-in-chief was Dr. Aleksandar Radovanov, a respected professor and long-standing judge in Novi Sad. From 2008 to 2012, Professor Dr. Aleksandar Radovanov served as the editor-in-chief, while during this period, the managing editor was Dr. Vuksan Lakićević, a distinguished lawyer from Novi Sad. From 2012 to 2015, the journal was led by Professor Dr. Marijana Dukić Mijatović as the editor-in-chief, who was then the Vice-Dean for Science at the Faculty of Law for Commerce and Judiciary, and currently serves as the State Secretary in the Ministry of Education. The managing editors during this period were Dr. Vuksan Lakićević (until 2014), and subsequently, until today, Dr. Snežana Lakićević, a respected professor and Advisor to the Deputy CEO of NIS (The Petroleum Industry of Serbia), Belgrade. From 2015 to 2019, Professor Dr. Aleksandar Radovanov served again as the editor-in-chief, and since 2019, until today, the journal has been led by Professor Dr. Jelena Matijašević as the editor-in-chief, who is a full professor and Vice-Dean for Science at the Faculty of Law for Commerce and Judiciary.

In the early years, the journal published scientific articles, views and opinions, reviews, legal practices, and regulatory commentaries in Serbian. Over time, the significance of publishing articles in English became apparent, leading the editorial board to start the practice of publishing articles in both Serbian and English whenever possible. Since 2020, the editorial board has adopted the rule that all scientific articles are to be published in English to enhance the transparency of published articles and promote the citation of authors at both national and international levels.

During the first decade of the journal's publication, it was a practice to include an up-to-date legal bibliography at the end of each issue. This bibliography served to direct readers to other journals and publications dealing with legal matters or judicial practice. Additionally, selections of Latin legal maxims related to legal matters and brief reports on the activities of the Union of Associations of Lawyers of Vojvodina were also included. In its early years, the journal also featured the practice of publishing promotional messages to enhance its promotion and distribution and secure funding.

With the establishment of standards and rules for categorizing scientific journals in the field of social sciences by the Ministry responsible for science in 2008, the journal "Law - Theory and Practice" was recognized as a national journal and categorized as M53. Then, in 2019, the journal was recognized as an outstanding national journal and categorized as M52 for the scientific fields of Law and Political science. It's important to note that in 2020, the Ministry of Education, Science, and Technological Development issued regulations on categorization and ranking of scientific journals, which, alongside the standards of the Digital Repository of the National Library of Serbia, provided significant support to the editorial board of the journal "Law - Theory and Practice" in further enhancing the quality of editorial policy and other relevant parameters. In the same year, the journal was recognized as a top-tier journal of national importance and categorized as M51 for the scientific fields of Law and Political science. Finally, after significant efforts to strengthen and improve the journal, as well as bibliometric parameters applicable to domestic scientific journals, the journal "Law - Theory and Practice" was recognized in 2023 as a national journal of international significance and categorized as M24 for the scientific fields of Law and Political science.

The Editorial Board and Publishing Council of the journal "Law - Theory and Practice" comprise renowned university professors, academics, and researchers from Serbia and abroad, and it boasts excellent collaboration with an increasing number of authors and reviewers from both Serbia and abroad.

The journal "Law - Theory and Practice," in collaboration with the Faculty of Law for Commerce and Judiciary in Novi Sad, has been the recipient of several co-funding projects for each issue in the current year, in cooperation with the City Administration for Culture of the City of Novi Sad.

In line with the contemporary needs of efficient and practical information dissemination, the journal takes pride in its website within the official website of the Faculty of Law for Commerce and Judiciary in Novi Sad: [link](https://casopis.pravni-fakultet.edu.rs/index.php/ltp/index).

Today, the editorial board of the journal works diligently and remains committed to upholding the established practice of enhancing the quality of scientific articles through timely, professional, and accurate communication with authors, as well as with reviewers. The objective, anonymous, and timely reviews provided by our reviewers are of great importance to us in the selection process of scientific articles received.

Every step we take is determined by our aim to establish cooperation with new authors through professional, ethically correct approaches, to have authors with whom we have already collaborated readily turn to us with new articles, and above all, to ensure that the texts of our authors are always cited and read by an even wider audience.

We will endeavor, as we have done so far, to successfully overcome all potential challenges and justify the trust placed in us by our authors, as well as by the current categorization of scientific journals.

We look forward to our future collaboration with you!

 

The Editorial Board of the journal "Law - Theory and Practice":

 

Prof. Jelena Matijašević Ph.D., Editor-in-Chief

Snežana Lakićević Ph.D., Managing Editor

Prof. Nenad Stefanović Ph.D., Editorial Secretary

Mara Despotov MLS, Proofreader and Editor for the Serbian language

Kristina Marić MHed, Translator, Proofreader and Editor for the English Language