Yogoslav politics, “ethnic cleansing” and co-authorship in science

Abstract: Scientific outputs from Serbia, Croatia and Slovenia, and the patterns of co-authorship between them and five western countries and with each other have been determined from theScience Citation Index. They reflect accurately the political situation underlying the recent break-up of the former Yugoslavia, and long-term international alliances and friendships, but also take account of geographical proximity, which assists scientific co-operation. There is no evidence of changes in the ethnic composition of Serbian and Croatian scientists overall, as revealed by the names of their researchers before and after the civil war. However some changes appear to have taken place in Serbia outwith Belgrade, which are consistent with the reports of the expulsion of Croats living in Vojvodina.