Any researcher would say that a doctorate is intended primarily for the mentor, the committee, and the home institution. For a scientific institution, a doctorate is a "rite of passage", which symbolically indicates that the candidate is ready for a scientific career. From the perspective of ordinary citizens, a researcher is someone who could and should provide fresh and credible answers to many questions of public concern. Doctorates in prose represent socially engaged science. This unusual experiment in science communication involved two authors from the Center for the Promotion of Science, 11 illustrators from five countries and 11 researchers who have defended their doctoral theses in Serbia in the last five years. The book consists of eleven essays inspired by doctoral dissertation topics in exciting, contemporary scientific fields, such as physics of complex systems, evolution of morality, reading literacy, typography, computer diagnostics, etc.

At the 62nd International Book Fair in Belgrade, the book Doctorates in Prose: Illustrated Stories by Nikola Zdravković and Ivan Umeljić, cover design and layout by Milena Savić, received the prestigious Bodan Kršić Award for the most beautiful book. This is how the members of the jury, professors of the Faculty of Applied Arts, Jugoslav Vlahović, Tijana Kojić and Olivera Batajić Sretenović, explained their decision: “Effective typographic approach to illustration on the cover creates an interesting interplay between the abstract and readable, and the choice of tactile material helps build a special relationship to the book… Several illustrators contributed to this book, which is not noticeable at first glance, although their expression is diverse and authentic. Their work holds the book together in a solid stylistic form and does not interfere with its flow... We believe this compelling graphic treatment contributed to an even more interesting experience of the unusually conceived topic of this book."

“Nick Sousanis’s Unflattening is a complex, beautiful, delirious meditation on just about everything under the sun; a unique and bracing read.” (Scott McCloud, author of Understanding Comics and Making Comics)

“It is a book that is dense with the syntheses of ideas, nimble, far-reaching and impossible to summarize. It liberates itself from the standard layout of panels within frames, teaching the eye and mind to read the unfailingly intelligent black-and-white artwork in unconventional and new ways. Unflattening deserves a place as a compulsory textbook in schools.” (Neel Mukherjee, New Statesman)

“Written with remarkable clarity and insight, its sometimes-haunting, sometimes-breath-taking illustrations prove the book’s arguments about how visual information can shape our understanding… Essential reading for anyone seeking to create, critique, or consider the visual narrative form.” (Publishers Weekly)

The publication of scientific papers is the focus of PhD students, as they have a clause which obliges them to publish at least one paper in an internationally recognized journal during their studies before being allowed to acquire a new title. This can create enormous pressure, especially if the thesis is already written and the publication is still pending or not published. The Introduction to Scientific Publishing is an indispensable guide to the complex world of journals, reviews, publishers, editorial boards and citation databases. Productivity can significantly affect their promotion, appointment, financing, or even contract renewal. Particularly useful to junior researchers and PhD students, this book is full of useful tips and explanations of specific concepts and complex publishing procedures.

It is understood that students can only meet these requirements if their mentors provide them with adequate guidance and support. The discussion that takes place between administration, academics and even students is enriched with many terms and acronyms, such as "impact factor," "ISI journal," "Web of Science," or "ranking." However, at times they seem to lack the necessary experience regarding these issues and the terms are used without a thorough understanding of the subject. This in turn creates confusion and can even lead to wrong decisions. Accordingly, a brief guide covering various topics related to scientific publishing could be useful. In addition to the print edition, the Center for the Promotion of Science has also published an open-access electronic edition, which is available in its entirety here: http://nauka.cpn.rs/

Knowledge must respect the facts, and therefore the truth itself. Information does not have to do this, and opinions - well, they are sometimes gratis. They are easy to form, with little or no cost. The problem, however, is that we cannot solve climate change, the challenges of the Middle East, serious online abuse or democratic disagreement, no matter how many of us there are and how quickly we collect or read articles, new posts, comments and supporting or disapproving replies they get on the web. It is not new that other people influence us, nor is it new that we are subject to phenomena such as herding, the lemming effect, the passive observer effect, group thinking, collective exaggeration and the mistakes of the majority. But it is new that modern information technologies have increased and reinforced these phenomena. Infostorms talks about social psychology on speed.

“Infostorms is a sophisticated and accessible investigation into the crucial information flows that shape and govern so many aspects of our social, economic and political lives. It elegantly manages to select crucial results in a variety of technical fields, from logic to game theory, from economics to psychology, and make them cast new and much needed light on the infosphere. An interdisciplinary tour de force not to be missed.” (Luciano Floridi, University of Oxford)

“We all drown in the polluted information surrounding us. What people need is means of navigation, meaning and alignment. Infostorms is a thoughtful, well-written and scary warning to every media organization: Change!” (Ulrik Haagerup, Executive Director of News, Danish Broadcasting Company)

Each year, at the Belgrade International Book Fair, the Center for the Promotion of Science exhibits around a thousand publications of Serbian scientific research organizations, as well as its own publications in the field of science promotion and scientific communication. In terms of its participation in this cultural event the Center takes a thematic approach, and the motto changes every year.

At its 200m2 pavilion in the Hall 2a, the Center showcases the publishing activities of over 120 scientific and research organizations in Serbia, including: universities, faculties, the university library, Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts with its institutes, research and development institutes, scientific institutes, private universities and colleges, professional societies and other institutions.

A large number of lectures and panel discussions are held every year at the CPN exhibiting space, and the Center also publishes the NIO Catalogue, a unique bibliographic edition listing all exhibited titles issued by scientific and research organizations in Serbia.

Elementi is a national illustrated magazine for the promotion of science. Since June 2015, we have been introducing latest scientific developments both worldwide and locally to our readers. Whether it is astronomy, biology, philosophy, mathematics, physics, art, politics or economics, on our 96 pages you can find original stories told from different angles. For example, in Elementi you will read about personal adventures of an astrophysicist who is searching for black holes and distant galaxies, but also about medieval robots, the transmission of bacteria in the kitchen, or about the long hidden and incredibly intertwined paths of science and slavery... Fresh science news on the cover of Elementi - the launch of an initiative to declare a new age in the history of Earth (Anthropocene), or the decision to change the way we define four basic units of measurement for the first time since 1875.

Then there is the (often a long) topic, the main story of the issue, told through several perspectives. The topic can be anything - fake news, the screen society we live in, the evolution of the human conception of art, or truth and delusion about conspiracy theories. In each issue Elementi also bring interviews with prominent local and foreign researchers, science communicators, artists who find inspiration in different scientific disciplines, etc. We also have stories in pictures or in frames, and there you will find longer or shorter articles covering many fields: from medicine and hygiene, through evolution, music and literature to chemistry, food and empathy. For all comic book lovers, there are articles in which stories about popular heroes are intertwined, as well as more serious topics such as depictions of authentic psychiatric illnesses in comics, or how the children of war, in the absence of fathers, sought role models in comic book heroes.

Last but not least - our magazine is illustrated by the most prominent graphic artists from Serbia and the region, and impressive illustrations are what makes our magazine stand out among other publications. It is therefore no surprise that our regular illustrator Monika Lang received an award for the best illustration in print and online media for the illustration on the cover of 13th issue of Elementi magazine. Our team is made up of both young and older, more experienced science journalists, writers, researchers, essayists and science promoters. Elementi can be purchased at a price of 290 dinars on almost all newsstands in the country, as well as at major bookstores and the CPN Science Club. The magazine is published four times a year.

Until the next story – keep reading!