Gdynia Maritime University GMU

In October 2025, it is 50 years since the publication of the first issue of our University's scientific journal, Scientific Journal of Gdynia Maritime University.            

The first edition of the journal was published in 1975, following the decision of the then Rector of GMU, Dr Captain Daniel Duda. He wrote in the preface to the first edition: "This first edition of Scientific Papers [Zeszyty Naukowe] contains papers on different areas of maritime knowledge. Nevertheless, it is our intention to create a series of several specialist journals in the future. I hope that this publication will serve as a source of inspiration for undertaking scientific research essential to the continued academic development of the maritime community.”

The edition contains six papers written by authors Stanisław Górski, MSc(Eng); Captain Mirosław Jurdziński, MSc(Eng); Kacek Więckowski, MSc; Eugeniusz Bartosiński, PhD(Eng); Engineer Henryk Łączyński; Lech Milian, PhD; Piotr Jędrzejowicz, Dsc;  and Janusz Żółkiewicz, MSc(Eng).

"The idea of establishing the scientific journal as a platform for publishing articles devoted to the broad range of research topics undertaken by our staff emerged in discussions among representatives of all the university's faculties as early as the early 1970s. The initiative was supported and made possible by the then Higher School's rector, Professor Daniel Duda. We realised back then that the creation of a high-quality academic journal would require many years of effort and hardship, and it would no doubt be a bumpy road. 50 years later, we are clearly at a seriously more advanced stage on that road" – commented Professor Piotr Jędrzejowicz – one of the authors of an article published in the first edition, who later served as the University's rector.

In subsequent years, the University was led by different rectors, its name changed, and so too did the members of the Journal's Scientific Advisory Board. The journal continued to develop, increasing the frequency of its publication, the number of academic papers published in each edition, and improving their quality.

There were also changes to the name of the publication, in accordance with changes in the name of the University, from 'Scientific Papers of the Maritime Higher School in Gdynia', 'Scientific Papers of the Maritime Academy in Gdynia', through its current title 'Scientific Journal of Gdynia Maritime University' (SJ GMU).

From 1985 until 2018, the University also published, in collaboration with a German university, Hochschule Bremerhaven, another journal entitled 'Joint Proceedings'.  The editorial team was made up of staff from both universities, and its pages featured papers written by scientists from different countries.

As years previous, the Scientific Journal of Gdynia Maritime University continues to focus on publications related to the broadly understood maritime economy, and in particular on research conducted by the University's academic staff in such disciplines as automation, electronics, electrical engineering and space technologies, civil engineering, geodesy and transport, mechanical engineering, management and quality science, as well as Earth and environmental sciences.

The quarterly journal features original research papers by the academic staff of Gdynia Maritime University, particularly those at the early stages of their scientific careers, as well as works by researchers from other national and international universities and research institutions.

In recent years, the publication has undergone significant changes. Since 2018, the Journal has been published in English. A new system for the management and publication of the Journal has been introduced, concerning all stages of the editorial process, from the submission of scientific papers by authors and reviewers, to their archiving and indexing, and the publication of the Journal. All works submitted are checked for originality using the iThenticate system. Both tools significantly streamline the publishing process and contribute to improving the quality of the journal. Since 2021, the editorial team has issued four newsletters annually, each dedicated to a new edition of the Journal and distributed to partner universities and member institutions of the International Association of Maritime Universities (IAMU) worldwide.  A completely redesigned website has also been developed, featuring both current and archived volumes of the journal, along with comprehensive information on the submission, review, and publication processes for scientific articles.

The publication's growing renown and visibility are attested to by the number of journal indexing databases in which it is indexed. These include: DOAJ, BazTech, PBN, ARIANTA, Google Scholar, NUKAT and CeON. The editorial team is currently making efforts to have the journal indexed in the Web of Science database. The Scientific Journal of Gdynia Maritime University is also on the list of scientific journals and reviewed materials of the international conference of the Minister of Science and Higher Education (40 points).

As was highlighted by the GMU Deputy Rector for Science and the Journals Editor-in-Chief, Dr Dariusz Barbucha,

SJGMU is a professional scientific journal with a well-established position. The growing number of submitted articles, particularly from international research institutions, has a positive impact and will continue to contribute to the journal's further development. We warmly encourage students, doctoral candidates, and experienced researchers whose interests align with the themes of our journal to submit and publish their work with us. After all, without these contributions, the Journal would not exist.

The journal would not exist either without the decision to establish it made by the Rector at the time, and the dedicated work of successive editorial teams over the past 50 years. I would like to warmly thank the current editorial team with whom I have the pleasure of overseeing the development of the Journal: the subject editors (Prof. Janusz Mindykowski, Dr Agnieszka Blokus-Dziula, Dr Agnieszka Rybowska, Dr Robert Starosta, Dr Łukasz Janowski); the editorial secretary (Joanna Kłosińska), and the Editorial Coordinator (Beata Gniadowicz).

We look forward to another 50 years of development and further decades of cutting-edge research, outstanding authors, and a wide impact on the scientific community around the world.

Link to the Journal online: https://sjgmu.umg.edu.pl/

Izabela Dudek-Muczyńska, MSc
Joanna Kłosińska.MSc