Studying the international diffusion of a national scientific journal

The purpose of this paper is to apply concepts of the diffusion of innovations research in thestudy of the international diffusion of a formerly national scientific journal, Annales ZoologiciFennici. The study was conducted using bibliometric methodology. The diffusion of the journalwas described through citations of the journal and through the development of the nationaldistribution of its contributors. The compatibility of the journal as well as the decrease ofcomplexity were found to have an influence on diffusion. Bibliometric methods were able torepresent the international diffusion of a scientific journal.